We started setting up the "shop", Jose cut the pieces for the saw horses we need to finish next week, and Keiran started squaring it up.
Jose was most of the morning practicing sawing straight but more than anything relaxed. After 30 cuts or so it was way better.
Man I'm tired, first my voice gets tired of so much talking — I'm not used to it – and later my mind. It's not that you are doing something, but keep in mind what both are doing so you work twice but actually not half of what they do. Weird thing.
Next week, finish the small horses and cut mortices for the large one.
Third week a box.
Shit, I forgot to offer them the beer I had in the fridge, guess I have to take care of it now.
Awesome! What does it feel like to have students earnestly working to learn from you? The angled planing beam is great. I've been thinking of Japanese woodworking with more of a whole systems approach. The simplicity of the Japanese shop has hidden efficiencies that I don't get from cherry picking my technique.
ReplyDeleteThe same with sawing, I didn't learn shit about how to use a dozuki until I started sawing while kneeling, holding the wood with one hand on some saw horses, no back stop. Now if my knees would stop aching!
It feels awesome, in fact. Very revolutionary somehow and very meaningful. So different from giving lectures in a university... and I'm learning a lot. Keiran for example is sharpening like a pro, very nice and careful work. I think it took me months to reach the point he's now... what I want to say is that perhaps the dream of Edo 1800 is not so far away, this can be thought and at an incredible pace.
DeleteConcerning the workshop, we started with the empty veranda and I asked them, "do you think you are making a workbench in your house?" They said no so we had to "improvise" a workshop there and then. My idea is that they realise how little you need and how fast it is to set up a shop with things you have pretty much laying around in your house.
Another great thing is that they don't need to unlearnt bad practices, like sawing the other way around and the like.
Hi Sebastian,
ReplyDeleteDid you open up that wall like that? It looks great, oh yeah, pa is an architect.
Don
Hi Don
DeleteIndeed, that was my dad's idea. This was just a room and a kitchen long time ago and when I was a child they built the living room. The doors are a bit small though. If they were sliding doors you could integrate the veranda to the house and both would become bigger.