SDFWA

San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association

Volunteer Duties – DiW 2026

Volunteers Needed at the Design in Wood Exhibition

View the volunteer schedule to see what shift times are available. The Volunteer schedules for the Floor Ambassadors and the Chair Shop will be available soon.

Questions: Contact Design in Wood Coordinator Jim Strawn (619) 887-8090 or  jlstrawn@cox.net

Volunteers Needed - No Experience Necessary - Very Rewarding

The 2026 Design in Wood exhibition will run from June 10th through July 5th. During that period we will need both Floor Ambassadors and Chair Shop Volunteers. You can see the details of each position below. 

Two Floor Ambassadors and Two Chair Shop volunteers are needed for each of three shifts on Wednesday through Sunday (the fair is closed Monday and Tuesday). Each volunteer will receive at least 2 tickets per shift. You will need to use one of your tickets to get into the fair of the day of your shift. You can sign up for multiple shifts on the same day and get enough tickets for your family and friends.  If you signup before May 9th, your tickets will be mailed to you, otherwise you can pick them up at Will Call on the day of your shift. 

Floor Ambassador Shifts are:

  • 11-1pm – 2 Tickets per shift
  • 1-4pm – 2 Tickets per shift*
  • 4-7pm – 4 Tickets per shift*

 

Chair Shop Shifts are:

  • 12-2pm – 2 Tickets per shift
  • 2-4pm – 2 Tickets per shift
  • 4-6pm – 2 Tickets per shift

 

*Shop Members get a free shop slot for each afternoon floor shift you volunteer for.

Call for Setup Volunteers

We also need people to help with setup at the fair.

The setup dates are: 

  • Tuesday, May 5th – Staff Only
  • Wednesday, May 6th, starting at 9:00 AM.
  • Thursday, May 7th, starting at 9:00 AM. 
  • Two (2) Tickets for per day, for those assisting

 

Tickets are not required for helping with setup. Just drive in the fairgrounds through the Solana gate and park on the west side of the Mission Tower building. Come in the building and look for Jim Strawn or Joe Sobkowiak and they will put you to work.

This is your fair, and Design in Wood is one of the favorite things to see.  This is your image to the world, so let’s make it the best we can.

The Design in Wood Exhibition is the public face of SDFWA. Let's make it the VERY BEST.

Floor Ambassadors:

Volunteering to work on the gallery floor is an extremely rewarding experience. This is a great chance to represent your association and at the same time provide some very important help with the exhibit.

As a floor ambassador you have the chance to greet the public and provide a special level of protection and security for all the beautiful pieces on exhibit. You will answer questions from the public concerning the exhibit, the display and woodworking in general. This is also a perfect opportunity to introduce the San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association to those patrons who show an interest in woodworking. Tell them about our meetings, the Fall Seminar, our toy program, magazine sales, web site, 19th century cabinet shop, raffle, discounts, video library, etc. Then direct them to the front desk where they can join SDFWA at a special Fair discount.

You won’t be alone. You don’t need any special training. You will be helping our exhibit staff and they will provide you guidance. When you sign-up for a floor position, you will receive two (2) free passes for each day shift and four (4) free passes for each evening closing shift, one of which you need to enter the fairgrounds for your shift. Sign-up for several shifts and get enough passes for family and friends.

19th Century Chair Shop Volunteers:

Volunteers who sign-up to help in the chair shop always say that they wish they had signed up for more shifts.

Here again you get to meet the public and tell them about our great organization. You will get to use hand tools most people don’t even own. You will be instructed by our qualified expert chair shop masters. By signing up to help in the shop you will be making it possible to donate fifty (50) children’s chairs to needy children throughout the County of San Diego. You will help make these beautiful chairs by shaping the parts and, at the same time, demonstrate techniques most people in the general public have never seen.

No special knowledge is required. The shop masters will show you how to do each step and soon you will be sharing it with someone else. This is a great woodworking experience. Sign-up and receive two (2) free passes to the Fair for each shift you work.

Craftsman Referral Terms

BACKGROUND
The San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association (SDFWA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit dedicated to the education, promotion, and execution of the principles of fine woodworking.
The SDFWA frequently receives requests from people seeking the service of a woodworker. Therefore, although custom woodworking for hire is not the purpose of our organization, we offer this referral service to the public so that they might connect with a woodworker.

SCOPE
SDFWA does not screen or warrant the skills or work of any craftsman. The public should use their own discretion and due diligence before hiring any craftsman, from any source, including this one.
The sole role of SDFWA in this referral service is limited to providing our member woodworkers with your completed form. It is up to each craftsman to initiate a contact with the requester.

PROCEDURE
After a requester submits a project, the form will be emailed to our list of participating craftsmen. If a craftsman is interested in the project, they will contact the client directly, and a two-way conversation can begin.

As the craftsmen themselves choose which projects to respond to, this means that it is probable that some project requests will receive no response. If you do not receive a response in a reasonable time, please submit your request again, using the provided referral form.
Note that contacting SDFWA directly will not achieve the desired results.

DISCLAIMER
By agreeing to these Terms, and by continuing to submit this Referral Form, and by utilizing one or more of the services of any of these craftsmen, you are agreeing to contract exclusively with that individual craftsman and to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the SDFWA Organization, its officers, officials, employees and volunteers from any and all claims, injuries, damages, losses or suits including attorney fees, arising out of or in connection with the performance of this agreement, and any and all failures, damages, or otherwise negative outcomes caused directly or indirectly by the craftsmen you employ to do any project initiated by this Form. This does not preclude you from pursuing legal remedies from the individual craftsman that you employ. But any remedy you pursue is restricted to that individual craftsman, and does not include the SDFWA organization or any of its volunteer members.

Agree
Disagree