Replies

1. 
   Polly | Feb 25, 2003 12:05pm | #1

   Hi, kiwimac I take it you are from the land of the long white cloud. I'm an aussie doing a little hobby woodworking, and, have a lot of shelving, which, I salvaged from a mobile library, and, was curious as to it's type. It is a Malaysian timber, or, so it has stamped on the back thereof, is light, with almost a pine texture and not a knot or blemish to be seen even on 8foot by 18inch planks.

   I wish you luck in your search for work and if you are a kiwi why are you not with all the rest of them over here.

   Happy hunting.

   Polly

1. 
   macalex | Feb 25, 2003 12:21pm | #2

   Gidday mate!

   Yep, I'm in New Zealand.

   The yanks are all asleep this time of the (southern hemisphere) day, so we've got knots to ourselves! I'm not looking for work in Malaysia (I work as a business excellence assessor, and will be there on contract) but for malaysian woodworkers.

   Somehow I think they'll be hard to find (recreational woodworking is maybe a western thing), but who knows? I have a couple of days off, and I've done all the tourist and shopping things on past trips.

2. 
   macalex | Feb 25, 2003 12:35pm | #3

   Oh. The timber! No idea what it could be. There's a lot of SE Asian soft hardwoods that fit that description.

   I might look around for timber as well. I need small amounts of dark hardwood (rosewood or ebony or maybe wenge replacements) and may be able to track down an exporter.

3. 
   MStehelin | Feb 26, 2003 01:58am | #4

   Your wood sounds like Ramin. They export it all over the world, as utility wood, Even up here in Canada's Yukon.

   Cheers

   Mitt

1. 
   macalex | Feb 27, 2003 07:52am | #5

   Chees! I can't believe there's NOBODY out there in fine woodworking land with some ideas about Malaysia. What about Singapore? Anything. Anybody. Is there another forum?

1. 
   user-302616 | Feb 27, 2003 12:41pm | #6

   OK, OK....I'm from Singapore and I'll tell you what I know. In this region, most people live in apartments and dont have the space for hobbies like woodworking. There is also a strong cultural bias against craft because its considered blue collar. Many of us are just a generation removed from when we did the hands on work for the rich. Now that we are working in offices we dont want to do the blue collar stuff anymore. It'l take a generation or two before it gets to be fashionable to be able to hand cut a dovetail drawer.

   Now to your question. The best way to see hand craft is to go to the tourist promotion board and ask them where they have demonstrations of craftsmen working. Or you could go look up the yellow pages of the phone book and look for furniture making...skip the cabinet shops and look for the guys that do Chinese furniture. Many of  then are Shanghainese so any shop that has "Shanghai" in the name is a good bet! The old Sultan's Istana ( the King's palace ), I'm told, is a 300yr old wood structure so that might be worth going to. You'll have to get them to bring you to the old palace as the one he's living in now is a modern job with all the latest gadgets and comforts.

   You'll find some power equipment but nothing really fancy for the tool enthusiast. The typical American woodworking enthusiast has about everything you'll find in the shops here.

   Some of the vernacular names you'll find for wood are :-

   Jati - Teak from Burma or Indonesia

   Chengai - local hardwood for boat and buildings ( used to be only royalty could use it because it was so durable )

   Meranti - various species also known as philipines mahogany light brown to red

   Nyatoh - medium orange red wood commonly used for furniture and moldings

   Ramin - Pine coloured wood commonly used for furniture

   Good luck.

   Shane

1. 
   macalex | Feb 27, 2003 01:06pm | #7

   Great response Shane, thanks.

   That's pretty much what I thought! Hard to see recreational woodworking being an Asian thing.

   I also work in Singapore occasionally, and will probably be back there mid-year. Should look you up and say hi!

   Because I have worked for the same customer in Malaysia for a couple of years, and been there half a dozen times over that period, I'm building up quite a good network of local connections and contacts. I'll see what they can turn up for me when I'm there in March and April.

   Clip > The best way to see hand craft is to go to the tourist promotion board and ask them where they have demonstrations of craftsmen working <

   I'll try that, although I don't have much faith in the tourist promotion people in KL!

   Clip > Or you could go look up the yellow pages ... skip the cabinet shops and look for the guys that do Chinese furniture <

   Should have thought of that as well. I remember walking past a coffin-makers shop in or near Petaling Street in Chinatown last time I was there. I'll go back and ask around!

