Wynnum Manly District Men’s Shed is getting into the festive spirit with the creation of Christmas cut-outs.
President David Westlake said the men’s shed first bought a laser cutting machine around COVID time to help brighten up Christmas for the community.
“We started making small Santas, sleighs and reindeer,” he said.
“They looked really nice, and people were buying them for their countertops and for around the house during Christmas time.”
Mr Westlake said that the Men’s Shed had taken these creations to a new level after Bunnings Manly West reached out and asked for a human-sized sleigh.
“We bought a new machine called the CNC Router which ended up costing $60,000 to make this massive sleigh,” he said.
“This will be great for kids to sit with Santa and hopefully we will create a few reindeer as well.”
Mr Westlake said the group was aiming for the sleigh to be six feet long and four feet wide.
“Since the sleigh is so big, it will use about seven big sheets of plywood and will take two days to cut one sheet,” he said.
“The machine is great for doing multiple large-size cut-outs while the men can focus on other things.”
Mr Westlake said the Men’s Shed gave away a lot of smaller cut-outs to local childcare centres.
“We also just created a big heap of animal cut-outs for the Quandamooka people as well as boomerangs,” he said. “Creating cut-outs is not only a great way to help the community, but the money goes toward the Men’s Shed.”
To enquire about a cut-out, contact David at dhwestlake@gmail.com.
