A Sunbury woodworking club has seen increased interest among youth this year, with local teenagers trying their hand at the craft.
Sunbury Woodworkers Club president Anita Blume said that she has noticed a renewed interest in the hobby among youth in the last twelve months, which has been “really fantastic.”
“We currently have a group of young people aged between 14-18 that we’re working with, teaching them woodturning, some scroll work, and pyrography, which is using a hot tool like a pen to engrave images into timber,” Ms Blume said.
She said that the teenagers have been particularly enthusiastic about trying woodturning, which is the craft of using a lathe and handheld tools to carve the wood as it rotates on an axis.
“They’ve made whistles, Christmas decorations – all sorts of bits and pieces that they can be proud of.”
Ms Blume said that the renewed appeal to young people could be due to the fact that it is a slower activity that offers a relaxing break from faster-paced activities.
“I think that teenagers these days are so connected with their devices and time just kind of flies by for them … woodworking allows them to step away from that … and slow down, concentrate, and focus,” she said.
“They get immense satisfaction from what they make at the end; it’s really great to see.”
Along with attracting interest from youth, Ms Blume said that the club also hopes to see more women becoming involved.
“It’s great to share these skills with demographics that are generally left out of the trades … passing these skills onto women is a real joy,” she said.
Sunbury Woodworkers meets on a Wednesday night twice a month and welcomes new members, with further information available on its Facebook page.
Details: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064655323722
Oscar Parry
