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hinoki lumber for surrey

We were requested to supply hinoki timber (rough saw cut) to be used by the local joinery to build doors and furniture. At first we offered a quote in cultivated hinoki from Yoshino (Nara Prefecture).
But – HEY! – the client required all the wood to be quarter sawn to match the coordinated bathtub color and grain.

We checked our stock and asked all our dealers and acquaintances but it is difficult to obtain such quantity of natural timber of such quality and knotless on 4 sides…!

Finally we agreed on a smart solution. We were provided a detailed order of all the small pieces and parts needed for construction. This allowed us to better optimize small cuts we had and to be able to offer better lumber for a much – much lower cost.
Each piece was marked with a number which refers to a detailed list and to the drawings.

It was hard work, but when the reasult is so satisfactory, we forget all the fatigue.

Wood bath-tub installed in Prague

hinoki ofuro

Our client was so kind to send us the photo of installed asnaro bathtub so we are glad to publish it here!
The asnaro wood paneling creates a warm atmosphere, a kind of “other world”, a natural corner.

I am sure here you can forget the cold of central european winters and re-energize body and mind…

I think the local contractor made a great job and the spout was partially recessed inside the wall as planned. Afterall no matter how our cultures may be different, working with wood and loving wood is definately a common heritage.

wabi sabi (II) – tub setting

The tub has been mounted, around is a wide hinoki duckboard.
The stone floor, the ceiling beams…
I can see everywhere passionate details and feel a magic atmosphere…
I am really overwhelmed by the emotions looking at these pictures.
It is central Italy but really feels like Edo period Japan. This is not just because the materials are original, but because the spirit, the concept of the project is authentic.
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In the end, when man respects nature and put care and love in his acts, even different cultures touch and become one. I am sure that people entering in this ofuro will understand something more of the real essence of humanity.

packing the tub

Here we are packaging a tub to be shipped by ocean freight.
* One layer of polyethylene sheet to prevent dehidratation and dirt.
* Solid veneer construction for the custom crate to avoid the need for fumigation or (time consuming) custom inspections/quarantine.
Luckily we did not have any problem or damage claim at all so far.

cutting the planks

Preparing the material for a new tub going to NY.
These are asnaro planks. The top kamachi border will be 100×60.

lifting the tub

Japanese bath

The tub going to paris is ready to be packaged and shipped.
It is a really nice tub, I am almost sorry to see it go…

massive asnaro lumber

We are now working on a large asnaro tub with a 260mm wide border!
Commonly, large top frame borders like in your case are done laminaing 2
planks, anyway we had a beautiful piece of asnaro in the warehouse, so the frame will be done in one piece!

It was probably ment to be a cut for a beam or daikoku-bashira (main column) but at present there are not many chances to use expensive wood even for temples or shrines…

The lumber was 360×360 straight cut! This means that the 1/3 central segment of the tree was almost half meter square at the base. The tree had probably a diameter of 1200 to 1500mm !!
We could get our kamachi in one piece and also most of the planks for the sides from the same piece. This means the tub is going to be all straight cut!

PS:
Please do not ask us to provide such lumber for your project. This stroke of luck does not happen more than once a year…

blog introduction

hajimemasite – nice to meet you.

It was a long time we wanted to start this blog but always had other priorities for the day…
Anyway, in these pages we would like to convey you the passion of our craftsmen, the warmth of the wood. We enjoy our work and are starting to feel a little guilty if we keep all this for ourselves… So find here some pictures and some comments (when we have the time to post).

For all who do not know, “daiku” is the carpenter, the meister in wood-working.
This blog is not a sophisticated one, you will find here sawdust, sweat and all our smiles!

Note that this is a rare photo I managed to take with Mr. Ikeda and Mr. Kondo.
They are always busy and never stop. When we get a chance to sit down, we chat drinking tea, so I never manage to take an official photo of us to put in the company profile…

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