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Post by ShooterMike on May 31, 2008 3:28:35 GMT
There was some discussion earlier about various attributes of cutting tatami. When Tsafa posted his initial video the thread wondered off track to the point that Tsafa and Adam now have a duel scheduled! So I started this thread about tatami cutting. I ask that you stay at least somewhere within the same "city" with this discussion, if not in the same neighborhood? ;D So here's a first video to start discussion. I was testing out Gus Trim's personal VA Practical Longsword that he'd reground to meet his specs. It's one of the overly heavy ones, but it still seems to me to respond pretty well. I was keenly interested in the effect of a Zwerch on tatami... And I had to throw in some Unterhaus as well.
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Post by brotherbanzai on May 31, 2008 3:37:31 GMT
Very nice, I too was curious about the effectiveness of the zwerchhau on tatami. I like how you cut that fly in half about ten seconds into the video.
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Post by Brian of DBK on May 31, 2008 4:04:58 GMT
Hey Mike, where does one go for the best value when aquiring tatami mats. Also, perhaps a brief tutorial on preparation would be helpful as well.
Thanks!
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2008 9:19:18 GMT
Hey mike if you are going to try to cut two tatami at once put them closer together, sheesh! All kidding aside, my goodness man! Sword handling is amazing for someone who is self taught, you movements are crisp and clean and lethal. So would you recommend Gus's swords? I am wondering how they hold up against some of the bigger names? Do you prefer Trim over Albion?
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admin
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Post by admin on May 31, 2008 9:42:35 GMT
Some real nice cutting there Mike. I was quite surprised at the results too, I would have thought that the Zwerchau wouldn't have gone through quite like that... Loved the slo mo fly too.. To the untrained eye, it looks like you missed him - but he will never have children again...! (Sorry, it was there and I had to use it)...
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2008 11:14:22 GMT
Tatami is a very strange animal, you watch the really good cutters with the great form, swish! swish! Swish! Three perfectly cut pieces of tatami, then you step up to try and thwack! what the hell? What happened to smooth as a knife through butter? Tatami is hard to cut without good form and a good sword, in this case a good sharp sword is paramount to success and form is also important. I have never cut tatami with a european sword, haven't cut much of anything with a european sword, I hope to in the near future.
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Post by ShooterMike on May 31, 2008 18:53:03 GMT
... I like how you cut that fly in half about ten seconds into the video. Yeah! Who says swords don't have a use in the modern world?! ;D Hey Mike, where does one go for the best value when acquiring tatami mats. Also, perhaps a brief tutorial on preparation would be helpful as well. Thanks! I bought my first ones from Mugen Dachi @ www.tamishigiri.com. They used to offer a new customer discount for your first order. I hope they still do as it was significant. If you do that, go ahead and get two or three boxes of 20 mats. If not, you'll wish you had. Each box of 20 mats comes with a very nice set of illustrated instructions. I got my last two orders from Dan Davis at Wild Wolf Forge. They were ordering a lot of stuff during Scarborough Faire and they added enough mats with each order to meet a $2,000 minimum to qualify for free shipping. Then they sold me the mats for a nice profit, but I still got them cheap. If I drove over and picked them up (an hour and a half away) they only cost $4.83 each including tax. Unfortunately Scarby's over 'til next year. Not sure what I will be doing when this last order runs out. ...So would you recommend Gus's swords? I am wondering how they hold up against some of the bigger names? Do you prefer Trim over Albion? That's a tricky question. By far, consistently the best swords I've used are from ATrim and Albion. But don't count out Arms&Armor... they're the big three. I can't really say one brand is any better than the others. It really comes down to individual swords. I have ATrims that are awesome at cutting. I have Albions that are awesome at cutting. I only have two A&A swords and I haven't cut with them yet, but they look promising. Don't count out the Hanwei. Both my Albrecht hand-n-a-half and the second Bastard sword Blake Pogue sent me cut really well. The VA Practicals that Gus has reground are truly gems. They are not quite a full-blown ATrim but they're close, and they cut very well. That's one of them in the video above. And the Windlass-made Ulfberht sword from MRL is a pure pleasure to cut with. If I was going to do "show off stuff" cutting tatami in front of an audience, it would be in the list of top 5 or 6 swords I would choose. So, what about the rest of you? Anyone else got any tatami cutting footage?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2008 0:18:11 GMT
No cutting footage from me yet unfortunately, that stuff is hard to source here and having the dosh to do it is the problem, have done it in the past was immense fun.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2008 18:07:18 GMT
Tatami is a very strange animal, you watch the really good cutters with the great form, swish! swish! Swish! Three perfectly cut pieces of tatami, then you step up to try and thwack! what the hell? What happened to smooth as a knife through butter? Tatami is hard to cut without good form and a good sword, in this case a good sharp sword is paramount to success and form is also important. I have never cut tatami with a european sword, haven't cut much of anything with a european sword, I hope to in the near future. Absolutely. Good form + good sword = good effect.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2008 8:38:57 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2008 14:16:03 GMT
Without good form, you have nothing. You watch someone like james williams, now I know alot of people don't like him or think he is very skilled but you watch him transition from katana to western sword and you can see his skill, the way he goes through some seriously stacked tatami is just incredible to watch. Granted most of it is about the sword but a master swordsman can cut with the crappiest of blades and still make better cuts than even a professional with a good blade. Watching james williams cut is like poetry in motion in my opinion, there are many just as good as he is but few better in my own opinion.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 11, 2008 15:39:45 GMT
Watching james williams cut is like poetry in motion in my opinion, there are many just as good as he is but few better in my own opinion. Not just your opinion my friend. I had the opportunity to see him cut live. All I can say is WOW! But those mats for $2.00 are way smaller then traditional tatami mats. Also beach mats are not woven near as tight as tatami mats are.
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Post by ShooterMike on Jun 11, 2008 18:48:41 GMT
Yeah, I have to second that opion on the beach mats as well as the statements about James Williams. I have one of those beach mats. They are about half the thickness and rigidity of tatami omote. And they are 24" x 68". The mats I have are 48" x 72. So the beach mats are really not quite half a mat. IMO it would take four of them to equal the target structure of one tatami mat. And you can buy one tatami mat for less than the $8+shipping of four beach mats. Just food for thought. The beach mats would still be something interesting to cut.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2008 10:13:55 GMT
+1 mate. You could plainly see those matts were just asking for it ! ;D There is just something about cutting soaked tatami that is somehow aesthetically satisfying. I like to place two behind me and one in front. Then I just stand in the middle of them and wait for zanshin to kick in, then I cut. Sometimes it does not take long, sometimes it takes hours as I have no perceived threat. My wife shouts at me in jest when I am standing there for ages in between my tatami stands, " Why don't you ask your friends in for a drink? " . It's all good though, I piss on her petunias ;D.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 12, 2008 13:18:42 GMT
the old "pissing on the petunias" routine, although that will just make them grow better due to the nitrogen and the other goodies in your urine.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 13, 2008 7:27:31 GMT
Thanks for the input on the beach mats mike. I may get a couple just to practice on when I get my sword in before I try my hand at some tatami.
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