Bachi

Today my friend and I made about 20 pair of bachi. I volunteered to make bachi because I've been telling my class for weeks that I needed to do that, since our communal bachi are beginning to splinter. Also there is the Hanayui visit. I just want to be sure we look as sharp as possible for our visitors from the Bay Area and Japan. So, I had my reasons for bachi-making, but at the end of the day, I'm sure my friend was questioning her decision to help me in the first place. She did all the sawing--by hand!--and I was the bachi-tip sander. We had the option of using a table saw which would have been quick and easy, but since neither of us had any experience using such a dangerous piece of machinery, we opted for the good old fashioned method. This morning I was looking on the internet for table saw instructions, and I just came up with lots of warnings that if used incorrectly, you could lose a finger. My friend made a very good point that sealed the deal: I use my fingers at work for typing, so I can't afford to lose a finger! Good point. Me neither. But boy oh boy is bachi-making hard work. We're both sore. But yo, we have no reason to complain. I saw a video once of someone making their own pair of bachi --from two rectangular blocks of wood! That's hardcore.