Category Archives: Woodworking

Ever notice how things have a way of getting out of hand? How you can start with a contractor’s saw in a tiny little rat-hole and some vague idea about making a nightstand and then turn around twice and you’ve got a full on shop with really nice tools and wood pile full of beautiful local wood cut by a guy named Kitazoe? Yeah, me too!

Another Kutsubako

Posted on 2010/09/01 by Davey

We’ve got shoes. Not Imelda Marcos level shoeage, but, yeah, plenty of shoes. This being Japan and all, they don’t get to come in and sleep in the closet. Nope, they have to live by the front door in the … Continue reading →

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Evolving into Handtools

Posted on 2010/08/16 by Davey

As I have written before, I am in the process of unplugging my work. The reasons for this are many. First off is a desire not to chop my fingers off, lose all my hearing and have my alveoli fill … Continue reading →

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Milling keyaki

Posted on 2010/07/21 by Davey

Keyaki, (“zelkova”) is a member of the elm family and grows well in Kochi. When quartersawn, it has some of the same visual properties of oak. It’s prone to chipping and tearout, but worked carefully, it’s a rich, obedient wood … Continue reading →

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Number Nine, Number Nine, Number Nine…

Posted on 2010/07/11 by Davey

My first serious commitment to working by hand was to purchase this No. 9 Miter Plane from Lie-Nielsen. The point of such a plane is to use it to “shoot” pieces of wood, truing edges with a plane registered against … Continue reading →

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Alan Peters Documentary

Posted on 2010/06/29 by Davey

Just received “The Maker’s Maker”, a DVD I purchased about the legendary English woodworker, Alan Peters. I bought the extended directors cut which, it seems, is intended for woodworking schools and libraries. Most interesting, to me, was an interview with … Continue reading →

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Butsudan Stand Finished

Posted on 2010/04/16 by Davey

This was a joy to build, for many different reasons, from beginning to end. First there was the way it came into existence: Mika’s desire to bring the altar and the attendant care out into our lives. It’s right and … Continue reading →

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A Coarse Correction

Posted on 2010/03/24 by Davey

Ever since I saw the first video of the Saw Stop table saw, I wanted one. Not just for safety’s sake — though fingers are lovable enough to justify a purchase — but also the desire for a dead-on tablesaw … Continue reading →

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Pickles

Posted on 2010/02/08 by Davey

& after awhile, you mostly get fed up Accommodating surprise! Why should you? Why should I? Sandpaper, take note, young man, Is The Lord’s very answer to sharp corners And what that won’t cure? Out! Once you’ve understood & made … Continue reading →

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Butsudan Stand

Posted on 2010/01/19 by Davey

I’m stymied with my kotatsu table because I haven’t bitten the bullet and tried to negotiate my way through a wood deal at the hard wood mill. That’s going to take some doing since the old guy, cool as he … Continue reading →

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A Kotatsu Table

Posted on 2009/12/13 by Davey

One of the last remaining big projects for the house (how sanguine and assured I am as I indulge in, no doubt, wishful thinking) is a table for the horigotatsu. A kotatsu is a low table, often covered in winter … Continue reading →

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