71 posts in 4265 days

Location: Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil

Website: [email protected]

I am now a 60-year-old man. My profession is business management and I live in an apartment in a major metropolis of Brazil, Belo Horizonte (MG) (around 4 million inhabitants). I have never had woodworking training. I am a self-taught (only by studying books) amateur wood artisan. My workshop is stuffed in the service closet (7 ft x 6 ft total area) of the apartment. I have no power tools, except for a power hand drill. I can work only after 8 PM, plus weekends. Early on I decided to replace most of the usually mechanized operations with the single specialty of woodcarving, due to the lack of room and also to avoid the dust and noise produced. In order to develop some proficiency, early on I decided to focus my woodcarving activity on a unique style, the Brazilian colonial Baroque. My preferred wood is the true Rio Rosewood (jacaranda-da-bahia) reclaimed from demolished country barns. I have been woodcarving in this micro-workshop for over 30 years where I have managed to build around 10 very nice pieces (all remain with me). The long average time (3 years) for the accomplishment of each piece is mostly a direct consequence of the process of creation. All my pieces are original ones (I never copy an existing one). I develop and draw the whole project only guided by the elect style principles.

I have already posted the whole collection of my wood works. I intend to post my work in progress soon.

If you want to know my whole amateur woodcarver story, please read the article I recently wrote in the link http://www.highlandwoodworking.com/woodnews/2009january/dilo.html

-- Dilo