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 The handle on the Sarawak parang given by Danny is really good There’s nothing wrong with the parang handle I made as posted earlier. But when I held the Sarawak parangs given by Mr Danny Voon from Kuching, I knew I needed to give my parang handle a make over. I have to do it, the blade after all was purchased for this purpose.  A wooden handle for my Parang Bidor The first time I visited the Bidor parang maker, besides buying some pre-made blades, I decided to place an order for a custom piece. Of course I didn’t need yet another parang but I really wanted to improve on making wooden handles for parangs. For RM15, I thought I’d just invest on another blade, which was ready and collected in December 09. Here is a video of a traditional furnace which belongs to the Bidayuhs in Semban Sarawak. Local guide and villager Glen and his father was kind enough to setup the furnace just to demonstrate how their old furnace works. The feathers on the ‘plungers’ are not from chickens but from a particular type of raptor. Many apologies for the poor sound recording.  Kitchen knives used by the Bidayuh women in Semban I was equally astounded by the traditional blades used by the Bidayuh women in Semban. While the shapes of the blades are quite the same to their ‘bigger’ parang cousins, the method in which they are used is artistic. But the biggest surprise to me had to be the use of bamboo as a cutting tool. Continue reading The kitchen and bamboo blades in Semban. Part V-2  The hilt of a Bidayuh’s Parang…wait till you see the rest! The cutting tools used by the Bidayuhs in Semban are really unique and inspiring. From large Parangs to kitchen knives, there are even ‘non-metal’ cutting tools still being used by these amazingly beautiful people. To me, they are true testaments of how a deep understanding and appreciation of life and the world around enables the creation of functional and practical tools. Amazing? You bet! Continue reading The Bidayuh’s traditional cutting tools in Semban, Sarawak. Part V-1  The beautiful parang gift from Danny Since my trip to Sarawak, I have fallen in love with parangs from Sarawak. Old school it may be but these blades of the Orang Ulu are amazingly functional and tried tested. I have a few parang Ilang but recent pieces given to me as gifts by Danny Voon of Kuching has really impressed me a lot.  A parang handle making project This is a small parang ‘gift’ project for a friend. I will have to make the wooden handle for it, as well as a sheath. The blade was purchased from the Bidor parang maker some time back. A standard blade sold everywhere. I decided to do this project for two reasons. As a gift and more so as a ‘practice’ at making handles for parang. Continue reading Putting in a wooden handle for a friend’s parang  I guess the Parang makers have gone upscale in terms of operations I have always heard about the Bidor Parang. One local jungle survival instructor I know swears by the Parangs from Bidor. So, on an early morning drive back to Kuala Lumpur from Kedah, I decided to take a detour off the main highway, in search of the Bidor Parang maker.  The parang blade I got from Johor My jungle Parang is probably the second most important thing I carry whenever I head into the jungle (besides my Mora fixed blade). I recently bought a Parang blade from a maker in the southern state of Johor. I immediately fell for the blade because of its shape. It reminded me of the Parang Ray Mears used in his book ‘Bushcraft’. Though I doubt the quality of the blade, I decided that it would be a good piece to try my hands on putting a handle in. Continue reading Putting a wooden handle for my jungle parang blade This particular hard ware shop in Temerloh is probably one shop I wouldn’t mind visiting again. Aside from having all the stuff you’d ever expect for a hardware shop, Kedai Nam Kee is well stocked with parangs of all shapes and sizes plus other little things that would make it an ideal one stop center for those needing last minute camping equipment.  The Nam Kee hard ware shop in Temerloh |
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