Te Kawa o Tūwaerea · studio five · carving has its own whare
Spec the block — say it in plain words: "two metre high tōtara block, one metre thick, knots and all" — and the block stands before you, grain true to the species. Then take up the chisel and the mallet and carve it. Tōtara, kauri, mataī, whalebone, albatross bone, pounamu, obsidian. Turn the block, zoom to the cut, trace a pou from the library if you want a starting line. When it's carved — flatten it, print it, project it true-scale onto the real timber.
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Plain words: species, height, thickness, knots or clean. The block cuts itself to spec — grain, heft and all.
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Tōtara carves red and straight. Kauri glows amber. Mataī runs dark and wavy. Whalebone and albatross take fine detail. Pounamu is polish and patience. Obsidian is glass — small bites, no forcing.
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Lay a pou from the library under the block at tracing brightness, or start clean. The chisel cuts grooves with true bevel light; the mallet taps chips; burnish smooths.
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Drag sideways past the edge and the block turns — carve the front, check the side, work the corner like real timber.
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Export the carving 4K print-sharp, or project it true-scale — the exact centimetres — onto the real block standing in the shed.
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The carving file is the product: panel art, pou design spec, the laser/3D brief. Carved once, here, forever.