Wood Carving - Kerala
The process of making the furniture includes three steps – outlining, carving and detailing. The wood carvers are well-versed with the patterns and designs and hence, do not possess a sketchbook, as they have inherited the skill traditionally from their previous generations. They use the template only for outlining and the remainder is done from memory. The process of making the furniture is as follows:
Step 1 - Outlining:
• The outline is drawn on the wood using a template.
• The edges of the wood are cut using the machine as per the design on the template.
Step 2 - Carving:
• After tracing, the wood is carved at the edges with the help of wooden hammer and a flat chisel.
• For carving, firstly, the head of the statue is carved.
• Then, the other parts are individually carved.
• The individual parts of the statue are joined by using wooden pieces, nails and gum/adhesives.
Step 3 - Detailing:
Detailing is done with the help of small Ulli (chisel) and not a hammer, as the wood used for carving is very soft.
