The Kiama Woodcraft Group Expo will take place on March 12-13 at the Kiama Masonic Lodge Hall on Collins Street.

It will be open from 9am-5pm on Saturday, and 9am-4pm on Sunday.

Admission is free and there will be demonstrations, displays and sales.

The Kiama Woodcraft Group aims to foster an interest and appreciation of the woodcrafts, the skills involved and the traditional hand skills, while also embracing some of the latest technologies.

The group's members range from amateur to expert.

Group member John Daniel said the expo had been running for more than 20 years, and seeks to display the members' skills to the community, while also giving the community an insight into what the group is about.

Mr Daniel said the event had often attracted between 1500-2000 people throughout the weekend in the past.

The demonstrations will include woodturning, bandsaw box making, French polishing, scroll saw work, pyrography and woodcarving.

Craft work made by Kiama Woodcraft Group members will be on-sale, and visitors will have the opportunity to converse with the maker of their purchase.

There will also be timber for sale, including burls and large slabs, suitable both for hobbyists as well as professional cabinet makers and craftspeople.

The group also hosts an annual challenge at the expo, whereby each participating member is given an identical block of wood and then challenged to make something.

The resulting products will be on display to be judged on the day, and visitors have the opportunity to participate in the 'popular choice' vote.

“It is always amazing to see what our skilled members can do with a lump of wood, and interesting to hear the positive comments from the public,” Mr Daniel said.

The group currently has about 30 members.

Their meetings take place on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 7pm, at Kiama High School's Design and Technology Block.

Visitors and new members welcome.