Celebrating wood

GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - As Arbor Month draws to a close, excitement is building among wood lovers for the 2017 Working with Wood show taking place in George this weekend, 22 to 25 September.

The NMMU campus is a hub of activity for the show and concurrent Association of Woodturners of South Africa (AWSA) symposium themed Recovering from Failure.

One of the highlights on the symposium’s programme is a demonstration by American Al Stirt, whose career spans more than 40 years.

Stirt has exhibited his work all over the world and in various public and private collections.

“I find myself always looking for a new means of expression within the turned form,” says Stirt. Visit www.alstirt.com to see his skilfully crafted wooden bowls and platters.

The woodturning lectures are open to the public at R120 per lecture. Participants will be granted free access to the Working with Wood show, which is open to all timber enthusiasts at a mere R30 entrance fee, with demonstrations on the hour, food stalls, trade exhibitions, displays, and lectures to delight any "chippie".

Demonstrations are free of charge. Trade exhibitors include Festool, Kreg, SawStop, Triton, Bessey, Pony, Armor, Howard, Cadex, TorkCraft, MRS, Magswitch, Pro-tech and Spring Tools.

Plenty of hands-on help will be available during the Working with Wood Show this weekend, from noon on 22 September until 25 September.

A talk by master luthier Marc Maingard, of internationally renowned Maingard Guitars, is sure to be a highlight.

The man "who makes trees sing again”, will share his passion for timbre and timber while showing some of his instruments in both raw and finished form.

This songwriter and storyteller hand-carves and expertly inlays each unique guitar using pearl, silver, gold and gemstones, as well as the ancient Tibetan technique of coloured sand.

Although he hasn’t planned any musical performances per se, he may well strum a few chords and tell a few stories during his presentation.

He hopes that he may inspire some aspirant woodworkers to pursue a life work in working with wood. Visit www.maingardguitars.com to see some of his creations.

Wood technology programme coordinator Richard Müller, from NMMU's school of natural resource management, looks forward to sharing his passion for the picturesque natural surroundings by taking mountain-biking enthusiasts out to explore the trails in the vicinity of the campus.

“We, the local Hillbillies Mountain Bike Club and the university, developed many trails and we love to share it with anyone,” says Müller.

There are also 6, 8 or 12km circular hiking routes in the indigenous forest surrounding the campus which can be enjoyed by hikers under the guidance of expert personnel from the university, who are knowledgeable about the ecosystems.