Woodworking Club Insurance Question

[Steve Mellott]

Woodturning clubs can qualify for liability insurance coverage by affiliating with the American Association of Woodturners and Scroll Saw clubs can qualify for similar coverage by affiliating with the Scroll Saw Association of the World. Is there any sort of group with which a General Woodworking club can affiliate in order to attain liability insurance coverage? If you belong to a General Woodworking Club, where do you get your insurance coverage? Thanks.

Steve

[Tom Hargrove]

Why don't you affiliate with one of the two associations? I'm sure that some of your members use a lathe and/or a scrollsaw.

[Steve Mellott]

Affiliating with either the AAW or SAW is a possibility. I'd have to research this a little more, but potential drawbacks may include each of the following.

1. For a member to be covered, he/she would have to join AAW ($50/year) or SAW ($25/year) even if they don't use a lathe or scroll saw.

2. The AAW or SAW insurance may not cover incidents involving work not related to woodturning or scroll sawing (e.g. furniture building, bandsaw boxes, etc.)

Not ruling this alternative out - just saying there is more to research to see if this is a viable alternative. Thanks for the suggestion.

Steve

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hi Steve,

Our NH guild has it's own liability insurance through a general lines agent. We carry $1Million/$2Million and it costs us less than $500 per year. The only reason it is that much is because it's the minimum charge. We are careful about risk management and most guild meetings are demos, and not hands on for the members. One of our sub-groups/special interest groups, the Granite State Woodturners, is also an AAW affiliated chapter and has additional liability insurance through them.

[Steve Mellott]

Dave: PM sent.