With patience and a steady hand, Angela Johnson transforms an ordinary piece of timber into something quite extraordinary.
Ms Johnson is only new to woodwork but has already chiselled out a bread and cheese board, a pottery wheel and animal figurines since joining the Cairns and District Woodworkers Guild three months ago.
"It's an amazing place to gain new skills," she said.
Ms Johnson was keen to meet other like-minded women and found just the right place.
"There's also a lot of single women who don't have the confidence or ability to tackle projects on their own, so they call a handyman," she said.
"But they can learn all the skills they need here to flip furniture or fix a cupboard on their own."
Here, she met Italian-born Vanessa Muzzone who is also a recent convert.
"I've made earrings, necklaces and I'm super happy when I'm here," she said.
"And to be honest, I like the smell of the wood too."
The pair is among what the Woodturners Society of Queensland says is a growing number of women of all ages learning the craft of woodwork, not just in Queensland but Australia-wide, over the past 12 months.
"I think it's a combination of COVID-19 inspiring more people to get back to traditional handyman skills and also the increased cost of living means more people want to fix things themselves," secretary Binny Willis said.
"I think it's a very real thing for women who are living alone because I myself have felt taken advantage of a few times by handymen who've come to do a job at my home.
"I'm sick of it and so are other women."
Ms Willis said she'd also seen growing interest from retired women who had never had the chance to learn woodworking at school.
"I went to a girls' school and cooked my fair share of cakes and made my fair share of dreadful garments, but I never had a chance to do woodwork," she said.
At the Cairns and District Woodworkers Guild, men still outnumber women, but treasurer Andrew Kerr said it was exciting to see the scales start to tip.
"We have a lot of highly experienced craftsmen here who are great teachers and always make time to help newer members and the women who join come for guidance to make their own projects," Mr Kerr said.
"It's quite an addictive hobby, it becomes a habit you can't give up."
At 91, Kevin Woodward is not only one of the oldest members of the club, but one of its longest serving after joining in the early 1980s.
"I've made a few dolls houses over the years and we used to make toys, but younger people are not using wooden toys that much anymore," he said.
"We do some commission jobs too, like Men's Shed, but they get all the attention."
Friendly banter aside, Mr Woodward said clubs like these play an important role in not just teaching new skills but fostering friendships at a community level.
And it shows on Saturday mornings, when the club becomes a hive of activity.
"It's just great to see more women taking up the craft," Mr Woodward said.
"Everyone is full of creative energy and looks forward to a coffee and a catch-up at morning break."
