Thread: Japanese ? Woodturner

Interesting tools, more than one way to skin a cat.

Wonderful. Wish I could paint like that.

The most incredible part is the lack of a tool rest. I've always been fascinated by how different the Japanese approach to achieving the same woodworking goal is to the western approach. This is no exception.

Really impressive. Thanks for sharing!

I watched it again... I now realize that the tool rest is not only present, but giant!

Still cool...

Absolutely fantastic. And the great effect from just a few strokes of the brush.




Having said that I do use one of his tools in my shed, yes you guessed it the club hammer

Exquisite.

No joke, I feel my heart rate and blood pressure have slowed/lowered whilst watching this and a sense of calmness come over me. It has left me gobsmacked at how effortlessly he made everything look. And what a wonderul place to have your lathe located!

Could anyone please translate the Japanese on the bottom of the work and at the end of the video? I would like to know what it says.

One of my favourite forum posts of all time.

Craig

Lovely work by this craftsman.

Originally Posted by Luke Maddux

The most incredible part is the lack of a tool rest.....

There is a tool rest. I remember seeing a news article on one of those morning programs from the US and it was explained. Lets see how much I remember and hopefully I do not make a mess out of explaining. My understanding is that the cuts are more like undercutting. When removing wood you don't watch the tool as it is not in your eye line, you observe from the top of the piece what shape you create. I think most of the turning tools have a hook on them.

Would be nice to have one of our Japanese traditional turners explain it better.

Originally Posted by CAG

Exquisite.

Could anyone please translate the Japanese on the bottom of the work and at the end of the video? I would like to know what it says.

Craig

The characters on the bottom are Yasuo (靖男). This is the craftsman's name. Tetotetote is a bit of a play on words with hand-crafted items, and is a website put up by Sendai (the capital of Miyagi Prefecture in the northern part of Japan's main island, and one of the areas badly affected by the earthquake and tsunami a few years back) to highlight the crafts of the area.

The page for the kokeshi dolls is here, and the craftsman's name is Yasuo Okazaki. His is the naruko kokeshi, and it squeaks as the head turns. The website is in both Japanese and English.

Fascinating work.

Regards
Des

Originally Posted by CAG

Exquisite.

No joke, I feel my heart rate and blood pressure have slowed/lowered whilst watching this and a sense of calmness come over me. It has left me gobsmacked at how effortlessly he made everything look. And what a wonderul place to have your lathe located!

Could anyone please translate the Japanese on the bottom of the work and at the end of the video? I would like to know what it says.

One of my favourite forum posts of all time.

Craig

Very ditto!
fletty

I was in Japan last year and stumbled across a woodturner while idly wandering near the Yudanaka train station, waiting for our train. Inside this unassuming shop front was a turner seated at a lathe thingy that was fully speed controlled by his feet under the platform. He used a moveable tool rest positioned wherever he wanted on the table in front of the chuck and I think his tools were very very sharp, although I didn't note any obvious sharpening station. It was all very quiet and he made turning look deceptively easy and tranquil, not at all how I've found it so far!
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