M.Saito Wood Works

Stumbling across the M.Saito Wood Works website really made my morning, I’ve been thinking about the different ways of manipulating wood for a little while now and carving small objects seems like a good way to get used to the material. Originally I was just cutting and sawing bases for some wire sculptures that I’ve been producing but now I think it would be great to take it that one step further and make some utensils that I could use on a daily basis. Doing this isn’t going to be an easy task but with inspiration like this from M.Saito I think it should make my work flow better, these great images also give me an idea of what way I’d like to go with it in terms of form. Obviously I knew that you guys would probably admire these handmade tools as well, so I’ve picked out a selection for all of you to enjoy.

Mr Saito has quite an interesting story behind him as well and he definitely knows his craft inside out now, he was born in the city of Hiroshima and started out working for an electronics manufacturer in the Yamanashi Prefecture. After leaving he decided his passion was woodworking where he studied and learnt how to make furniture goods, this led onto starting M.Saito Wood Works which still runs today. He now mainly produces wooden bowls which are all hand carved but he also dabbles in utensils such as spoons and forks, which are probably my favourite since they’re so delicate and accurate. It’s actually quite hard to find such simple forms made out of a natural material these days, it has all been replaced by plastics and metals which isn’t quite the same in my opinion. Saito likes to use natural solid woods like cherry, walnut and mulberry, this gives off some interesting textures and colours, most are subtle but add nice character.

If you’re based in Japan you should be able to find his work in quite a few shops now, he’s also taking part in a nice array of exhibitions. But if you’re anything like me living across the other side of the world you’ll have to marvel at his skill through his website, found on the link below. Surprisingly there’s some nice big imagery on there for all of you to enjoy, something that’s not that common on Japanese websites. So make the most of it and check it out now.

www.msaito.net

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