[kjungwoodwork]

A Pooja Mandir is a home for the gods. It is a place where Hindus meditate, chant and make their daily offerings.

I was very honoured to be asked to design and make this home shrine recently. I approached it with lots of care and respect.

This Mandir is made from solid birch with book-matched walnut veneered front foldable doors. The top stupas are turned from flamed maple. There are small panels of marquetry flowers on the lower sides and a pull out tray for holding offerings.

Inside, a solid maple tray seated within walnut beadings. Finished with a hardwax oil and renaissance wax.

It is so apt that today is Deepavali, also known as the ‘festival of lights’. Wishing all good health and endless joy on this day!

[kjungwoodwork]

The completed guitar made by Wai Guitars. The only part I’m responsible for is the marquetry of the four cats on the headstock. Now this is what I call a proper collaboration. 

Guitar details: Based on 1933 Martin OM-28, which is considered by many to be the ideal fingerstyle guitar. Initial impressions are balanced treble and basses, with clear note definition and pleasing sustain.

Swiss Spruce top, Swiss Maple back and sides. Selected split spruce for all bracing. Walnut neck reinforced with carbon fibre. Double-acting truss rod.Walnut binding. Walnut Rosette. Ebony fretboard and ebony custom bridge. Ebony truss rod cover with magnetic attachment.Custom headstock plate with detailed cat marquetry inlay, Maple backstrap overlay. Bone nut and saddle, bone bridge pins. Waverly classic-style tuning machines with ebony knobs.

Finishing:Extremely thin, oil-varnish system also used in violins. This varnish is acoustical and will wear in a pleasing manner and has been hand-polished to a soft shine.

[kjungwoodwork]

Working on a really small marquetry with 4 cats. This will go onto a guitar headstock which will be built by a really talented friend. 

The design will have to be worked around the holes meant for the tuning keys. The initial idea was to have a hole in each of the cats’ eye, but I decided against it after finishing it. So I redesigned it and made each cat even smaller to fit into the little space I had. This resulted in a ‘Queen’ inspired album (QUEEN II) of the 4 cats. 

Once the marquetry is complete, I had it installed on the head stock and returned for the rest of the guitar build. 

[kjungwoodwork]

A series of occasional boxes of solid cherry with walnut beading and black veneer key splines. Hand-dyed Tyvek® with hand-cut Anigre veneer in patterns of water ripples. Walnut and Anigre tray. Finished with Hardwax oil and Renaissance wax. Lined with Italian saffiano cowhide in navy blue with champagne monogram by @kultbespoke

[kjungwoodwork]

All parts ready for assembly. The overlaid dyed Tyvek® is laminated on a substrate before piecing it together with cherry sides and cherry veneered bottoms. I have also incorporated a walnut lipping to form sort of a  beading when the lid goes into place. 

[kjungwoodwork]

This is my first attempt at hand dyeing Tyvek®. I have used various colours depicting water bodies like lakes and oceans. By cutting Anigre veneers in shapes of water flows to form an overlay; the combination of both will become a series of box lids.

[kjungwoodwork]

Neo spent some time in my studio recently making a watch box as a wedding gift.

Solid cherry and eucalyptus veneer with the letter 'SZS' on the top - representing the couples' initials. The Chinese character '喜' (happiness) is placed as '囍' (double happiness) inside the box coinciding with the newly wed couple.

Finished with hardwax oil and wax

#woodwork

#madeingsingapore

#studiotime

#keepsakebox

#kjungwoodwork

#louiswoodworkingadventure

#doublehappiness

#watchbox

#囍

#wedding

#gift

[kjungwoodwork]

A write up on The Peter Sefton Furniture School and am delighted to be one of the featured student profiles. This is in the Oct 2020 edition of ‘The Woodworker and good woodworking’ magazine UK. (Even happier to be on the same page with my fellow classmate and extraordinaire @samthemaker !) 

[kjungwoodwork]

Alice and Martin spent a few days with me creating this lovely keepsake box for Cara. From cutting the timber and the joints, designing the nameplate, to hand cutting all the pieces for the marquetry and putting all of it together.

  Solid Thinwin (family of wenge) and various veneers for the marquetry. Finished in hardwax oil and renaissance wax.  

This has got to be one of the most meaningful pieces that I have been involved in. Thank you Alice and Martin for letting me be part of this special project. Hope Cara is happy too!

