Hickory – The Western Piedmont Woodcrafters Club May 25th meeting will feature a presentation by Johnny Hipps on sho sugi ban, an ancient Japanese technique for waterproofing and preserving wood. It involves charring the wood surface until it turns black. While shou sugi ban originated for the purpose of weatherproofing wood, it has recently become popular as a rustic, textural design element inside the home. The club will meet at 9:30 AM at Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop, 856 21st St. Drive SE, Hickory. Meetings are open to the public.
Johnny is a long-term, very active club member, offering many show-and-tell items, and always contributing to club events. At a very young age, his dad started him on the road to woodworking by teaching him to carve items like chains and neckerchief slides for Boy Scout neckerchiefs. He carved every slide that was in the monthly Boy’s Life magazines. From an early age, he has always enjoyed woodworking and has produced many excellent interesting projects. Members and visitors should also enjoy the show-and-tell portion of the program in which members and guests show and discuss their completed woodworking projects. All will have an opportunity to offer comments and ask questions about items shown, and other topics.
The club consists of about 60 Hickory-area woodworkers of all skill levels, from hobbyist to professionals.
The club usually meets on the fourth Saturday of each month at the Klingspor’s Woodworking Shop in Hickory. The exceptions are our annual offsite picnic, the October Klingspor’s Woodworking Extravaganza, and a combined November/December meeting. For more information, call 828-855-4941.
