The whole idea started when I found a large log slice in the countryside of the Netherlands. I took it home and dried it for 4 months in a medium dry environment, to prevent it from cracking.
Planning to saw it by hand, I started my investigation for my options and what to make of the log. I figured slicing it into slabs, such that I could make a table top out of it.
“Hand sawing a log slice into a table top with a Katana saw.. Contrary to western push saws, a Katana saw is operated by gently pulling.”
My initial research soon revealed there aren’t many manual ways to saw large pieces of wood with western saws. The Japenese woodworking tradition however offered me a solution. A Katana saw can take virtually any dimension – basically as long as the blade length. Since the blade is pulled instead of pushed, the saw direction follows the direction of pull automatically. Any western alternative is pushed, thereby naturally destabilizing the blade direction.
Think about that for a moment. Forcefully pushing into your desired direction will naturally destabilize the energy you’re applying. There is much to learn from a Katana blade, and the Japanese attitude towards energy clashes.
The next step includes a 48 hours of straight pulling the blade through a thirty centimeters thick slab. Once you went through that meditation session, the result is three nicely cut slabs, making up for almost a meter of tabletop.
Design your imagination 