Why Wooden Beading Boards?

Making makes you happy.

I admit, beading boards for submitting beads are damned convenient when you do it jewelry yourself. Someone once came up with something pretty clever. And yes, these gray beading boards plastic ones are extremely inexpensive. And no, we probably won't be able to do without plastic altogether in the modern world we've created. And no, I'm not sure whether making these beading boards out of wood is actually ecologically or even economically more sensible now than producing the cheap plastic boards.

Nevertheless, the plastic planks always bothered me. First of all because most of them are too small to lay out a long mala one with 8mm beads on it completely. The 108 beads need space and the additional spacers or markers - youbeads want to be able to move them back and forth a little bit while designing. Second, the normal boards are wobbly when you lift them up and then they quickly shoot out beads over a sinking corner and onto the floor. Ouch. 

Thirdly (I admit, I tend to perfectionism), the plastic boards in photos just look ugly. When I take photos of the malaworkshops, for which I try to use only the most beautiful uncolored natural beads, I wouldn't want to see such a gray plastic board in the picture, which might still have a Chinese company name on it, would I? 

From the idea to the #malaboard prototype

The idea was born quickly, but the road to an actual product is a rocky one. The first drawing was also made quickly and thanks to a cousin (and I have many of them), I was able to send a machine-readable file to a joinery shop shortly afterwards, which had the supposedly suitable milling machine to mill the prototype. But apparently it is no rumor that good craftsmen are not only hard to find, but also extremely booked out. The company did not consider it necessary to ever deliver the prototype promised for a few days later. Despite several requests, of course. What a pity - because why should I ask this carpentry company for a bigger order later on?

Second try: in the makerspace Happylab Berlin I found support by one of the willing makers (Thanks Aron!) and only a few days later I not only held the prototype in my hands but also knew about the problems that occur during milling. Bamboo is hard and splinters. Since the board should not throw and warp after milling, this variant seemed to me the best. The surface is hard and can take a lot and the boards were available. This made the handling for the production much easier and kept the basic costs within the limits. If you want one board made of another local hardwood, you can get it from me in the meantime, but for the first small series I decided to use this "bamboo hack" and I am thankful that this material proved to be reliable and stable.

I don't know whether a bamboo board is ultimately more ecologically compatible than the plastic board, but that brings us back to the question: iPhone or drum communication? It's probably only possible without it anyway if you retreat into the caves of the Himalayas as an ascetic monk and meditate, right? So instead of becoming more papal than the pope here, I prefer to appeal to the everyday things that really everyone can take to heart. For example, less unnecessary driving or flying, or simply start buying natural, local food and preparing it yourself, rather than industrially processed food from the discounter. Now, before I give a lecture...

To cut a long story short: whoever, apart from me, would like to have a wooden mala beading board for their mala making classes or their self-designed, hand-knotted malas and other jewelry, or simply wants to have a nice pen tray for their desk: that is now possible. The wooden malaboards and all other beading boards are now available here in my shop. In the end I was able to have the wooden beading boards milled by a small local two-man carpenter's workshop and I prepare and finish them myself by hand until they finally get their final oil finish to shine in full beauty.

So: All's well that ends well, all's well and again a "small" do-it-yourself project that Der Blaue Vogel has implemented.

Who would like to call also such one beading board from wood its own, looks gladly here in the Shop under >>>> beading boards

A few details.

They beading boards are made of bamboo and are finished with organic linseed oil after sanding. Cold pressed of course. Luckily I am sitting directly "at the source" and no fresh "food" is wasted, but the surplus, already expired linseed oil from the family production. Old linseed oil does not become rancid, but bitter - and then it no longer tastes good. But it is perfect for the boards! Of course, olive oil would also be very suitable...

• Malaboard 28 cm x 45,5 cm
• Large bracelet board 28 cm x 45,5 cm
• Braceletboard small 24 cm x 15 cm
• Material: bamboo
• Milled, sanded and oiled by hand

Direct order via WhattsApp > +49.173.6033299

You can find all wooden beading boards here in the shop >>> Beading Boards

Little update. 2020

In the meantime it has not remained at a board design and my boards are tried to be copied by various imitators worldwide. I could take legal action here, but why? I know about the quality of my wooden beading boards and the effort behind it. If you are a free rider and don't create your own design, but simply take over my designs and especially the details I developed and introduced, you just can't help it. I am all the more pleased about my customers, who not only come back to me to order another board, but also appreciate the speciality and quality of my beading boards. A copy just doesn't live from the love and soul that went into the original, but is mostly just a bumpy attempt to tie in with the materialistic success of another product. But my work is about much more than that and with this knowledge I can sleep very calmly.

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