The first thing that greets you upon entering the warehouse space is the lingering scent of fresh timber, accompanied by the hum of sanders and the familiar whirr of drills.
It almost brings you back to the school days, stirring memories of sitting through Kemahiran Hidup (Life Skills) classes, learning how to saw and hammer for wood building projects.
Inside KitaBina, a woodworking makerspace tucked away in an industrial corner of Subang Jaya, Selangor, those lessons are brought back to life.
Only this time, no report cards are needed nor is there pressure to get everything right the first time. Mistakes are highly encouraged as they are seen as part of the learning process.
Around the studio, students carefully saw through planks of wood and sand the rough edges with close guidance from instructors.
There is no rush or visible tension in the air because the goal, after all, is to have fun and learn.
For founder Loh Jon Ming, the purpose of KitaBina goes beyond just learning how to build something from scratch.
“We start by teaching people how to use tools because tools give people the ability to solve problems,” he explains.
“Once you know how to use them, you begin thinking differently. That’s when you realise you can actually start fixing things yourself and break the stigma that it’s something challenging and reserved for skilled workers.”
KitaBina’s range of workshops reflects that ideology well.
Beginners can ease into the craft through classes such as the “Fix-It-Yourself” sessions where they learn basic home repair skills and become familiar with hand and power tools.
Those looking to delve deeper can progress to furniture-making classes or enrol in the year-long Kemahiran Hidup programme, taking on more ambitious projects.
Whether participants are crafting a simple stool or a custom cabinet, the emphasis remains on equipping them with the skills and confidence to work with, and produce something, with their hands.
Humble beginnings
Growing up, Loh constantly watched his grandfather – a former British army serviceman from Taiping, Perak – walk through their family home and point out everything that needed to be repaired.
By the age of six or seven, Loh was already cranking a manual hand drill.
“That hard work gave me the satisfaction in making things myself,” he says.
From then on, he started building things with his hands. That passion followed him into adulthood, eventually leading him to run Epic Homes – a non-profit organisation that trained volunteer teams to build houses for underserved communities – for a decade.
The initiative raised the question, “How do we get ordinary people to obtain the skills to build an entire house?”
“It was a lofty goal but we took it one step at a time. It began with training the volunteers how to use the tools. When people learn how to use them, they are able to then go to the next step and start solving problems with their creativity,” he shares.
That was what sowed the seeds of KitaBina, set up in 2023.
The first class they had wasn’t quite up to the mark as the space was still being used for commission jobs. Tools were scattered everywhere and wood planks sprawled across the floor. The space felt warm, and Loh admitted it was definitely not built for beginners.
Upon receiving feedback from a student of the first cohort who loved the learning experience but found the environment intimidating, Loh and his team rebuilt the place into a more welcoming space.
Today, there are air-conditioned spaces where lessons are held in, organised walls of tools, a proper curriculum, and even a junior woodworking programme for younger students using safer hand tools instead of heavy machinery.
Walk through KitaBina on any given weekend and you’ll find a mix of students gathered around the workbenches with their wood projects.
Most of them arrive with zero experience and have never even operated a drill before. But many of them leave the classes wanting to learn more.
Loh says it is common for students who begin with a single introductory class to return for more comprehensive programmes spanning several months, wanting to take on bigger creations and obtain a deeper understanding of woodworking.
“People don’t just want to make one thing anymore. Once they discover what they can do with the tools, they become curious about what else they can build,” Loh says.
Permission to fail
The most important lesson being taught at KitaBina is that it’s completely fine to fail.
In fact, instructors tell students upfront that they want them to.
When a drill bit breaks, for example, nobody gets scolded as instructors expect it to happen.
“When people realise nobody is going to laugh at them for their mistakes, the intimidation disappears. That’s when creativity really starts,” Loh says.
For Lydia Koon, who is now in her second year of KitaBina’s Kemahiran Hidup programme, that permission to fail changed how she approached problems in her life.
She came across the workshop while browsing online for a new hobby she could get into.
Koon started with the beginner “Fix-It-Yourself” course before moving on to cabinet- making and then committing herself to a longer programme.
