A Hard Daiza To Make!

I have been making daizas since early 2005 and have made over 600 by now.

I have made very Large ones,

And very small ones,

But by far the most tedious and difficult are the VERY thin Japanese style like this one I just finished.

This style really appeals to me especially with pool stones. The way the feet are tucked under compliments this type of stone. I have only made a few of these.

In order to make it look right, I feel, you have to carve it precisely to the stone so that no large gaps show between the stone and wood. This takes numerous tries, putting the stone in and out of the wood maybe 30-40 times. There is no fudging this and filling gaps with bondo or putty, for me, is out of the question! I do not paint the inside black so it shows the craftsmanship of the carving and that it is not filled in any way.

Tucking the feet under changes the way you carve the daiza. Most are made with the feet out equal with the outer edge of the top of the daiza. This type is a whole new strategy as far as carving the feet is concerned.

Just carving the wood so thin after fitting it to the stone is kind of scarey! One bit of carving too much and you have made a whole through the daiza and it is ruined. Also, when carving something this thin, during the sanding the wood heats through to your fingers and you can only sand in one small spot at a time.

I like to make a nice kiri box for special stones especially with special daizas. All my kiri boxes have mitered corners and raised panel doors.

The finished piece is worth all the effort!