Time is NOT on my side.....

Junji in Japan (Ebay seller yusui) sells WAY more tools than I can hope to use, but even so, I want them all. The discovery that accompanies a new-to-you tool, the quality of its manufacture, the way that it has been used over time.... all of this is fascinating. Some of the items are nearly new, but most have seen use. Some are looking for a place to retire... these are often the ones that I most love. A tool that has been used with care, used until it is nearly gone, these are often the best (the worst ending up in a swamp, hopefully). If I only had enough time.....

If you are looking for good value in vintage Japanese tools, I highly recommend him. Honest, helpful, polite and patient, his buy-it-now prices are usually VERY good. He has excellent English language skills and ships at cost, so a 2kg package costs about $30 and take 10 days. That's only a few days more than, say, A Lee Valley Tools order. $30 dollars might get me to the nearest Home Depot and back again, but it would be a near thing (AND they don't have what I want, either). For some reason his auctions don't see the action that they deserve. It must be a foreign purchase sort of thing. FWIW, it's totally painless, no duties or anything weird, and you get to track the package as it makes its way to your door..... A VERY good value!

New (nearly) tools are fun too...

30mm Umehiro kote-nomi

Ooooooh, I can't wait to sharpen this one! 20-30 year old price tag of 3400 yen. That's about $33 USD..... time IS on my side, for this at least.

So, time......

I follow some pretty obscure blogs, one of which is the Nao natural whetstone (soon to be Tamura Mountain, I believe) that I mentioned in a previous post. New natural waterstones!! Nice ones, too, and word is getting out....http://kunimoto.blog. I think that my hope for getting inexpensive Wakesa grindstones is.... too late.


Kuni is who is referred to, by some, as the magician, at least I think that this is the guy. If he isn't, I don't know who is....

It's good to have role models ( this from kunimoto's blog).

The blacksmith was Mr. Kengo Usui..... Usui Kengo, and for the last 25 years, Kuni has been working to perfect himself, to bring honor to the maker of this fine tool. 25 years of REALLY intense thought and commitment to excellence..... 25 years.

Kunimoto has one blog about, for lack of a better term, extreme sharpening that completely pales anything that you will find in English (A while back I hit a wall regarding information pertaining to Japanese tools, sharpening, using.... so anytime that I find some new info it makes me so excited that I have a difficult time sleeping. I barely sleep, as it is, so this isn't a big deal. What would it be like to WANT to sleep your life away?). He also makes beautiful furniture, and has another blog about his day to day work. If only I had more time....


I'm still working on the 'ol workshop renovation.

The new lumber rack is already buried (which was what got me started in the first place, haha). It's on the left. I haven't seen this much floor in years.

This is more like what I am used to, although this is still cleaner than it was.

I want to build something. I want to do something REALLY well. 25 years.....