Happy new year to everyone at lumberjocks! With the temperatures hovering at -30 in Fairbanks and only about 4 hours of daylight my wife and I decided to make a trip to Thailand. She was looking forward to taking care of her mom and dad who are both in their 90’s. Unlike the US where we farm out our older citizens, Thais care for family members until the end. One of the many things we as a country have lost. I had been purchasing tools from ebay to fix and bring here for woodworking( no taxes that way) and had the good fortune of getting a bunch of paduck from her sister. It sure is nice wood but I would never use it to make a bench in the states! I am building a bench back home too but we will be here until Feb.5. Anyway, much to the amusement of the Thais here in the village I have started making a bench with mortise and tenon joinery.I found out that here the term chung mai, which means carpenter in Thai, is now what they call me. I cannot post photos yet because my connection is dial up speed here in the village. Have to go work on the bench, later.
-- Happiness is being covered in sawdust
5 comments so far
grizzman
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5384 posts in 1472 days
#1 posted 494 days ago
glad you got to leave fairbanks long enough to thaw out…back to dail up huh…stinks after high speed huh, well enjoy your time there, its good what you are doing, taking care of her parents, it is a lost thing here, way to many folks end up in a home where they are lonely and end up spending the end of there lives with out family around….village life is very much like village life in the alaska bush…enjoy the warmth…there will be plenty of cold waiting for you when you come back…grizz
-- GRIZZMAN ...[''''']
Betsy
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2826 posts in 2064 days
#2 posted 494 days ago
Hey there Russ. Remember me? I was in a class with you at Kelly Mehler’s school in Kentucky. Hope you have been doing well. My sister-in-law is from Bangkok. Their way of caring for the elderly is so much different than ours. Sad really for us. How much of that paduck are you going to be to ship back to the states? Will make some great projects I’m quite sure.
Hope you can post pictures when you get back. There are some great sites in Thailand.
-- Like a bad penny, I keep coming back!
grizzman
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5384 posts in 1472 days
#3 posted 494 days ago
now if you bring home some of that padauk, be sure you have enough to share…and you can make some of us here, mighty happy…
-- GRIZZMAN ...[''''']
canadianchips
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1773 posts in 1166 days
#4 posted 494 days ago
My brother lived there for 3 years. Sent home some beautiful hand carved furniture. Weather here shrank it to heck. You forgot to mention the 15ft. of snow in parts of Alaska as well !
-- "My mission in life - make everyone smile !"
NormG
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2575 posts in 1172 days
#5 posted 494 days ago
Great place Thailand, many varieties of wood also
-- Norman
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