Klingspor’s Woodworking Extravaganza is like three events in one
They call it an Extravaganza, and it really is, reports WCI’s Advertising Director, Michele Sensenig, who attended the show in October. Klingspor’s Woodworking Extravaganza is like three events in one, with an exhibit hall full of tool vendors, a woodcarving competition sponsored by a local club, and a roundup’s worth of demonstrations taking place all weekend.
The largest event of its kind in North Carolina, the show is held in Hickory, N.C., each fall. A haven for carvers, scrollers, turners, and general woodworkers, it is particularly well-known for its vendor hall, which features crowd-favorite brands like DeWalt, Bosch, Tormek, ArborTech, Festool, Foredom, SuperMax, Porter Cable, Jet, Flexcut, and General Finishes, among many others.
The Catawba Valley Woodcarvers sponsors the carving competition, which welcomes hundreds of entries in 35 categories, including the show theme category, Fantasy in Motion. (See below for photos of the top winners.) They also organize a raffle of many terrific carvings. In addition, General Finishes sponsored a woodturning competition with such whimsical categories as Chip Accuracy and Chip Height. Turner Jerry Measimer hit the ceiling with his chips during the challenge!
Among the many demonstrations taking place during the show were Gerry Shaw of Catawba Valley Woodcarvers with chip-carved Christmas ornaments; Scott Caskey showing how to make Turkey Friction Pots on a lathe and demonstrating how to select and cut logs to prepare for woodturning; Brian Pardue and Mike Violette of Carolina Scrollers showing intarsia and fretwork; Randy Everett making art with his chainsaw; and Michele Parsons teaching pyrography.
Several special promotions took place over the course of the weekend. The Carolina Scrollers raised more than $1,700 for local food banks by selling Christmas ornaments. Another group, the NCWoodworker.net, shared their project making urns for veterans, and the A.N.D.Y Card Foundation handed out emergency contact cards to help locate loved ones in case of emergency.
For more photos and info, visit www.woodworkingextravaganza.com.
Enjoy these photos of the winning carvings courtesy the Catawba Valley Woodcarvers (click to enlarge). Photos by Noelle Rasmussen.