Apart from a few plant branches and leaves he used as forms for molds, Wu first carved wooden pieces to make the molds for the components of his gold sculptures. To realize a level of precision that can't be reached with wax molds, Wu chose boxwood, which has a fine grain and ivory-like translucence.
加減之間吳卿的金雕遠比木雕更為人所熟知與矚目，但在金雕作品精細質感背後的胎體原形其實是木雕。除了少數植物枝葉以原物翻製外，吳卿都是先雕作完整的木刻，再翻模製造金雕，而且選擇紋理最細密，色澤光潤如象牙的上等黃楊木，展現一般臘模無法呈現的精緻度。