"So, what is the thing I'm doing called?"
I've been neglectful of my LJ in regards to the weapons-making career for which I am apparently destined. Facebook* is just too easy to update, and going through the extra steps to post something here at times is just too much. I'm lazy.
But I have generated sufficient naginata at this point that three of us are using naginata which I've made, and I have one of purpleheart and one of jatoba for my own use. They are holding up well, even considering this damage that was done to my jatoba:
A combination, so said The Boss, of two perfect cuts: his and mine. Considering he was using sword at the time, I'd say that it just goes to show that size is not always an advantage. That repair took two pins, one with 1/4" dowel.
I've also made some tessen this week-wooden representations of real iron-ribbed fans that were used both offensively and defensively.
These are zebrawood, which isn't impact-resistant enough for serious contact (the fibers are short and when it's hit, the edges lift, making splinters), but boy the wood sure is beautiful.
I'm also working on more bokken, to get in more practice so I can do the specialized bokken for the Shindo Yoshin-ryu folks. One of zebrawood, one of jatoba.
And for Christmas I received a surface planer, and my sister-in-law bought me two planks I selected at an exotic lumber place near her: cocobolo, and canarywood. Here they are, in order, post-planer, with the jatoba that yielded the bokuto above:
The canarywood has a bokken in there. The cocobolo? I'm not sure. Mrs. Boss said, "Tessen!" but it's too thin for that-I'd have to laminate it. I'll just keep petting it until I figure out what's inside. But isn't it just gorgeous? The crazy grain and the sapwood. Mmmmmmmmm . . . . And it's soooooo dense.
I should probably make myself a weapons-making icon . . .
* If you Facebook and are interested, you can find me there with the same username.
But I have generated sufficient naginata at this point that three of us are using naginata which I've made, and I have one of purpleheart and one of jatoba for my own use. They are holding up well, even considering this damage that was done to my jatoba:
A combination, so said The Boss, of two perfect cuts: his and mine. Considering he was using sword at the time, I'd say that it just goes to show that size is not always an advantage. That repair took two pins, one with 1/4" dowel.
I've also made some tessen this week-wooden representations of real iron-ribbed fans that were used both offensively and defensively.
These are zebrawood, which isn't impact-resistant enough for serious contact (the fibers are short and when it's hit, the edges lift, making splinters), but boy the wood sure is beautiful.
I'm also working on more bokken, to get in more practice so I can do the specialized bokken for the Shindo Yoshin-ryu folks. One of zebrawood, one of jatoba.
And for Christmas I received a surface planer, and my sister-in-law bought me two planks I selected at an exotic lumber place near her: cocobolo, and canarywood. Here they are, in order, post-planer, with the jatoba that yielded the bokuto above:
The canarywood has a bokken in there. The cocobolo? I'm not sure. Mrs. Boss said, "Tessen!" but it's too thin for that-I'd have to laminate it. I'll just keep petting it until I figure out what's inside. But isn't it just gorgeous? The crazy grain and the sapwood. Mmmmmmmmm . . . . And it's soooooo dense.
I should probably make myself a weapons-making icon . . .
* If you Facebook and are interested, you can find me there with the same username.