Nuts and Bolts - 15 Nov 2014

Posted by Xian Jin

 My father and I have the opportunity to join a woodworking workshop in KL. At first, the place looked uninviting and I felt like turning back. We were one of the first to arrive and I feared it was going to be boring.

 The camp is run by a non-profit organisation who helps build houses for the indigenous people living in Selangor. I was surprised that there were people who cared so much for those homeless and poor.


We were given a task, that is to build a window from scratch. They provided the wood and tools, but we had to cut them ourselves. This window would be used in the houses they build.


Before starting, we have to learn how to use the basic tools and equipment. It was important to know the correct posture and method to handle different types of tools, eg. hammers, saws, drills...


My first time using a drill alone. The vibration and weight of the drill was enough to deter me from driving the screw into the concrete, but I was determined to drill my first screw. 


As easy as it looks, it actually takes a lot of concentration and accuracy to drill a hole. I wondered how the other participants managed to complete the task so quickly.


It wasn't easy climbing a scaffolding too, with the wobbly structure. Imagine how the builders climb up storeys of scaffolding everyday, when one was hard enough. They don't even wear harnesses!


Of all the tools in the workshop, I disliked electric saws the most. Not only because it was very sharp and dangerous, but also because the sound was horrible.




We were divided into two teams and started crafting the window by measuring the length of the wood. We acted as a team and that made our progress faster.


Me using the chop saw. It's rather simple if you follow the steps to cut the wood.


Everybody in the team was busy. We all had different jobs to do, from measuring to cutting, drilling to hammering nails.






Knowing how to use a tool is different from actually using it. We can read and watch the method to hammer a nail, but what's important is if you do it. Only then would you learn the skills and ways to improve.


Now that we have finished with the woodwork, it was time to assemble them together.


A few more planks for us to nail and...


...TADA!!! Our mission has completed. There it was, our beautiful window made by carpenter wannabes.


I felt sad that we couldn't keep the window, but at the same time happy because we had contributed something to the homeless. I had a great time at this camp. I had achieved a new milestone, that is woodworking. Next time, a house!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Al-Attas Garden in Janda Baik - 4 August 2012

Image
Besides being a well-known contentious writer, little do we know that Syed Hussein Alattas is also a self-taught gardener and an architect. He had built Taman Hana in Janda Baik from scratch and named after his wife.  Taman Hana sits on a 8-acre plot of land in the quiet village of Janda Baik. It boasts a collection of 1,000 species of plants including fruit trees, more than 700 big flower pots and five buildings that include the home of the Alattas family.  The good news is that it is open to visitors every day.  As we made our way past the entrance, this place appeared unkempt. It was well beyond its heyday (in 2008) but still showing off its faded beauty. Some parts were badly neglected, which was so unfortunate, because it originally was to be a quiet kampung retreat. A mix of traditional Malay, Peranakan, Indonesian and colonial British architecture and a Minangkabau styled roof. Syed Hussein had actually started building the structures in 1982 and he spent...
Read more

Discovering Pasir Pinji's Comfort Food - 29 June 2014

Image
Pasir Pinji Road in Ipoh is like a living heritage town. If you google this place, you will see a long list of local delicacies you must try - the famous yong tau foo, chee cheong fun, cendol, roast pork, traditional mooncakes, pastry, etc. On a Sunday, we saw the idyllic lifestyle of the local people - watching the days go by, sipping tea and catching up with friends along the corridor of shophouses, waiting for the takeaway of their favourite food or desserts from the roadside hawkers, sitting in coffee shops and dipping Hainanese buns into their kopi-O or Milo. .. it's like a walk to my childhood years in the 80s.  Ban Guan Foong Bakery has been around for more than 50 years. One of the very few remaining bakeries producing traditional Hainanese bread and buns using wood-fired oven.  A family-run business by the Goh family and some old and loyal workers. Getting ready the wood-fired brick oven  Removing the ashes from the heated oven  ...
Read more

A Potter Village in Sayong - 30 May 2013

Image
Pit Stop at the Perak royal town, Kuala Kangsar. The 1st rubber tree in Malaysia was planted in this town. That's about all I knew about this place. Labu Sayong or water pitcher from Sayong village, known for its health value to help migraine, lower blood pressure etc due to the special properties inherent in the local clay. Before this, we didn't know much of labu sayong.  We didn't go to the village or plan this visit. Out of curiousity, we bumped into this unassuming workshop at No. 3, Kg Setia, Enggor, run by Mohd bin Harun.  Pakcik was very open and gave us a tour of his workshop and how he makes labu sayong. His warm, friendly welcoming people made a lasting impression on all of us - a trait that we've lost in the big cities. The traditional way of making labu sayong uses hands to mould the clay into the shape of a 'labu' (gourd-like vase) but this is too slow. Now, the clay mixture is poured into standard mould blocks. It's ...
Read more