What makes a Hungarian cabinetmaker a gold medalist? – A good craftsman is a treasure today
Krisztián Simon decided as a child that he wanted to work with wood. His willpower, diligence, and ability took him all the way to the WorldSkills competition in 2019, from which he returned with a gold medal. The 24-year-old young man is fascinated by the smell of wood every day, enjoys looking at the wood veins, and would like to encourage all young people to try this profession which he thinks is wonderful and far from monotonous.
Do you believe that trees have a soul?
Yes, I do. Or rather, I would say that if you treat the tree well, it will reward you. If a tree is cut down but stored in unsuitable conditions, or dried badly, the wood will split, so it will make you feel that it has not been treated well. But if you treat it with humility, care and professionalism from the start, you can make anything, really, almost anything out of it, and your creation will last.
When did you first become interested in woodworking and what fascinates you about it?
I've been interested in it since I was six or seven. When I came home from school, I always started creating something. I had a file, a hammer, sandpaper and a little table.
At first, I just made jewellery boxes, phone holders, and bracelets for my mum and people I knew, and after finishing primary school it was clear that I wanted to work in the woodworking industry.
I wanted it so much that I applied to only one school, the Mihály Táncsics Vocational School in Veszprém, and I was accepted. As time went by, I became more and more skilled, I kept improving my tools, and finally, I designed and made our kitchen myself. And what is it that fascinates me about this profession? The wood itself. I love to breathe in its scent, I love to just sit and enjoy its veins. All kinds of wood are dear to my heart, but I love oak, ash and walnut more than any other. Everyone in my family is a craftsman: my father is a car mechanic, my grandfather worked as a master metal worker, my older brother is a pastry chef and my younger brother has already graduated from carpentry school.
Four years ago in Kazan, you won a gold medal at the WorldSkills Championships, raising the standard and reputation of our country. What has happened to you since then?
My big dream is to start my own business. I really love Hungary, I want to make a living here and I think that if you are good at what you do, you will find what you are looking for. After the competition, I stayed with the company where I learned the trade, while I am constantly developing my workshop here, expanding my customer base, so that by the time I open my business, all the conditions are in place.
It is perhaps not an understatement to say that WorldSkills is like the Olympics, as you spend months preparing, training, and perfecting your technique.
This is exactly so. Before the world competition in 2016, I also won the Professional Star of the Year competition, one of the prizes for which was a trip to Sweden to watch EuroSkills in Gothenburg. Then, in 2019, a total of 24 Hungarian competitors from 22 different professions, a mix of mental and physical professions, entered Worldskills.
We prepared for the world competition for almost a year, five days a week, 8-12 hours a day at the BKSZC Kaesz Gyula Wood Technology and Vocational School.
Three months before the competition, we found out what the task would be. A vote was held to select from the designs of the participating countries the Irish-designed bar cabinet with thirty per cent modification. My preparation was helped by Zoltán Fekete, a master carpenter and expert - we practised three products and we always made changes to them so that nothing would surprise me during the competition.
It took you four days to assemble the furniture, 21.5 hours in total. Hats off! How important is it for you to create unique pieces?
From bathroom furniture to kitchen furniture, wooden flooring to stairs, I strive to produce quality, practical and unique work. I never make two pieces the same, that's the beauty of it, and that's what I enjoy most! I'm so happy that there is a growing interest in the world for uniqueness and handmade products, be it clothing, home decor or jewellery.
Which is your most memorable work so far?
When I was a student, I made a laundry room with beech veneer kitchen furniture, which I still think of as a challenge.
I worked very hard on every single detail. Just as special to me is the set of short drink holders in the shape of a hand planer that I gave to my teachers as a graduation present.
I speak on my own when I say that higher education institutions are full of graduates, but it is these graduates who freeze up when they have to fix something at home - we immediately cry out for a craftsman. I get the feeling you don't regret not going to college...
My teachers shook their heads when they found out! But I couldn't imagine myself sitting in an office in front of a laptop all day long. I still find that something unimaginable. The Hungarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the vocational training centres are doing a lot - including investing in digital tools - to encourage more people to learn a trade. And we do need creative, dedicated and original professionals in our country! Every year since I won WorldSkills, I've been a judge at the qualifying rounds and I've seen more and more young people with skills, which is very reassuring for the future.
You spend most of your days at the planing table. Do you ever feel lonely?
Just the opposite: it gives me peace of mind to hear the monotonous noise of the machine, and to have ideas swirling around in my head. For me, work is also me-time.
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