Need A Hobby? How About Wood Collecting?

Need A Hobby? How About Wood Collecting? AG WORLD Ag World 20-2-19 People collect just about everything but we never thought of collecting wood - until we came upon The International Wood Collectors Society (IWCS), a nonprofit organization "dedicated to the advancement of in-formation regarding wood". It's headquartered in Greencastle, Ind. William Cockrell, secretary/treasurer, says the IWCS has about 1,700 members in 25 countries. "The only requirement for membership is a love of wood for all its beauty and variety. However, most of our members are not only wood collectors but also woodworkers who carve their various wood samples into wooden eggs, bowls, vases, furniture, or any number of different objects. Some individual collections exceed 5,000 different types of wood. "Some members have no collection at all but enjoy the opportunity to get unusual species of wood from around the world, in-formation about woods and woodworking, and the chance to meet other wood lovers." Members can add new species to their collections with purchases made at IWCS auctions. For anyone needing a little help getting started, the IWCS sells a starter kit of 30 species, along with information about each of the woods. The organization publishes a journal that keeps members up to date on wood sources, information on rare species, new information about more common woods, plans for upcoming meetings, etc. Annual meetings are held where members can see demonstrations on various forms of woodworking, hear programs on how to get the best out of a particular piece of wood, take tours to interesting forests or wood-related factories, trade samples, choose from hundreds of species of wood at auctions, display their own woodworking, and get inspiration from the work of others. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, William and Myrtle Cockrell, The International Wood Collectors Society, 2300 W. Range Line Rd., Greencastle, Ind. 46135 (ph 317 653-6483).

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