Stuart Batty Woodturning School

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"Eli Avisera is an internationally renowned woodworking artist and a world-class expert in woodturning, carving, wood sculpture, and chair making. He is also a luthier (violin maker) and has an extensive background in classic carpentry, cabinet and furniture making.   

Eli was born in 1960 and grew up in Jerusalem.  He attended “Kiryat Noar” school in Jerusalem, specializing in their artistic woodcraft study program.  He graduated in 1977.

After working in traditional carpentry for about a decade, Eli founded the first professional woodworking school in Israel in 1988.

 Between his school in Jerusalem and his international teaching programs, thousands of serious students have studied with him, and hundreds have graduated after years of extensive study.

Over the decades, Eli has lectured, demonstrated his methodologies, and tutored students worldwide. His classes include creative turning concepts, furniture construction, wood carving, and sculpture.

 About a decade ago, Eli began a comprehensive study of the fine art of violin crafting and now teaches those stringed instrument-fine art of violin crafting, and now teaches those stringed instrument-making skills to his luthier students.    

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Eli’s attention to detail, creativity, and artistry speaks for itself.  His vast woodworking talents and artistry can be seen in museums and treasured personal collections around the world. 

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The world is Eli’s classroom, as he has taught and continues to be invited to teach in countries such as Japan, UK, China, Australia, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, New Zealand.  In the United States, Eli has taught and lectured in over 25 states, including prestigious organizations like The American Association of Woodturners (AAW). 

Stuart Batty is a third-generation apprentice woodturner with over four decades of professional turning experience. Under the expert tutelage of his father, Allan Batty, a world-renowned master spindle turner, Stuart began woodturning at 10. By the age of 16, Stuart had become an accomplished production spindle turner and instructor and had gained wide notoriety for his technical proficiency and teaching abilities.

Stuart has taught more classes and demonstrated at more clubs and symposiums than any other woodturner in history and is recognized as one of the world’s most accomplished woodturners.

Through years of production turning and teaching hands-on woodturning classes, Stuart developed a unique style of the European push-cut technique. His style uses fewer tools and simple grinds to produce large-volume cuts without torn grain, low physical effort, and ready-to-sand surfaces. Stuart has pioneered many techniques and terminologies that all woodturners use today, such as the push-cut, pull-cut, negative rake scraping, 40/40, and bottom bowl gouge grinds.

Stuart’s early work included balustrades and newel posts for Royal and Stately British Homes. Stuart’s art pieces are pure turned thin work emphasizing detail and crisp edges made from denser woods. One such piece is in the White House Permanent Collection.

Stuart now focuses on teaching classes to help students improve their woodturning technique. Stuart specializes in taking woodturners to the next level, which includes many of the well-known international turners who wanted to improve efficiency on a lathe.

"Cindy Drozda, Erie Colorado, has worked with wood professionally since her first “real” job with a player piano factory at age 19. She is currently a full-time wood artist who has been turning since 1985.

Her elegant lidded vessels with delicate finials bring a contemporary flair to classic forms. Her work can be seen at the finest juried shows and exhibitions in the USA, as well as in several books. 

Cindy shares her woodturning knowledge and passion as an international demonstrator, teacher, writer, and producer of instructional videos. She has been invited to teach in Canada, Great Britain, Ireland, Australia, Europe, New Zealand, and at symposia and clubs across the US. 

She is a member of the American Association of Woodturners and 2 AAW chapters. Before choosing woodturning as a career Cindy worked as a cabinet maker, rebuilt airplanes, and made hang gliding equipment. In 1988, she participated in a 6 month long crossing of the entire US by non-powered hang glider. Woodturning is her latest exciting adventure!"

  Keith grew up in the Midwest but quickly made Colorado his home in 1981. Living in Boulder, he took advantage of all the outdoor activities available. Rock climbing, in particular, became his passion. That pursuit took him to many of the climbing areas of the US and various international destinations. To fund these adventures, Keith followed another lifelong passion of his: woodworking. Starting in a factory on the night shift, making “butcher block” furniture, he quickly rose through the ranks. He made his way through various cabinet shops, ending with a designer making very eclectic furniture. In 1989, he struck out on his own, developing his own clientele and designs under the name K2 Woodworks.

Keith still takes on the occasional furniture commission. 1998 saw his change in focus from furniture to woodturning. Keith worked the craft show circuit as well as making for wholesale accounts. Moving from Boulder to the small town of Salida, Colorado brought a new focus for his work. Keith now fills his workdays with production architectural turning, furniture, teaching, demonstrations, and any old weird job that comes in. For fun, he is still exploring Colorado, often on his dual sport motorbike.

Keith took classes from notable masters early in his turning career, and remembers that excitement of exploration. In his classes and demonstrations Keith brings that same level of enthusiasm for learning and joy of sharing to his students. 

With his background in fine art and a love of the truly utilitarian, Keith’s work is noted for its clean lines, smooth curves, and tight detail. Sometimes whimsical, often classical, Keith enjoys a broad body of work and is hard to pigeonhole.

I am an artist, maker, and educator living in Saskatoon, Canada.

My love of woodworking is not only for the beauty and mystery of the material but in the invention of new techniques and processes to create objects. 

The materials I use relate to the objects I make. At times a piece of salvaged wood will become a starting point of design. Other times, a design will call for a piece of wood with incredible grain. Using plain wood like birch allows me to approach the work as a three-dimensional canvas. Here, I can apply a variety of surface design techniques to express an idea.

"My work tells stories from my life, places I've been, people I've met, architecture, our environment. These stories are interwoven into the objects I create. Craft goes beyond the pleasure of our senses and deals not only with, but social and ideological lives."

 Mike Mahoney is a full-time production woodturner specializing in utility wares, nested bowls, and hollow forms. His work is in many of the finest turning collections in the world and has been accepted into many of the top juried craft shows in the USA. Mike has demonstrated internationally in seven countries and has produced several instructional videos and a signature line of finishes.

“I am passionate about my craft and the American Craft movement. I am dedicated to producing quality craft and educating the public about woodturning. My wood comes from urban sources (tree trimmers and local cities). I produce all my work on the lathe without any embellishments after the fact, creating a very traditional feel with contemporary ideas. I want my work to be attractive as well as useful. For my work to be admired is one thing, but for my work to be used fulfills my purpose as a craftsman.”

"About 30 years ago Tom found himself working for the Hewlett-Packard Company in Chicago and living in a house with a spacious basement. He bought a lathe and began turning wood again. At first, he made mostly furniture but, almost by chance, he attended a demonstration by Richard Raffan, a well-known Australian woodturner. Richard took a rough piece of American black cherry timber and turned it into a wonderful bowl. Tom was hooked.

Thus began Tom’s interest in creating art pieces on the lathe. He now specializes in platters and bowls from a variety of woods. However, Tom has developed an excellent method for finishing highly figured woods with a flawless surface. His favorite wood is figured maple.