Located on the grounds of the Caboolture Historical Village is a woodcrafting community focused towards engaging and nurturing the creative potential of north Brisbane.
Founded in 1998 from an inability to find any suitable woodcrafting sessions in the community, the Caboolture & District Woodcrafters Club was established to promote, foster and practice the art of woodcrafting and all forms of woodworking.
Beginning with 32 friends meeting up for woodcrafting demonstrations, as the group began to grow, the Club became incorporated, and established themselves in the Caboolture Historical Village where they now operate Monday to Saturday.
“I don’t think they [founding members] would have imagined that the club would have gotten as big as it is, and it’s getting bigger and bigger all the time,” says the Club’s president, Mr Doug Pearce.
Now with over 100 members, the Club continues to accommodate for craftsmen and women of any skill level. “Membership isn’t just older blokes. We are getting the younger members in their teens, as well as people in their twenties, thirties and forties.
“We take members from fourteen years of age, both male and female, and we offer them the exact same workshops as we do the older members. We have beginner and intermediate workshops on woodturning, pyrography, toy making and carving.”
Mr Pearce explains that many of the new members aren’t experts, but rather individuals who have never had the opportunity to try woodworking, or may have enjoyed it in high school and wanted to get back into it.
“A lot of people will come in and say they want to get into woodwork, but they aren’t sure what they want to do, so we encourage them to learn all the basic woodworking tools first, then we will begin them on a beginner woodturning course.”
Evolving over its 30 years of establishment, the machinery and experiences offered by the facility have continued to expand. The Club owns and operates a Lucas Mill and a Hardwood Mill (horizontal bandsaw), and in addition to woodturning, pyrography, toy making and carving, members can also learn milling, sign making and box crafting.
“We try to encourage them [new members] to learn as much of the new machines in the workshop that they can.”
As members are exposed to all the different workshops available, they figure out what they most enjoy and continue practicing. Mr Pearce says the woodturning and toy crafting workshops are typically the most popular.
The combined guidance and extensive woodworking experience on offer from the older members provides a very safe environment for new members to develop their skill.
Founding member, Dori Durisotti, says his favourite aspect of the club is the opportunity to learn from like-minded people and share ideas amongst each other.
“There are plenty of people here that are more than happy to help others that aren’t confident,” says Mr Pearce.
For more information on Caboolture & District Woodcrafters Inc. visit their website www.caboolturewoodcrafters.com or Facebook page.