Much to see and saw at wood show

WOODIES rejoice, as the 2022 Ballarat Wood and Craft Show is set for the showgrounds’ main pavilion next weekend.

The annual showcase by the Ballarat Woodworkers Guild provides a space for the group’s members to display their creations and demonstrate their skills.

The guild currently has 76 members, 20 per cent of them women, and the products they make range from furniture to wooden bowls, chess sets and vases, to scale models.

President David Izard said anyone who likes timber will “get a kick” out of the show.

“We have a furniture-making group who’ve made our raffle prizes this year, a very active scroll sawing group turning out products of national quality, a lot of pen turners, and we all work on projects for the community,” he said.

“People regularly come into us to repair furniture, rocking horses, and even veranda posts, so if it can be done with wood, there’s going to be at least one of us that knows what to do with it.

“We have a very talented bunch of people out at our base at Hut 11 at the Ballarat Airport, and we enjoy working together and sharing our knowledge so we can all value-add to our own work.”

Mr Izard said the guild plans to bring makers into the show who have other talents to “spread a love of art and craft throughout the community” and provide an opportunity for visitors to view diverse methods of working with wood.

Timber merchants will also be on site, available to show attendees what different materials look like before they’re worked on.

The 2022 Ballarat Wood and Craft Show will be held on Saturday, 10 and Sunday 11 September.

Visitors can also drop into Airport Hut 11 on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings from 9am to 12pm, or Thursday evenings at 7pm and check out what the group is up to.