The skilled carpenter

(Baonghean) - Although he didn't receive any formal training, Mr. Nguyen Van Quang from Hamlet 4, Quynh Ba Commune (Quynh Luu District) has a natural talent for carpentry. Each of his products embodies the heart and soul of a skilled carpenter...

The craft of carving and sculpting is a strength of provinces like Nam Dinh, Ha Tay, and Bac Ninh. In Nghe An, there are many woodworking villages and many woodworkers, but besides processing and assembling the basic parts, the remaining tasks such as carving and sculpting are mainly outsourced to craftsmen from the North. However, Mr. Nguyen Van Quang's fine art woodworking workshop is completely different because all stages of the craft, from sawing wood, assembling, carving, and sculpting, are handled by the hands of the craftsmen in the village. Even more remarkably, the exquisite designs on high-end products such as decorative clocks, wooden cabinets, tea cabinets, and wooden paintings are all created by Mr. Quang alone. Not keeping the craft to himself, he has successfully passed on his skills to the craftsmen in his workshop.

Mr. Quang and the craftsmen are cutting and carving the products.

Mr. Quang's carpentry workshop has been in operation since 1991. He himself entered the trade by "learning on the fly" after working for other carpentry workshops in the area. When the workshop first opened, it faced many difficulties due to limited capital and unfamiliar customers; he mostly had to buy used items and rework them. The idea of ​​establishing a fine art carpentry workshop began to take shape after he visited carpentry workshops in Ha Tay province. Even more boldly, starting from someone with no knowledge of fine art carpentry, carving, or sculpting, he taught himself to draw and create, becoming someone who could complete every step of a high-end wooden product. Customers in the area gradually came to know his workshop for its high-quality, beautiful, and luxurious wooden products at only two-thirds the price of those imported from the North.

Moreover, consumers are very fond of the products designed by Mr. Quang himself because they have a unique identity and suit the concept of beauty of the people of Nghe An. Recalling those early days of starting his business, Mr. Quang confided: “I was a demobilized soldier, so when I returned to my hometown, I was very confused and didn't know what to do to make a living. Choosing carpentry was actually a gamble for me because everything started from scratch (no formal training, no capital, no mentor, and the market was also zero). But I love this profession and the more I'm involved, the more I love it, especially when the handcrafted wooden products I create are well-received by consumers…”

Not only is Mr. Quang talented in product design, but he is also bold in business and enjoys exploring new things. Currently, with over 40 employees, all well-trained and capable of performing many difficult techniques, his workshop is fully capable of handling large orders. Wanting to expand, he invested over 1 billion VND to purchase two CNC cutting and engraving machines to engrave patterns on wood surfaces entirely by machine. Furthermore, facing the ever-increasing demands of the market, in addition to constantly improving product designs, he has expanded his workshop from one to four and invested hundreds of millions of VND in purchasing machinery and equipment such as saws, cutting machines, and air compressors to be more proactive in his work.

To operate the machine, he sent his workers to learn computer technology and also invited engineers who graduated from Hanoi University of Architecture to provide technical support. He himself continued to handle the drawing and design. Since acquiring the machine, the workload has increased threefold compared to manual work, and many other carpentry workshops in the area have sought his services for carving. As a result, the products are more diverse and much cheaper than before. Speaking about his employer and his current work, Nguyen Van Hai – a designer who graduated from Hanoi University of Architecture – shared: "Although I received formal training and graduated from architecture school, I have to learn a lot from Mr. Quang, especially in designing and drawing fine art wood products."

Another admirable quality of veteran Nguyen Van Quang is his commitment to vocational training and job creation for local workers. Mr. Quang himself doesn't remember how many people he has trained. Many were raised by him from a young age, he passed on his skills and provided loans to establish workshops. Many went on to study at universities and colleges, but after a while couldn't find work, they returned to him to receive training and find jobs at his workshop. He is also passionate about social work; every year, he allocates a certain amount of money to give gifts to the elderly, poor students, and families receiving government assistance; he also sponsors football tournaments and local cultural and artistic activities. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tung, Secretary of the Party Committee of Quynh Ba commune, shared: "Every year, Mr. Quang's carpentry workshop creates jobs for dozens of people with incomes ranging from 4 to 7 million VND per month." Moreover, Mr. Quang is also an exemplary figure of perseverance, resilience, and hard work, truly a model veteran worthy of emulation by many, especially the younger generations.

My Ha