About 65 km from Bangalore is a small town Chennapatna which is well known for its unusual wooden lacquered toys and products. These craftsmen called chitragars are involved in this traditional craft since ages and make beautiful toy sets to include a complete kitchen ware set with a grinding stone, mortar, pestle and rolling pin, as well as a well to hold water. Other creations include telephones, planes, engines, trains, trucks and balls. Various dolls in various hues, including the balancing doll, are made keeping in mind the miutest detail. This craft is practised by both men and women.

Wood turning requires extremely close grained and moderately hard wood and Hale wood is the most suited wood found in this region. The required size and shape of wood is cut, seasoned, attached on to a lathe and turned in order to smoothen it. Chisels are used to shape the revolving piece of wood and flaws are sandpapered away with. The lacquering of the surface is done by rubbing lac sticks into the revolving wood and imprint it with lacs in either reds, yellows, greens, blacks and mauve. Plain lacquering is favoured though abri or cloud work, zig-zags, stripes, and dana or the spotted technique are also used.