Tell us all about Kydo woodworking.
Kydo Woodworking focuses on teaching woodworking and carpentry to hobbyists. More than 800 hobbyists in Bangalore and Pune have received training from us so far on how to use hand and power tools. Some of my former students went on to launch their own woodworking businesses. Our other area of work is design and execution of turnkey interior projects.
What (or who) inspired you to have a career in woodwork?
I wanted to launch a business in the design and education sectors. Started a profession in woodworking as a side project. I made an investment in a store that sells power tools. People could visit the experience centre inside the store to receive power tool training. I created and led these classes for novices and became enamoured with the enchantment of creating things by hand.
How does material influence your work? What are the various wood species that you use in your wooden furniture pieces, and how do they differ in quality and performance? Where do you source the majority of your wood?
I favour utilising resources that can be found nearby. Pinewood, rubberwood, and white ash are readily accessible in Bangalore from numerous local vendors. These are all light-colored timbers that can be stained to match a variety of colour schemes. (Most of these materials are imported, with the exception of the locally accessible but not locally grown rubber wood.) For interior work, Birch Ply is my favourite material to use rather than commercial plywood + veneer in locations where a wooden appearance is required.
Which of your elaborate woodworks was the most difficult to make? What do you consider to be one of your most eminent or well-known works? Anything that you would like to call out for our readers. Please attach relevant images of your work
- Among the workshops, the biggest one we conducted was for a school in Bengaluru, where about 60 children made benches and tables for their school.
- It took a lot of behind the scenes planning to keep such a large group engaged and get them to deliver on the number of articles in a limited time.
- Among the things I have made, chairs are the most advanced to work with, in terms of workflow and planning. I prototyped 4-5 different dining chair designs last year, with white-ash wood for 2 sets of dining tables.
- Did interiors for 5-6 villas in Bengaluru over the last 2 years – understanding the design brief from client, converting it to modern and elegant designs and executing the design to ensure customer satisfaction was a lot of fun. I got to generate employment for about 20 people for the duration of the respective projects.
Describe your favourite tool in your workshop – what it is and why you love it so much.
Please emphasise the significance of the tools you employ.
My favourite tool is my cordless Makita router. It is extremely versatile and comes with a tonne of accessories right out of the box. It has a fixed base, a plunge base, and a tilt base. It also has a good dust extraction system. It accepts 6 mm and 8 mm bits. I used it extensively last year for making chairs with loose tenon joinery. A recent hand tool favourite is a Japanese marking gauge from Kakuri, which is used to lay out the joinery lines very accurately and efficiently.
Segments that you’d like to penetrate and explore further in the future? Which areas do you believe have future growth potential?
In the DIY segment, though one can achieve speed with power tools, there is a certain joy in using hand tools for the work. Also, not everyone is able to buy the power tools and have the space to use them. My current focus is on enabling hobbyists to work in their existing homes to make simple projects with a minimum set of tools.
Environmental issues are more important now than ever. What does sustainable design mean to you?
We upcycle a lot of raw materials. Leftover cut pieces from interior projects are used for making workshop jigs and fixtures.
Sustainable design means ensuring that the materials are optimally used, there’s a possibility to upgrade/adapt the furniture items in case requirements evolve over time.
Interview Attributes
Deepak Mulajkar
Director, Kydo Wood Working