   Thanks again.

2. 
   Polly | Feb 28, 2003 06:02am | #8

   Hi Shane,from Polly (Garry) Melbourne, Australia. Thanks for your description of the way, in which, your Singapore has developed and good luck to you.

   I think you have identified the timber I was refferring to. A light pine like wood with no knots or blemishes, and was used in shelving. A bit hard to realise that you do not have a shed to tinker about in. Keep busy and all the best of luck to you in what must be a quite hot part of the world. Raining here at the moment for the first time in yonks ( a long time) which is good news here Thank God, or whoever, for a bit of a smile, in a worsening international climate 

3. 
   user-302616 | Feb 28, 2003 06:42pm | #9

   Kiwimac and Polly,

                                  Glad to be able to shed some light on the goings on here. The easily available wood here is pretty ordinary but a good volume of the wood traded goes through Singapore so you can get teak, rosewood and  ebony once you know where to go. Something I've found out that interests me more is the presence of great wood from the roadside trees planted in the last 30 years as we've tried to make our island a garden city. There are Honduras mahogany, African mahogany, East Indian rosewood and some lesser known but equally beautiful trees flanking our avenues and highways. I've been able to get some of these trees converted into lumber as they are felled to widen roads and build new buildings. One of my favourites was a Honduras mahogany ( Swietenia macrophylla ) about 40yrs old planted by the British and felled to make way for a new university. 24inch planks bookmatched for a dining table. What a priviledge! And such a distraction to have a day job! My last project was a table for a church from a native tree in the bishop's garden - the top was 10ft x 3ft x4in !

               Shane

            

                                 

4. 
   Polly | Feb 28, 2003 07:43pm | #10

   Hi again Shane. Sounds like you have a good eye for something that can be made into a wonderful article of furniture. Fascinating the insight that one gets from these different sites.

   I am a newcomer, to this computer world, and, it continues to astound me. It is now 3.40am here and I have been sorting out how to use outlook and hotmail a little better. I did not think that outlook could do as much as it can. I will never realise the full potential.

   Regards from Downunder,

   Polly (Garry)

5. 
   eddiefromAustralia | Mar 01, 2003 03:52am | #11

   Hi Garry,

   Ramin is the timber used in a lot of venetian blinds as its a very stable timber.

   I know that accent and Grace Brothers/Myers use this timber in their blinds.

   A recent report from 4 corners on ramin logging is outlined here.

   Cheers,

   eddie

6. 
   Polly | Mar 01, 2003 11:41am | #13

   Hi Eddie. You have spoilt me with so much information and am further embarrassed to have such a nice quantity of it here. I, obtained it legally, but, I wonder as to it's origin as I do not like seeing forests stripped. I am not a greeny as such, but, enough of the unscrupulous stripping for greed's sake.

   The four corners site shall give me a fair bit of reading.

   Thanking you again,

   Garry F (Polly)

7. 
   macalex | Mar 01, 2003 09:21am | #12

   Shane. Mate!

   Indian Rosewood!!

   All those terrific tropical hardwoods!!!

   I've long admired the tree-lined highways in Singapore ... made the trip from downtown hotels out to the west of the island (Jurong?) a number of times, and of course travelled to and from Changi (the airport) ... and didn't once wonder about what those trees actually were!

   So how do you convert logs to sawn timber? Are there primary mills in Singapore, or do you chain-mill? Can I buy some rosewood? How do you dry and store timber in that climate?

   My email is [email protected], and my personal web site is http://www.macpherson.co.nz  I'd love to make contact off-line.

   Edited 3/1/2003 5:28:16 AM ET by kiwimac

8. 
   user-302616 | Mar 01, 2003 05:04pm | #14

   Kiwimac,

                 Unfortunately, the rosewood is a slow growing tree and the 30yr old trees along Rochor Canal road are too small to be of interest....come back in another 30yrs and they'll be ready! The ones along the East Coast highway coming from the airport to town are raintree - interesting figure but soft, perishable and awful to work! yes, there are sawmills in Kranji (NW of the island). You can buy rosewood but its from Indonesia and 2x6 is the standard size. The best way to store is to leave it in a open shed for a few years.

   Shane