[kjungwoodwork]

I am usually behind the camera documenting others, but this time I will be featured in Episode 3 of the new season for Remarkable Living and its air date is tomorrow,  31th January 2021 Sunday 8.30pm on CNA Channel News Asia (https://www.channelnewsasia.com ).

Video on demand is available on : https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video-on-demand/remarkable-living and on CNA YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/channelnewsasia  and also a write up will be posted on : https://cnaluxury.channelnewsasia.com/remarkableliving

This was filmed prior to the Circuit Breaker of 2020. Some personal philosophies and approaches may have changed over the past year, but I guess it is all part of my evolution as an artist and crafts-person and it is nice to look back and see the journey. 

Thank you for the hard work and time spent in the production of this episode! Looking forward to seeing the final edit!

[kjungwoodwork]

Behind the scenes in 2 studios.

In my studio, sorting out the veneers for book-matched panels and creatively combining 3 cast iron presses to properly press the pieces together. 

While in Ashley’s studio, she is concentrating on the intricate details of the paper-cut.  

[kjungwoodwork]

2021

A solid Walnut Screen with Chengal wood feet and book-matched walnut veneer panel.

Paper-cut artwork fitted with brass hardware and finished with hardwax oil and renaissance wax.

A great way to start my year with my first collaborative piece with @ykashley, an amazing artist, and wonderful person to work with.

For this collaboration, she has hand-cut an extremely intricate design on Tvyek®; merging paper and wood to produce this beautiful screen.

This will be showcased at Grafunkt Art Market as part of Creative Unions and Singapore Art Week 2021.

22 January - 21 February 2021

107 North Bridge Road #04-01 to 06 Funan Mall, Singapore 179105

[kjungwoodwork]

Meditation stool 2020

Walnut Meditation stool with Buddhism inspired marquetry.

I am extremely thankful for the trust my clients have in me even though I have barely started my journey in marquetry.

This mediation stool was a special commission and I was thrilled to be able to incorporate a marquetry realisation for the top. 

As with all pieces, it had to go through various rounds of design and considerations, and was settled at a height and angle comfortable for long duration meditation specific to my client. 

The marquetry design is a blend of the lotus and other floral patterns; formed with colours distinct to Buddhism Art. I ended up French Polishing for that high gloss surface. 

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This year has been a rather good one; with some time (during the lockdown) to experiment, and discover new techniques and materials. To spend some time doing things out of ‘work’. Most importantly, to slow down and let myself catch up with myself. 

So, I’m ending off 2020 with a showcase and work-in-progress of this piece, and looking forward to the adventures ahead in 2021. 

[kjungwoodwork]

‘Trout’

Trout parchment lid, cherry wood with walnut inlay and walnut base feet. A walnut fish hook rests in a recessed chamber that ‘locks’ the box. Finished in hard wax oil and wax.

@dddots has been experimenting with skins; mainly fish and frogs. The natural patterns on the skins are interestingly random and unique. There are many techniques and methods to treat the skins.

This beautiful trout skin has been stretched and dried into parchment, and now sits wonderfully as the lid of this box.

[kjungwoodwork]

‘Infinity’

Inspired by the infinity symbol (∞) ; a line that never ends. 

For a couple who recently tied the knot amidst the pandemic. 

Made with red cedar and marbled anigre veneer bottoms. Wenge lids with dyed goat leather lid tabs. Using a mixture of half lapped joints, dovetails and secret mitred finger joints. 

A small technical feat for me, (and for those in the know) in terms of calculation and trying my very best to get everything squared. 

[kjungwoodwork]

Something which I’ve been wanting to build since we moved in, a utility clothes rack to help keep the room nice and tidy...

Made with Pine with Jarrah turned wood knobs. The missus wanted fancy cat knobs instead of the classic ones. This unit is made collapsable too.

Made during the Covid circuit breaker (lockdown)

#covidbuild #woodworking #woodwork #clothesrack #rack #furniture #cat #turned #woodturning #madeinsingapore

[kjungwoodwork]

It is always the details that matters

From cutting the various veneers to size and making sure they fit snuggly, to polishing each individual brass screws and hinges so that they look great; and finally the last coat of French polish that makes the box shine. 

I enjoy all these small aspects of box making that is truly satisfying when they all converge into the final piece.