KUALA LUMPUR, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- From a small workshop on the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, Mohamad Hafiz Johari works with wood, metal and basic tools to build custom furniture pieces. Having no formal training in carpentry, welding or woodwork, the 35-year-old carefully measures out his materials and puts together shelves and tables constructed to an "industrial style", having left behind his former profession as a photographer in a Malaysian newspaper. "Woodwork is my hobby, usually at home, I would try to build a bed or chairs for my children. So I had some basic experience from this," Mohamad said. Mohamad Hafiz, together with two other former photographers Abdul Razak Abdul Latif and Noor Adzrene Mohd Noor, came together to set up Kawood, a combination of the Malay word kawan (friend) and wood, with all three having lost their source of income due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.