Thread: NickA's Thai Wood Carving Masterclass

With me current set of tools, fockin ages and I spend most of the time carving bits out of me fingers instead of the wood.

If I go to a course in CM I can get all these free...



and make stuff like this.....



Only problem is, it costs 10k+ baht for 3 days.

That's pretty good Nick, do you know what sort of wood it is?

I was always useless (still am) with wood.

It's tree wood, to be more exact medium sized tree wood. The tree was big and had green leaves if that's any help.

To be honest, I haven't got a fookin clue, either - just got a bit of free time and some lumps of wood to spend it with....

(((((.....that gives me an idea - how'm I gonna make a big cock shaped hole>!>>!#!??!))))))

Originally Posted by NickA

(((((.....that gives me an idea - how'm I gonna make a big cock shaped hole>!>>!#!??!))))))

If it's for your own personal use then a half inch drill bit should suffice

Originally Posted by DrAndy

most of the carvings you see around use Teak

Up north they like to use Rainwood.
Easier to carve than teak and has a nice smooth finish and less liable to crack/shrink

I've never carved wood but i've worked on a few wood boats. Love the smell of fresh cut teak. It's actually a very easy wood to work. It has a tednency to dull blade though due to a natural grit in the wood. Very even, dense grain that doesn't try to rip out at a crucial point. Complex shapes and intricate designs render well in teak.
Actually about 90% of the stuff you see is teak. Teak also has a natural oil and resistance to rot. it weathers extremely well and if dried correctly (before working) will never crack. The only wood I know that competes on durablity if Lingum Vitae. That shits hard as hell.
Got a few places up here that sell deadfalls and recycled house parts carts, etc. most of it very old and well seasoned. The only places I see using rainwood are the large factories that put out thse little kittens, cowboys, elephants and the like, that are painted and shellaced. They use rainwood 'cause it's cheap. There are a lot of green teak carvings coming across from myanmar. Know one dude that gets 'em and details them beautifully, but being green, many of the large pieces may crack. Won't buy 'em.
The photos above are all teak deadfall pieces.

NickA if you wanna learn I think these guys'd take yu on for week or so:

The piece above is mad up of several planks about 150 mm wide and about 40 thick

here's another shot wher you can see how they piece it together:


The guys work at their own pace, nobody fucks with 'em. There were five guys there and they all stopped what they were doing and tried to clear off all their tools so I caould get a shot. I really wanted the tools in the shot, they just kept tellin me, "Mai suay, mai suay." I think they'd truly enjoy having an interested farang there doing some scut work and learning some basics.
They made we wait for his shot then fetched me a stoll to stand on.


These pillars look like a great place to start:


They've been workin on the house for about 18 months or so. When Ifinally stopped by they were all too happy to show off their work (rightfully so) and spend a few minutes with and not only made me welcome but obliged to stay longer than I intended. One of the guys I had known before when I used to buy this stuff to send home.
This shot shows you a cracked piece that has dried after it was worked. Alof ot what they were using is green wood.

The oily feel of green(ish) teak is fantastic. As it dries it retains that oily feel, somewhat less so. green stuff is wonderful to work with the aroma is more pungent, the feel more sensual, but the finished product is less apt to endure.
If you are interested, I have no problem introducing you to them see if you can't work out a week where you would work free. I know other places too but these guys are on the main road between Chiangmai and Chiangrai. Nice town area half a klic away. bus station close by if you need.

Great post & pictures, FF.

waheeeayaaah
feel like shit when i see all this talent
i'm but a poor number cruncher
can't carve, can't paint, can't play an instrument
oh well maybe next life.. if thar's one

Cheers Frankie, if I can get up to CM for the TD get together (is that still on? when?) then i'll have a look.

At the moment I'm just working with any pieces of wood I can get my hands on for free, not sure what type. If I persevere and get better I'll have to look into getting some good stuff.

Didn't bother with any drying or anything like that, so I guess it's going to crack later.

another good thing about working with locals is that they can tell you the best toolmaker. Usually the chisels are well made and cheap, so don't bother with those imported things.

The Thais are a big mix of craftsmen and artists. The former can copy a piece and make a good job of it. The latter can make original pieces, and the quality stands out. If you are in a workshop, the pieces speak for themselves, some are so good.

Originally Posted by Thetyim

Originally Posted by DrAndy

most of the carvings you see around use Teak

Up north they like to use Rainwood.
Easier to carve than teak and has a nice smooth finish and less liable to crack/shrink

It's like FF said. The rainwood is a softwood really, so easy to carve quickly for all those "cute" figures.

most of the good carving is done using teak. Thanks for the info on the green wood FF, I had not known that.

Originally Posted by NickA

(is that still on? when?)

End of June - It's not been forgotten about.

Originally Posted by Marmite the Dog

The Thais are a big mix of craftsmen and artists. The former can copy a piece and make a good job of it. The latter can make original pieces, and the quality stands out.

I'm certainly in the artist category as I can't really follow any kind of design, just go with what I feel like.

I'm trying to copy a design at the moment, but things aren't going well, I tend to just go off on my own tangent when things start to fuck up.

that is weird Nick, I am sure I posted that stuff

Marmite must be a ventriloquist

Originally Posted by DrAndy

The Thais are a big mix of craftsmen and artists. The former can copy a piece and make a good job of it. The latter can make original pieces, and the quality stands out. If you are in a workshop, the pieces speak for themselves, some are so good.

Yep, it was you who said it, must be some kind of virus on the TD.

Can you see my lips move?

"Gottle of geer, gottle of geer"

I'm trying to copy a design at the moment, but things aren't going well, I tend to just go off on my own tangent when things start to fuck up.

That's art. Ain't it?
Didn't mean to hog your thread NickA. But wanted you to see the kind of places you could find to learn instead of lessons. you work for free they'd be happy to have ya! you bought a few beers after work every day and they'd call you daddy. Lot fuckin cheaper than 10k "lessons." Thsoe 'lessons' are nice if you want to do one piece and not learn alof of why's or wherefores. These guys'd have you cuttin' simple shit and show you how to work with the medium. Teak is not hard, but dense with very uniform density to the "summer" and "winter" wood.
I heard bad tales about teak and after cutting dovetails and mortis joints in white oak, spruce, fir and a few other of the more common woods, I found teak to be a joy to work.

Along the working on wood art thing. I like to do art work with a chain saw.

Ever trying buying a chainsaw in Thailand? Easier to buy a handgun!