Straight sliced yosegi sheets
Yesterday was cold, and today is also a very chilly day. Even places that are usually not so cold had their first snowfall today. We still don’t have snow in our area, but the mornings and evenings are getting really cold.
I worked in my workshop again today and made progress on several tasks. The 6-sun boxes are waiting for the top panels, which I made yesterday, to dry. Since I attach the parts with glue, the panels absorb a little moisture and swell. I think they need to rest until they return to their original size. I will cut them to the final dimensions after that. I also haven’t made the bottom panels yet, so that will be the next step. Today, I continued working on the next project, the 4-sun 18-steps puzzle boxes.
I worked on the side panels and the axis panels for the boxes today. The axis panels are finished, and the side panels are stored under pressure in a vise while they are still in progress. The design for these 18-steps puzzle boxes is not decided yet, but only the side panels have already been set. I used the checkered pattern shown in the photo, and I attached the yosegi sheets today. These sheets were originally made for the knock boxes I produced this year, and they have a vertical checkered pattern instead of my usual diagonal one. The woods used are Mizuki and Ho. They have a similar texture, both dense and soft. The sliced sheets look shiny even without any coating, which really shows their fine and smooth grain.
When attaching these sheets, I had to be extra careful because a vertical pattern must be placed perfectly parallel to the panel. Otherwise, the pattern would tilt diagonally. It’s very difficult to fix the pattern later if it becomes tilted. That’s why the moment of attaching the sheet is really important. Even so, the sheets themselves are not always perfectly vertical and parallel. Sometimes the pattern is slightly bent from the beginning. Since they are made from natural wood, this is quite normal. When the block-assembled wood is sliced, the sheet can curve depending on how the plane blade touches the surface. This is a very delicate process, and the feel of the wood also affects it, so it’s not something that technique alone can completely control. Still, I adjust them again and again to make them as straight as possible. The Mizuki and Ho woods I am using this time have very straight and honest grain, so in that sense they are quite easy to slice. That’s why I like using them.
I worked in my workshop again today and made progress on several tasks. The 6-sun boxes are waiting for the top panels, which I made yesterday, to dry. Since I attach the parts with glue, the panels absorb a little moisture and swell. I think they need to rest until they return to their original size. I will cut them to the final dimensions after that. I also haven’t made the bottom panels yet, so that will be the next step. Today, I continued working on the next project, the 4-sun 18-steps puzzle boxes.
I worked on the side panels and the axis panels for the boxes today. The axis panels are finished, and the side panels are stored under pressure in a vise while they are still in progress. The design for these 18-steps puzzle boxes is not decided yet, but only the side panels have already been set. I used the checkered pattern shown in the photo, and I attached the yosegi sheets today. These sheets were originally made for the knock boxes I produced this year, and they have a vertical checkered pattern instead of my usual diagonal one. The woods used are Mizuki and Ho. They have a similar texture, both dense and soft. The sliced sheets look shiny even without any coating, which really shows their fine and smooth grain.
When attaching these sheets, I had to be extra careful because a vertical pattern must be placed perfectly parallel to the panel. Otherwise, the pattern would tilt diagonally. It’s very difficult to fix the pattern later if it becomes tilted. That’s why the moment of attaching the sheet is really important. Even so, the sheets themselves are not always perfectly vertical and parallel. Sometimes the pattern is slightly bent from the beginning. Since they are made from natural wood, this is quite normal. When the block-assembled wood is sliced, the sheet can curve depending on how the plane blade touches the surface. This is a very delicate process, and the feel of the wood also affects it, so it’s not something that technique alone can completely control. Still, I adjust them again and again to make them as straight as possible. The Mizuki and Ho woods I am using this time have very straight and honest grain, so in that sense they are quite easy to slice. That’s why I like using them.