My Journey With Kaath

Hello! I am an enthusiast woodworker from Pune, India and this is my woodworking blog - Kaath.

Kaath (काठ ) is a Hindi word for wood that originates from the Sanskrit word kāṣth (काष्ठ ) which literally means timber. While lakdi is the Hindi word for wood in general, kaath seems to be used in context where wood is used to craft something. So, this is the word that first came to my mind when I was thinking of a name to relate to my woodworking. 

My journey started about a year back when I stumbled upon some woodworking videos on the internet. There was something about woodworking that instantly attracted me towards it. I believe it was the idea of creating something with your own hands. Something that was real, physical, in three dimensions. Something that you could see and touch and feel. As a software engineer I was coming from a background of creating things that only existed in the abstract world of 0s and 1s. Working with wood seemed to offer this intriguing new world where one could actually bring a piece of work to life in the physical world.

For the longest time my woodworking hobby was limited to watching videos and reading on the internet. Almost all of this content was of foreign origin, mostly from the US and UK. It was primarily about enthusiast woodworkers talking passionately about their craft, demonstrating techniques with their fancy power tools and big machine tools, working out of their rather spacious garage workshops. And while my innate liking for tools and machines kept me hooked to this, I limited my enthusiasm in trying anything out myself with the thought that such equipment and material would be next to impossible to get my hands on here in India.

Then one day I stumbled upon Indranil Banerjie's blog - The Indian DIY & Woodworker. The first post I read was the - Project: Teak Bookcase. And I still remember the moment when I first laid eyes on a photo of his finished bookcase. That was a moment of liberation for me. It made me believe in the possibility of successfully pursuing this hobby even here in India. His blog has been nothing short of inspirational ever since.

In time I discovered the work of Norm Abram in his New Yankee Workshop. One must admit, there's something about Norm, his experience in the trade, his passion for his craft and his style of presentation that leaves you with that warm fuzzy feeling inside. For many weeks since my discovery of The New Yankee Workshop, dinner time at home started with a fight between me and my then 3 year old daughter as to whether we're watching that or Peppa Pig. And while my daughter mostly won the arguments, she sometime let me watch Norm Uncle, and to my utter delight she seemed to enjoy the show too. Well... for the first few minutes at least.

So here I was, with my fascination for woodworking bubbling over, eager to get my hands on some wood and tools and actually try something out. But every time I decided to start in right earnest I would get lost in trying to research the minimum set of power tools that I needed to acquire before starting anything. Among other things it was the cost of even this minimum set, and my inability to justify it for what could be simply my infatuation towards this craft.

The tipping point finally came in the from two things. The first one was that around that time we happened to engage the services of a carpenter to build furniture for our new flat. In our carpenter, Ramkaran Jangid, I got someone who I could readily go to with my question about woodworking in the local Indian context. And that was a big step forward for me.

The second, and perhaps the most instrumental one, was my finding out about Paul Sellers. His style of woodworking showed me what can be achieved with hand tools alone. This allowed me to dig myself out of my confusion over power tool options and cost, and the entry barrier that that had created. After spending some weeks soaking in Paul Sellers' work and philosophy, I finally took the plunge. I got myself his recommended set of essential hand tools (not even all of them in fact) and started my first project.

And last but not the least, I couldn't have pursued this hobby without the support of my wife, and her putting up with the space, time, noise and dust that this hobby entails.

This blog is my way of documenting my work as a hobbyist woodworker. I mainly intend to use it as a journal as I work my way through projects. Recording my experiences as I start on what promises to be a journey full of exploration, learning, creation and search for a sense of fulfilment.

Welcome to my journey with Kaath!