A group of Fraser Valley artists have donated dozens of handmade wooden wig stands for cancer patients.

Members of the Fraser Valley Woodturners Guild accepted a challenge by club president Barry McLean who read about the idea in a magazine. Guilds around the world have been making them for decades.

The local guild 鈥� where most of the members are from Chilliwack, Abbotsford, Maple Ridge and Langley 鈥� made 44 wig stands and donated them to Cloverdale oncology store 'Because We Care' and Wigs for Kids BC where they will be handed out to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

McLean has a friend who has been through cancer treatment more than once. The wig stands that patients are given are often made of lightweight foam or are flimsy, plastic, fold-up models. They fall over, or get knocked down easily.

"She said 'Barry, the wig stands are junk," McLean recalled. When she heard about the wooden stands, she said cancer patients "are going to love them," he said.

The wooden ones are much more solid and sturdy.

There are about 60-70 members in the guild, and a little more than half of them took on the challenge.

鈥淚 think it was a challenge because a lot of people do bowls. This is something quite different, you had to think about it," said Michael Hamilton-Clark, who typically works with maple. "I had never turned poplar in my pieces, and it was quite a different wood.鈥�

Some of the wood was donated, while other pieces were bought at a discounted price. Some members even decided to use wood from their own supply.

There was a huge variety of wood used including: black walnut, poplar, magnolia, maple, birch, juniper, and wood from monkey puzzle trees (a type of pine). Some wig stands were made from burls, which are wood lumps that grow on the side of a tree like a benign tumour.

The wood was cut into three blocks (one for the base, one for the stem, and a top piece), packaged up as a kit with instructions, and given to the members. One member made 10 wig stands.

鈥淗e鈥檚 been a wood turner for 16-17 years and he鈥檚 never sold anything. He just likes to make stuff and give it away, so this was perfect,鈥� McLean said of his fellow member.

Several coats of wipe-on polyurethane 鈥� a type of finish used to protect wood from water, stains, and wear 鈥� were applied to each stand.

鈥淲e were specifically told to use wipe-on poly because if you wash the wig or put it on the stand wet, you really don鈥檛 want the wig being damaged or the stand being damaged,鈥� Hamilton-Clark said.

From start to finish, it took about a week to make one wig stand. Each one is signed on the bottom, and some mention the wood that was used.

Member Barry Lyon said it felt 鈥渇ulfilling鈥� to make a product that was going to be used by somebody.

鈥淚t was a really fun and rewarding project to do,鈥� Ross Gordon added.

McLean is hoping the guild will continue to do more community projects such as this.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the story ends here. It鈥檇 be nice to catch some of the people benefitting from it,鈥� Murray Sluys said.

New members are welcome to join the guild. For more go to fvwg.ca.