The Wizard of Wood

January 27, 2009 6:15 PM

Portuguese carpenter Carlos Alberto is a wizard with wood. His modified Vespa Daniela is a thing of beauty, and the Mota is pretty damned cool as well. Would love to see him panel a Rolls Royce or a Bentley.
posted by bwg (15 comments total)

sweet...
posted by HuronBob at 6:21 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]

Okay, that's just bad-ass right there. Vespa should put out a limited edition. And then give me one for free for suggesting such a bold new marketing initative.
posted by Navelgazer at 6:22 PM on January 27 [1 favorite]

Wow, really awesome.
posted by birdie birdington at 6:44 PM on January 27

I'd love to see him panel my '97 Hyundai Elantra.
posted by lekvar at 6:44 PM on January 27

Their both cool. Woods kind of heavy, a bamboo motorcycle might be more practical.
posted by doctor_negative at 7:00 PM on January 27

Bamboo is difficult to bend without splitting. You can steam bend wood, but bamboo will crimp, or so I've read.
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:35 PM on January 27

Holy crap, it actually runs.
posted by jetsetsc at 8:01 PM on January 27

OK, I'll admit it .. I drooled. I so want one now :D
posted by liza at 8:27 PM on January 27

I've been getting pretty strongly into carpentry lately, and this man just makes me burn with admiration. Amazing stuff.
posted by Pecinpah at 8:33 PM on January 27

Beautiful. You'd hate to get it wet, though.
posted by Kraftmatic Adjustable Cheese at 8:57 PM on January 27

If the wood is properly treated with sealer and varnish, getting it wet shouldn't be a major issue. Plenty of wooden things--houses, sheds, outdoor furniture--get wet all the time. Getting it broken is a whole other problem, and I wonder about the safety features of it, especially flammability and charring of wood that's so near a very hot engine.
posted by aeschenkarnos at 9:09 PM on January 27

This project reminds me of the kind of projects that are published in West System's Epoxyworks magazine. I signed up for a free subscription to the glossy paper version some years ago, but I see that it's available online now.

Mostly devoted to wood boat building and repair, they also include unusual and artistic projects as well. Highly recommended.

I have a funny feeling that consumer grade epoxy is going to go the way of the mercury thermometer, due to the resin being mostly Bisphenol A. Thankfully there are other effective adhesives available.
posted by Tube at 1:26 AM on January 28

Wood isn't always heavy.. a well made cedar strip canoe at 16 feet can weigh in at 50 lbs... and that's a lot more wood than is used in that vespa..

waterproofing isn't an issue either... remember... boats are often made of wood....

I would buy this and let it sit in my livingroom!
posted by HuronBob at 5:39 AM on January 28

Cool! This should have been titled, "Meet the Flintstones!" in Portuguese.
posted by sneebler at 5:57 AM on January 28

...wizard with wood.
Huh, huh. You said...
posted by cmoj at 10:36 AM on January 28