diff --git a/configure.lua b/configure.lua
index 01515b0..335085c 100644
--- a/configure.lua
+++ b/configure.lua
@@ -24,8 +24,13 @@ function pick_and_place.configure(pos1, pos2)
         if node.name == "air" then
             minetest.set_node(cpos, { name = "pick_and_place:handle" })
             local meta = minetest.get_meta(cpos)
-            meta:set_string("pos1", minetest.pos_to_string(pos1))
-            meta:set_string("pos2", minetest.pos_to_string(pos2))
+
+            -- relative positions
+            local rel_pos1 = vector.subtract(pos1, cpos)
+            local rel_pos2 = vector.subtract(pos2, cpos)
+
+            meta:set_string("pos1", minetest.pos_to_string(rel_pos1))
+            meta:set_string("pos2", minetest.pos_to_string(rel_pos2))
         end
     end
 end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/handle_node.lua b/handle_node.lua
index 3dd8e40..d84e987 100644
--- a/handle_node.lua
+++ b/handle_node.lua
@@ -5,15 +5,25 @@ local function on_rightclick(pos, _, _, itemstack)
 	end
 
 	local meta = minetest.get_meta(pos)
-	local pos1 = minetest.string_to_pos(meta:get_string("pos1"))
-	local pos2 = minetest.string_to_pos(meta:get_string("pos2"))
-	local size = vector.add(vector.subtract(pos2, pos1), 1)
 
+	-- relative positions
+	local rel_pos1 = minetest.string_to_pos(meta:get_string("pos1"))
+	local rel_pos2 = minetest.string_to_pos(meta:get_string("pos2"))
+
+	-- absolute positions
+	local pos1 = vector.add(pos, rel_pos1)
+	local pos2 = vector.add(pos, rel_pos2)
+
+	local size = vector.add(vector.subtract(pos2, pos1), 1)
 
 	local tool = ItemStack("pick_and_place:place 1")
 	local tool_meta = tool:get_meta()
 	tool_meta:set_string("size", minetest.pos_to_string(size))
 
+	-- serialize schematic
+	local schematic = pick_and_place.serialize(pos1, pos2)
+	tool_meta:set_string("schematic", schematic)
+
 	return tool
 end
 
diff --git a/place_tool.lua b/place_tool.lua
index 5c304a8..937c404 100644
--- a/place_tool.lua
+++ b/place_tool.lua
@@ -6,7 +6,10 @@ minetest.register_tool("pick_and_place:place", {
     on_use = function(itemstack, player)
         print("on_use: " .. itemstack:get_name() .. ", " .. player:get_player_name())
 
-
+        local pointed_pos = pick_and_place.get_pointed_position(player)
+        local meta = itemstack:get_meta()
+        local schematic = meta:get_string("schematic")
+        pick_and_place.deserialize(pointed_pos, schematic)
     end,
     on_secondary_use = function(itemstack, player)
         print("on_secondary_use: " .. itemstack:get_name() .. ", " .. player:get_player_name())
diff --git a/serialize.lua b/serialize.lua
index a9bea5f..47c01d7 100644
--- a/serialize.lua
+++ b/serialize.lua
@@ -1,8 +1,96 @@
 
+local char, byte = string.char, string.byte
+
+local function encode_uint16(int)
+	local a, b = int % 0x100, int / 0x100
+	return char(a, b)
+end
+
+local function decode_uint16(str, ofs)
+	ofs = ofs or 1
+	local a = byte(str, ofs)
+    local b = byte(str, ofs + 1)
+	return a + b * 0x100
+end
+
 function pick_and_place.serialize(pos1, pos2)
+    local manip = minetest.get_voxel_manip()
+	local e1, e2 = manip:read_from_map(pos1, pos2)
+	local area = VoxelArea:new({MinEdge=e1, MaxEdge=e2})
+
+    local node_data = manip:get_data()
+	local param2 = manip:get_param2_data()
+
+    local mapdata = {}
+    local metadata = {}
+
+    for z=pos1.z,pos2.z do
+    for x=pos1.x,pos2.x do
+    for y=pos1.y,pos2.y do
+        local i = area:index(x,y,z)
+        table.insert(mapdata, encode_uint16(node_data[i]))
+        table.insert(mapdata, char(param2[i]))
+    end
+    end
+    end
+
+    -- TODO: metadata
+
+    local size = vector.add(vector.subtract(pos2, pos1), 1)
+
+    local data = {
+        mapdata = table.concat(mapdata),
+        metadata = metadata,
+        size = size
+    }
+
+    local serialized_data = minetest.serialize(data)
+    local compressed_data = minetest.compress(serialized_data, "deflate")
+    local encoded_data = minetest.encode_base64(compressed_data)
+
     -- TODO
+    print(dump({
+        fn = "pick_and_place.serialize",
+        size = data.size,
+        serialized_data_len = #serialized_data,
+        compressed_data_len = #compressed_data,
+        encoded_data_len = #encoded_data
+    }))
+
+    return encoded_data
 end
 
-function pick_and_place.deserialize(origin, data, rotation)
-    -- TODO
+
+function pick_and_place.deserialize(pos1, encoded_data)
+
+    local compressed_data = minetest.decode_base64(encoded_data)
+    local serialized_data = minetest.decompress(compressed_data, "deflate")
+    local data = minetest.deserialize(serialized_data)
+
+    local pos2 = vector.add(pos1, vector.subtract(data.size, 1))
+
+    local manip = minetest.get_voxel_manip()
+	local e1, e2 = manip:read_from_map(pos1, pos2)
+	local area = VoxelArea:new({MinEdge=e1, MaxEdge=e2})
+
+    local node_data = manip:get_data()
+	local param2 = manip:get_param2_data()
+
+    local j = 1
+
+    for z=pos1.z,pos2.z do
+    for x=pos1.x,pos2.x do
+    for y=pos1.y,pos2.y do
+        local i = area:index(x,y,z)
+        node_data[i] = decode_uint16(data.mapdata, j)
+        j = j + 2
+        param2[i] = byte(data.mapdata, j)
+        j = j + 1
+    end
+    end
+    end
+
+    manip:set_data(node_data)
+    manip:set_param2_data(param2)
+    manip:write_to_map()
 end