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After letting the urushi dry for a week, it is now time to start filling the low points. The following layers of color urushi will form rings and create the main features when the finish is ultimately sanded flat. Given this, it is important to think a head a little about what colors to use, […]

After completing the foundation and applying the first coat of urushi, it is time to make the base pattern that will be the high points in the final finish. In order to do this, the urushi needs to be thicked so that it will retain good definition instead of self-leveling and destroying all of the […]

Several months ago, I came across a quote that has become central to the way I view life as well as craft. The quote, 「不器用の一心に勝る名人なし」（西岡常一）roughly translates to “the inept man who shows wholehearted dedication will be surpassed by not even the most skill master”. People who find skills easy to obtain without facing much adversity tend to […]

It is already half way through January, and winter is still slow in making an appearance. We might finally get our first snow in the next couple of days. For someone who works in an unheated workshop, it has been a nice chance to get some more wood worked. At the same time, I am […]

A lot has happened since my last post, and I have been meaning to write about all of it. That will take some time, so I will start with the most recent. This week, I took my long planned jump into Japanese style woodturning. Basically, they use a hook tool and something I still cannot […]

With much of my fall work behind me, it is time to get back to woodworking. Before winter sets in, I want to get as many pieces into the final stages of the finishing. This is reflection from last year when I spent many a cold day wet sanding in the outside sink. This year, […]

As fall fully sets in, it was once again time to harvest the rice. I take the old fashioned approach to harvesting my rice. These days, almost everyone uses a combine for the harvest because it is so easy and fast. Growing rice in Japan is much like growing grain in the US, it is […]

This week, I sorted through my plates and applied the first coat of lacquer. Most people sand the woodwork before applying any finish. I did this for a number of years but have taken a different approach since last year. When attending a woodworking exhibition at the local art museum, I happened to be just […]