| Patiala father-son duo design and construct wooden ‘wonder car’ |
16th May 2015
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The wooden car made by Mohinder Singh and Amandeep Singh.
Recently, a father-son duo from Patiala designed a wooden car in a striking golden-brown colour. The car has since become the talk of town. Sardar Mohinder Singh, a carpenter, gave shape to a car conceptualised by his 23-year-old son Amandeep Singh.
At 680 kg, it is 12 ft long, 5 ft tall and 5 ft wide with the mirrors open. The BBC London has already made a documentary on this feat of innovation. The local police, too, made their presence felt by impounding the car for not bearing a number plate. We talk to Amandeep Singh about creating and maintaining this beauty.
Q. What encouraged you to design this car?
A. I have been passionate about cars for as long as I can remember, and always dreamt about manufacturing a one-of-a-kind car of my own, but I never worked seriously on it. As I got older, I became more serious about realising my childhood dream. Once I finished my diploma in mechanical engineering, I was ready to give this wooden car a go. Once we got started, it took us 70-75 days, working seven-eight hours a day, to complete the project.
Q. What was the guiding idea behind using wood?
A. I belong to a family of carpenters and my father still works with wood. With the idea of a wooden car, I was able to fuse my father's expertise and practical experience with my theoretical knowledge and passion. It runs on the 5-gear (1 reverse) Maruti-800 engine with a top speed of 120 km.
Q. What wood have you used to make the car and what sort of durability does it promise?
A. We have used Sangwan and MP Teakwood to make the car. The durability of the wood is hypothetically more than 100 years, if used for furniture and woodwork indoors. But since this wood has been used for making a car, you have additional factors to consider such as adverse weather conditions, so we expect the wood to stay intact for 30-35 years.
Q. Where was it assembled/ manufactured? How have you attached its various parts?
A. It has been assembled at home and the parts have been attached using normal wood fixing tools. The iron parts have been joined with nut bolts, whereas the wooden bits have been joined with waterproof Fevicol and nails.
Q. What were some of the major challenges you faced while making this car?
A. The most challenging part in the whole project was to place and fix the engine accurately. This task alone took us over a week.
Q. What sort of monetary investment did this project take?
A. We have invested more than Rs 4 lakh on its manufacturing, inclusive of labour.
Q. Please tell us a little about its most memorable trip on the road.
A. Our most memorable trip was the Nagar Kirtan procession to Anandpur Sahib, a good 12-hour journey. We headed the procession of more than six lakh devotees and it was such a proud moment to see people turning their heads to get a glimpse of the car. Wherever we stopped, people would take pictures of the car, ask numerous questions — many of them even offered to buy the car.
Q. How will it take on its arch foe, the termite?
A. The wood that we have used is termite-proof, so there is no need to worry about termites. Also, it has been polished well. To keep it safe from water-borne problems, we have also used rubber seal paint on the lower part of the car's body.
Q. Are you looking to design another version of this wooden car later on?
A. Yes, I have already started working on another wooden car — this time it's a Jeep!
http://www.sunday-guardian.com/young-restless/patiala-father-son-duo-design-and-construct-wooden-wonder-car
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