U3A Woodwork

For over two years, the Daylesford Men’s Shed has been hosting Basic to Advanced Woodworking courses for members of the Daylesford U3A.

Although the courses are open to both genders, the U3A members who have attended previous and current classes are all women. The course was pioneered by Richard Bevan some years back and they were re-introduced as there was interest expressed by the Daylesford U3A Committee.

The current tutors are drawn from Men's Shed members with suitable qualifications and/or experience. The ladies are taught basic woodworking skills in a structured, project by project basis, where safety and the correct use of tools is paramount. The ladies have embraced the opportunity provided by The Daylesford Men’s Shed and their skills have developed progressively with each project they undertake.

Tuesday afternoons are a hive of activity and camaraderie in the woodworking section where tutors work with each of the ladies to achieve their woodworking goals.

There have been many outstanding pieces of work produced by the ladies, for example:

• Trays
• Knitting boxes
• Bird boxes
• Window screen frames
• A Christmas tree
• A sturdy workbench for the shed
• A blanket box
• And even some very fine furniture pieces have been produced by a few of the ladies!

A number of the ladies have also brought in items that need repairing or refurbishing. These include chairs, occasional tables, shelves, and ornaments. It is pleasing to see the ladies gaining confidence and becoming self-sufficient.

Utilising and building on their acquired skills, the ladies have become more and more proficient working with wood, using complex machinery, and working with power tools in a safe and responsible manner.

Here are some of the ladies who really enjoy coming to the Men’s Shed to work on various projects, on a Tuesday afternoon:

Erin (on the left) working on some ply legs and Judy (on the right) creating a cat gymnasium!

Here’s Malini getting ready to rip some timber on the table saw.

Here’s Maria calculating the measurements for a hardwood recipe rack she is building.

And, here is Lauren with the table she made using recycled timber found under her house in Melbourne

Lynne with a chair that she has repaired and reinforced.

Sharyn and a very practical blanket box that she and Margaret have built.