playing with wood - no prior experience

[sam]

yes. I live on kauai. thanks for the kind words. tomorrow, I'll post some pics of small koa rounds and free form wafers , made super bowl sunday, to go under small stones, accents, bronzes or mame. these small ji ita show up frequently in kokufu displays. I enjoy your posts and your blog. dan and diane spent some time on kauai with us ,years back. he's my kind of guy.

best wishes, sam

 

[Ang3lfir3]

yes. I live on kauai. thanks for the kind words. tomorrow, I'll post some pics of small koa rounds and free form wafers , made super bowl sunday, to go under small stones, accents, bronzes or mame. these small ji ita show up frequently in kokufu displays. I enjoy your posts and your blog. dan and diane spent some time on kauai with us ,years back. he's my kind of guy.

best wishes, sam

I look forward to seeing those!!! I have heard kind stories of their time staying with you! And you must know all about the bougies!!! they are some of my favorite tropicals to work with , actually the only one we have ...

 

[sam]

newest batch ji ita and ne taku from kauai

hello eric:

following up our exchange yesterday with pictures of new ji ita and ne taku all of koa. there are a bunch of pictures, so please bear with me. , the 5 ji ita with the dark margins were posted yesterday-unfinished. they still need finish sanding and more coats of polyurethane. the round and free form wafers were made super bowl sunday and had some finish coats put on today. more tomorrow. the ones being held by the guy with the stained hands are included to show the wood colors and grain. no 2 are the same. the first hand held piece is my favorite. the wood actually has depth (chatoyance)

best wishes, sam

 

[sam]

more ji ita

View attachment 20792

 

[sam]

new ne taku

posting the newest batch of root stands (ne taku). these take time --- and thought . john brocklehurst from the UK has been kind to tutor me and critique my work. I look to him as a mentor. the first 2 were made last weekend. the darker stand is black oak-not nearly as pretty as koa. the outline on this one leaves a lot to be desired. the second one is koa. rich, beautiful color. unfortunately there were weak spots deep in the wood which caused the piece to fracture while the holes were being drilled. oh well, 4 hours of work down the drain. the next series of ne taku pictures starts with a roughed out koa blank one of 4 I prepped today. the remaining pictures are different views of 3 brand new ne taku that I spent all day working on. the shaping is done. now they need to be refined, sanded and finish coated. several hours of work lie ahead. after a long dusty, warm day in my studio ( I work outdoors in the yard ). I'm pretty happy with the results. these are the best ne taku output so far. the next batch will be better- and the next better than that-at least that's the theory

best wishes, sam

 

[sam]

newest ne taku

 

[sam]

last one

 

[Vance Wood]

I love your work and the wood you use is beautiful. I know it is none of my business but I would like to ask a question and in doing so make a suggestion. Do you wear a respirator, not just a dust mask? Most tropical woods are notoriously toxic. Many main land woods are toxic. Too many wood workers seem to ignore this issue paying the price latter in life.

 

[sam]

thanks vance. I do have a respirator which I use. but I must admit, I take it off when I take a break and don't always put it back on. I like to think because I work outdoors and there is a nice breeze blowing the dust away from me, its safe. then I look at the first rinse water in the shower and its the same color as the wood.

best wishes, sam

 

[Vance Wood]

thanks vance. I do have a respirator which I use. but I must admit, I take it off when I take a break and don't always put it back on. I like to think because I work outdoors and there is a nice breeze blowing the dust away from me, its safe. then I look at the first rinse water in the shower and its the same color as the wood.

best wishes, sam

Please do. Koa is in my opinion a potentially dangerous wood. I understand that it is particularly hard on tools because of its high silicone content, this cannot be good for your lungs either.

 

[sam]

update on 3 of the most recent root stands.

sam

 

[Brian Underwood]

Nice work Sam! I like the very last one you did best. Vance is right, wearing your respirator is pretty important with woods like koa, redwood, rosewood, lignum, etc. I have worked with craftsmen who ignored that, and they tend to end up with lots of scar tissue in their lungs which can lead to chronic conditions like COPD and recurring pneumonia. Your posts have inspired me to start working on more of my Jiita (slabs), and I should have pictures tomorrow. Keep it up, you will only get better!

 

[sam]

thanks brian. looking forward to your post

best wishes, sam

 

[sam]

cut these shapes for ne taku not thinking that the outlines were a bit too exotic and the edges would be hard to work because of the tight curves. well, live and learn. this is a case where simple IS better and a lot easier to work, as well.

the wood was already cut. so at the very least, I'd get dusty and maybe learn something, too.



here are a few still in rough form. tomorrow, more work on the holes, sanding , then finish before starting next batch

 

[sam]

 

[sam]

best wishes, sam