A brief History.
Broxburn Woodcraft Club was established in 1972 in a small room in the local community education building, not far from where we are at present.
In March 1999 Broxburn Arts and Crafts Club, as we were formally known, became a registered charity and the following year moved into bigger WLC business premises with donated benches from the local school and one shared lathe!
Following West Lothian Councils conversion of the local high school in 2002 into a partnership centre, we were offered and happily accepted the space we currently use for our workshop.
Broxburn Arts and Crafts Club was increasingly being mistaken for an art/painting club, so we made the decision in 2005 to rename ourselves as Broxburn Woodcraft Club.
From its humble beginnings the club has flourished with the purchase of tools and machinery and now has just under 200 active members, a number that continues to rise.
Who can join?
Anyone 18 years old or over can join the club. Although our catchment area is West Lothian we do accept members from surrounding areas.
How much does it cost?
At present annual membership is £20, and there is a nominal charge of £2 for each session you attend.
When are we open?
The club is open 9 am – 9 pm Monday to Friday, and Saturday mornings for training, maintenance and cleaning. Each week day is broken down into 3 hourly sessions 9 am – 12 pm, 12 pm – 3 pm, 3 pm – 6 pm, and 6 pm – 9 pm. Members can attend as many or as few sessions per week as required, however due to popularity of particular sessions it has to be noted that a free lathe is not guaranteed, as they are allocated on a first come first served basis.
Health and Safety
Broxburn woodcraft club is a hobby club and while there is a mass of knowledge and experience within our membership which is freely shared, it should be noted that we are not a teaching facility. That being said the health and safety of each and every member is of utmost importance, so for this reason we employ a machine familiarisation protocol which members must adhere to. We also regularly hold APASS certificate training courses in conjunction with West Lothian College which members must undertake before they have full use of all the machinery available.
Annual Show
The club holds an annual show where members showcase their woodworking talents, and vie for the coveted best in show title. Entrants must be members of the club and there are show categories which include stick makers, general wood crafting, pyrography, as well as several categories in turning. Each year we are surprised and in awe of the outstanding pieces of work created by our novice and experienced members. Although submitting an entry is not mandatory, in order to keep the show alive and as diverse as possible, we encourage as many members to participate as possible. If you’re really keen why not take up our annual club challenge too!