“Whenever I encounter any problems, my instructor will always tell me, ‘Don’t worry, we can fix it’,” she says.
“It makes us feel like we’re not doing anything wrong when we make mistakes. There’s always a way to recover from them, and that encourages us to not be afraid of trying.”
Woodworking, she found, also demands a kind of patience that modern life today often skips.
“You have to think ahead, because every step affects the next. If you’re impatient, your project might not come together the way you imagined.”
Younger students also express keen interest in the lessons.
Now in his second year of classes, Arfan Azhari, 14, first signed up because he wanted to build simple things like picture frames and small shelves.
He has since moved on to learning intricate things like wood carving, and still looks forward to each session.
A rewarding outcome
When asked about what success means with his students, Loh states that it’s not about the end product created.
“The most rewarding moment is when the students don’t need us anymore. They’ve learnt to research, troubleshoot and figure it out on their own,” he explains.
“If they’re able to go out there, solve problems on their own and build things for themselves, then we’ve done our job.”
That is what he hopes his students will ultimately take away from the experience, which is not necessarily to become expert woodworkers, but to have the confidence to try.
At a time when replacing broken furniture is easier than repairing it and convenience has slowly pushed craftsmanship to the sidelines, Loh is also teaching a form of sustainability rooted in knowledge and care.
Through KitaBina, he hopes to build a generation that rediscovers the value and joy of crafting something with their hands, and believes that not everything broken needs to be thrown away.
Instilling confidence and capability
Many people might find going for woodworking workshops daunting, especially for newcomers.
Walls lined with power tools, rows of wood planks and the fear of making an irreversible mistake are enough to convince would-be makers that woodworking is best left to professionals in the industry.
This stigma is what Loh hopes to reverse through Pesta Bina, a three-day community event taking place Sept 4-6 at the makerspace.
Unlike their regular workshops – which require participants to sign up for specific classes – this initiative offers visitors the chance to move between different activity stations where they can have a taste of basic woodworking techniques under the guidance of instructors.
Rather than completing a full furniture project, participants are encouraged to experience different parts of the craft in a more relaxed setting, from learning how to safely handle tools to understanding simple woodcutting techniques.
Loh wants the event to help participants take that first step in getting themselves into the art of woodworking.
“When they try it out, they will find that they can actually do it and build something.
“Then they will get curious and will want to learn how to craft something else,” Loh says.
Changing perceptions
That transition, from a curious onlooker to somebody who knows the basics of craftsmanship, matters more than ever.
Loh has spent much of his time pushing back against the still-common assumption in Malaysia that woodworking is not for everyone.
With initiatives like this, he hopes to shift the perception and get people to try something with their hands and discover how engaging and fun it can be.
There’s also a practical urgency behind the effort as Loh points to a growing demand for skilled tradespeople as construction and infrastructure projects continue to expand while the pool of experienced local craftsmen shrinks.
Events like Pesta Bina are an attempt to increase the number of people willing to consider these skills seriously, even long before they think about it as a potential career path.
Whether visitors leave with nothing more than a small wooden project, or with a genuine interest in signing up for a longer course, both cases count as a win in Loh’s view.
After all, the goal will always be to get more people to be comfortable and confident enough to work with their hands and ask what else they can build or fix on their own.
Most of the participants who come in with no experience will leave the first lesson wanting to learn more. Photos: KitaBina
Tucked away in an industrial zone within Subang Jaya, Selangor, KitaBina's exterior hints at the craftsmanship happening inside. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
More than just knowing how to build something, Loh ensures his students leave the lessons with problem-solving skills. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
Woodworking should not be seen as an industry trade or something difficult to do; it can be turned into a hobby for anyone. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
Instructors emphasise the importance of failing first so that students can learn from their mistakes. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
The junior programme swaps heavy machinery for safer hand tools without losing any of the hands-on learning. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
One of the most important lessons woodworking has taught Koon is how to be patient and accepting of mistakes.
Photo: KitaBina
The most rewarding thing for Loh is to see his students become independent enough to work on their own.
Photo: KitaBina
Now in his second year of lessons, Arfan has moved onto mastering finer skills like wood carving. Photo: The Star/Raja Faisal Hishan
