March has begun today. It has become quite warm, but yesterday’s weather forecast said that there may be some cold days again. In Japan, there is a saying called “Sankan Shion”, which means that during this season, three cold days are followed by four warm days, and little by little the season changes. It has been warm recently, so perhaps the colder days will come again soon. This afternoon, I stopped by the workshop while taking care of some errands. I did a bit of work and some cleaning. I wrote before that construction work was being done on the riverbank in front of the workshop. It seems that shaping the embankment was finally completed yesterday. From now on, they may reinforce the bank with concrete or something similar so that the soil does not collapse. This construction started last November and covered only about 100 meters. Even so, it must have required a large amount of tax money. Just guessing as an amateur, maybe tens of millions of yen. Of course, the riverbank continues for more than 20 kilometers upstream on both sides of the river, so I cannot help wondering how meaningful it is to spend so much money on just this short 100-meter section. The way tax money is used often reflects the thinking of the officials at that time. Perhaps right now, they believe this is where the budget should go. I can understand why some local residents might have complaints…🤨
The photo shows the finished 4-sun 14-steps puzzle box in the random grain design. It is the same 4-sun size just like before. It has been a while since I last made this random grain style. For this version as well, I used three different kinds of wood for the top panel. When I made this design last year, I created two color variations. Among them, this color tone was more popular. So this time, I made only four pieces of this type. It is a small number, but once again I felt how interesting this pattern is, both in appearance and in the making process. It has given me motivation for the next production. I would like to try more complex combinations in the future. However, the precision required where the different wood grains meet is a challenge, so I have not been able to attempt that yet. If possible, I would even like to try combining curved shapes, but that would be quite difficult. Still, it is something I would love to experiment with.
Actually, I have a little trouble getting these wood veneer sheets. There are not many makers of sliced wood sheets in the first place. The companies that produce them are usually specialized and focus only on this kind of material. There are larger companies that offer many types and accept custom orders, but the paper attached to the back of their sheets is too thick. Normally, wood veneer sheets are sold with paper attached to the back so that the thin wood does not fall apart. Without that paper, it would also be difficult for me to cut the sheets. However, if the paper is too thick, it becomes hard to cut and difficult to glue properly. I found a supplier whose sheets are just right for my work, and I use their products. But their production is small, and they are often sold out. Because of this, it will probably remain difficult for me to accept large orders of this design in the future.
