The Russ Fellows Woodturning Center

Our dear friend Russ Fellows passed away unexpectedly in November 2023. Russ was an integral member of the Woodchuck Turners of Northern Vermont and he was, in many ways, the heart of the organization. Russ graciously hosted our club meetings and events in his spacious and well-equipped shop, welcoming us in to use his vast collection of tools and machines for demonstrations and learning alike. He was a source of creative inspiration, technical know-how, an encouraging word for everyone, and boundless energy and enthusiasm for helping anyone with whatever they needed.

Knowing how important this sharing of knowledge and camaraderie was to Russ, his life-long partner, Bob Coates, offered the club the continued use of the shop space, and the donation of all of Russ’ tools and equipment from his shop in Vermont, as well as the one in Florida. This kind-hearted offer affords the club not only the opportunity to meet in the shop space on a regular basis but more importantly, the opportunity to advance our offerings to the next level.

As a result, we are now hard at work to further develop the facility with multiple woodturning stations. Additionally, we are planning a series of low to no-cost workshops and programs that will provide a broad range of hands-on learning opportunities to club members of all levels.

In June, there will be a memorial for Russ at Skunk Hollow, and at that time we will honor Russ and his commitment to advancing woodturning with the dedication of the Russ Fellows Woodturning Center.

While Bob’s generosity provided the foundation for this initiative, there is a considerable cost to refit the space including the cost of transporting all of Russ’ lathes and equipment from his shop in Florida. We will need to purchase additional equipment necessary to transform Russ’ shop into a true Woodturning Center, as well as purchase liability insurance to indemnify Bob and the club. All money raised through this fundraiser will exclusively be used to set up or operate the Russ Fellows Woodturning Center. Our goal is to raise $30,000 which will allow us to outfit the shop, cover operating costs for the first three years, and offer classes and workshops to members at no cost. We hope you will join us in honoring Russ’ legacy with a donation towards this effort.

With this in mind, we are forming the Vermont Woodturners Guild to oversee the membership and Turning Center. We are in the process of applying for 501c3 status, which allows us to accept tax-deductible donations. This process typically takes 90 days. Provided non-profit status is granted in this calendar year (and we have no reason to believe it won’t be), donations will be tax deductible and receipts will be issued for your tax purposes at that time.

We thank you for your participation in this worthwhile initiative!