Author: Dai

Kirf cut in boxed heart timber

I would not use any green material to build frame unless there are good reason to.

But the price of KD material and green materials are double the cost and sometime I have to find a way to build frame with lower budget.

Fortunately, we have good forest surrounding and we can source reasonably dry dead standing material. Limitation of these materials are sizes of logs that we will not able to get FOHC on bigger and longer materials.

So we applied kirf on timbers to focus all check in top to prevent it to check on side. Timber with boxed heart, it will tend to check where ever close face of timber to center so most likely, it will check on side.

We had one project that had time in between so we applied kirf right after we received this dead standing material, put bigger dannage under also side to air can go through to dry timber while waiting. We had about 10 days to leave this timber in our shop and this is the result.

• M/C was average 18% when we received material and it came down to 16% at the time we start to plane.
• Kirf need to be apply before plane so kirf on top can open.
• We have seen the kirf opens average 1/4 inch so it is working.
• We have planed 4 side after so timber is square with open kirf on top of beam, no side check.
• We will be checking this timber next while to see if the system works.

Fache entrance frame

This is renovation project in Sun Peaks, design by Karl Willms. Building is not too old but style seems a bid old. Almost every house in this Ski resort uses timber in some way, often see full timber frame in this area. Our project was not big so we focused on quality, furniture quality to see if that makes difference in appearance. I presented locking mechanizm with wood joinery that is not used in any aspect, just came up on my head, but I have done similler kind of joinery in a past.

The challenge was to fit in existing roof, but it went easier than I thought. Mibroc guys are always great to work with, support us greately. Our crew Kiyo and Eiji stayed late a couple days to get this done, I was up set up main frame only one day and left the rest of work to crew, too cold!

I have not seen it completed picture yet but our work is done.

Light looks very original but cheap!

This is the light that we bought from IKEA and made into kind of sign where people enter to the restaurant. Light is very cheap only 40 dollars and rock are from my house. Made logo in Illustrator and traced well because the light behind. Waxed paper were not easy to penetrate the ink but it gave the effect that made more interesting. I definitely will do this again.

My daughter Mizuki always admire my work, she gave me such a good time in my life. Kiyo is new crew that reach his hand to where I need, thanks Kiyo!

Table design

I designed table that can tighten the table top after the wood shrink.

Also legs to be attach with screw mechanism that can stand solid on un even floor.

Small insert table can connect two table to be 10 seater and use table as display board while it is not in use.

Project portfolio

I have been making project portfolio myself and Monica at Willms Design Service has been helping audit my English.

I use program call Indesign, photoshop and illustrator.  It became 46 pages, It can download from link below.

http://www.daizen.com/services.php

Sanuki udon (noodle)

Sanuki is one of three famous udon noodle place in Shikoku island. It is all self serve, the boil the noodle only and we put stuff even broth by ourself, but taste great. One noodle cost less than $2 all our familly got full with $8 buck from pocket. Kids loves this noodle.

Fishing yellow fin (Hamachi)

Me and friend spend two days fishing. We aimed yellow fin that only one my frined caught in a past. This is the fish usualy fish from the boat but my frined believed if we run the bait on tide, live bait will swim amoung the tide and it will reach to the spot. He did caught one so we tried.

First, we fish the live bait (Aji) horse mackerel, lots of fisherman comes to this island to fish this. It taste well. Once we cought ten of them, keep it alive in a closed bucket and sunk in a ocean to keep alive. Hook through the norse and through into the tide and let it swim towards the wide open water.

10 hours of same action and we took coffee brake. This was only the brake we took in two days and after we went back from this brake, fish was on a hook already! Shit, lost the strike feeling.  Took back to accomodation and eat them all, it was great taste only cost us $6 including ferry!

Kurushima pirates

Right across from ship yard, 5 minutes from the boat, there are very small island call “Kurushima”. Seventeen people still live on this island. This was main island for pairate about 600 years ago. There is big straight surrounding this area and lots of big island but this straight call “Straight of Kurushima” The reaso why the pirate were on this island was that water moves so fast and these people had skills to build boat could across to island. I think that is why the ship yard is right by this island, it is the bunch of pirate continued and become one major shipyad since.

That is why so well made rich temple is in such a poor small island.

This is island we did fishing, weather was not cooperative this date, it was pour rain but I kept fishing.

Ship yard (Imabari) in Shikoku

We spend two night in Shikoku with frined fishing yellow fin. Departure are in area of ship yard. This is one of very old ship yard in Japan, still building for all over the world. Big and dynamic. Once thing I notice here in Japan, is things are right in a peoples life. Place like this will be very protective in Canada but here, fishermans and people lives around share the same bay no border.

A day in Osaka (public bath)

It is my favorite to go public bath. Since every house build private bath, this kind of place got less on time but it is getting popular again. Tubs are big and water are very hot, but also they provide cold water tub also. I soak on hot one then jump into very cold tub, I continue this about three times and it gets really reflesh. I think Japnese are really liking to soak on hot tubs, people here least spend half to one hour every day for the bath. It is partly because the climate are so humid and sweat well during the day.