Wood grain direction
Today marks not only the start of a new week but also the beginning of September. In Japan, September is considered the start of autumn, but today once again we are experiencing record heat. The forecast shows some rain this week, and I hope we get at least a little.
On the other hand, there are regions suffering from heavy rainfall caused by the heat, and every year it seems I see news of such damage. Rain raises the humidity, which is not good for making boxes, but since we’ve had so little rain recently, I’m also worried about a shortage of water.
Today I worked on continuing the 5-sun puzzle box and also started making a new 4-sun box. For the 5-sun box, I began attaching the side panels (the Kannuki-slide key panels) today. This process will take two days, today and tomorrow. It’s been a while since I last made a 5-sun box—the last one was a 36-steps box back in June. This time, I am making a 27-steps type.
This morning, I also prepared the top and bottom panels for the limited edition box I plan to make this month (September). These panels are made with my “creative yosegi.” Since the wood grain of this yosegi runs horizontally, cutting the boards is a little tricky. When a saw blade cuts across the grain at a 90-degree angle, the yosegi often peels and tears away.
Customers who have bought other Hakone products may have seen this kind of damage before: the yosegi sheet applied to the board looks torn or jagged, especially at the edges or corners of a box. This happens when the adhesion is not strong enough during processing (such as shaving or trimming), causing the yosegi to peel off. Even if the glue is applied properly, cutting across the grain can still put too much stress on the glue joints, and the yosegi may come off.
This is a very difficult issue, and it happens quite often. That’s why, with this creative yosegi design—which is particularly prone to peeling—I decided to apply a light coating to the surface before attaching it to the box. Even though I already apply plenty of glue, this light pre-coating helps make the yosegi less likely to peel.
In order to apply the finish, the base board must be completely prepared. So today I polished it with sandpaper and carried out some repairs on the yosegi.
Yesterday, I added two types of 14-steps Mame (1-sun) puzzle boxes. One is the usual type, and the other is a new version with magnolia wood side panels. Please take a look if you like. At the moment, I also have 2.5-sun boxes in stock, so I think I can include the nested set type as well.
On the other hand, there are regions suffering from heavy rainfall caused by the heat, and every year it seems I see news of such damage. Rain raises the humidity, which is not good for making boxes, but since we’ve had so little rain recently, I’m also worried about a shortage of water.
Today I worked on continuing the 5-sun puzzle box and also started making a new 4-sun box. For the 5-sun box, I began attaching the side panels (the Kannuki-slide key panels) today. This process will take two days, today and tomorrow. It’s been a while since I last made a 5-sun box—the last one was a 36-steps box back in June. This time, I am making a 27-steps type.
This morning, I also prepared the top and bottom panels for the limited edition box I plan to make this month (September). These panels are made with my “creative yosegi.” Since the wood grain of this yosegi runs horizontally, cutting the boards is a little tricky. When a saw blade cuts across the grain at a 90-degree angle, the yosegi often peels and tears away.
Customers who have bought other Hakone products may have seen this kind of damage before: the yosegi sheet applied to the board looks torn or jagged, especially at the edges or corners of a box. This happens when the adhesion is not strong enough during processing (such as shaving or trimming), causing the yosegi to peel off. Even if the glue is applied properly, cutting across the grain can still put too much stress on the glue joints, and the yosegi may come off.
This is a very difficult issue, and it happens quite often. That’s why, with this creative yosegi design—which is particularly prone to peeling—I decided to apply a light coating to the surface before attaching it to the box. Even though I already apply plenty of glue, this light pre-coating helps make the yosegi less likely to peel.
In order to apply the finish, the base board must be completely prepared. So today I polished it with sandpaper and carried out some repairs on the yosegi.
Yesterday, I added two types of 14-steps Mame (1-sun) puzzle boxes. One is the usual type, and the other is a new version with magnolia wood side panels. Please take a look if you like. At the moment, I also have 2.5-sun boxes in stock, so I think I can include the nested set type as well.
