I think the book is great! (Thanks Kyle!) Since vendors and materials or tools change a lot, I thought I would add to the “Where To Get It” list. This doesn’t mean add it to the next edition of the book. It is more like an online supplement for more sources, in case it is helpful to others. I am sure many of you have your favorite places, or were able to find specialty items after searching around. Local places are great. But I also found a few places mostly during short travels and I really had to look.
=================
WOOD
In the Pacific NW, land of trees and old sawmills, and beautiful owls… I literally went into over 5 lumberyards and called everyone in the Yellow Pages. I couldn’t find a special wood for odaiko bachi. When I went to Grizzly (mentioned below), they suggested Targo. It is a small garage loaded with lumber. I found what I wanted and packed it in my suitcase. Their website is terrible, but I would like to mention them.
Targo Woods (Bellingham, WA)
http://www.targowoods.com/
Mt. Vernon Building Center (Mt. Vernon, WA), doesn’t advertise this much but has native and some exotic lumber and pen blanks. I also picked up some free samples of exotic hardwood decking (which you can make into clappers, itomaki, koma, etc.). [So it’s a good idea to check many hardware stores and browse departments that you wouldn’t normally, like exterior decking or flooring lumber.]
Bell Forest Products
http://www.bellforestproducts.com/
Lumber Liquidators
http://www.lumberliquidators.com
if you have a local store, samples are usually free, or you can order samples for a small fee online. Thick, solid hardwoods. You can use these woods for small things, or projects with these thicknesses, or you can glue together.
=================
TOOLS & MATERIALS
I spent a lot but love my gardening tools. This was a little shop I stopped at during a taiko event. I think they mostly speak Japanese.
Hida Tools, Japanese woodworking and gardening tools, Berkeley, CA
http://www.hidatool.com
Japan-made gouges in a lower price range, but also lots of machinery (way beyond my skills but good to know) and some luthier goods.
Grizzly Industrial, Bellingham, WA
Hand tools- Japanese chisels and gouges, as well as machinery, and guitar-making supplies
http://www.grizzly.com/search?q=(japanese+AND+chisel)+OR+(japanese+OR+chisel)
====================
POWER TOOLS
This is more to know about or perhaps consider trying or using if needed.
Now, I’m very much in favor of hand-worked, artisan-made goods. However, sometimes you might use (or learn to use) a power tool. Most people know about Dremel, which is a rotary tool (goes around like a wheel). As someone who is at hardware stores a lot, I didn’t know about “reciprocating carvers” or other wood carving tools, which you would know about if you did crafts, wood carving like decorative plaques, or giant log sculptures that lumberjacks often do with their chainsaws.
Reciprocating carvers go forward-to-back, like a shovel movement, and can be used for smaller carvings or chiseling out wood.
Reciprocating carving tools (incl. old low-cost Ryobi which you find on eBay, but also old Skil, using Flexcut chisels, and now new models by Proxxon, Automach, Arbortech). Not really cheap, except for old Ryobi models.
http://carverscompanion.com/Ezine/Vol3Issue4/BillAker/BillAker.html
http://www.woodcraft.com/category/pt114-01/reciprocating-carvers.aspx
Arbortech makes power chisel, mini-carver, woodcarver and more. Also not cheap, but you can carve out shapes into dense wood. The carvers are like small axle/disc grinders. I haven’t used one yet but looks interesting. So instead of chainsaws, sculptures might use one of these now.
http://www.arbortech-tools.com/