Story of long drying
After the lumber is processed into a single slab, it does not immediately become furniture. ITAKURA2.0 takes an average of 3 to 5 years or more from the completion of milling until the material is made into furniture. The reason for this lengthy process is that the raw material, being a single slab, must be brought to a state where it can be processed into furniture without placing undue stress on the wood itself. A single slab is simply a board that has been generously cut from a log, so when it is freshly milled, it still contains moisture from the ground (referred to as “Nama Zai”, green wood or freshly cut wood in English). If green wood is used directly in furniture production, it will lose moisture over time, causing cracks, warping, and significant movement in the wood during use. While machine drying can be used to dry solid wood, a single slab, being a large piece of solid wood, cannot undergo mechanical drying immediately, as this would forcibly extract moisture, placing significant stress on the wood and damaging its texture and color. Therefore, the best method, even with advanced technology today, is to dry the wood naturally, just as it was done in the past. By stacking the wood outdoors with spacers between the planks and allowing air to circulate for natural drying, we preserve the integrity of the wood. Even with this careful approach, it is unfortunately impossible to completely stop the movement of a single slab, as it is a natural material. However, we can minimize this movement and allow it to adjust flexibly with the seasons, harmonizing with its environment, which is a unique characteristic of natural materials.
製材を経て一枚板になると、すぐに家具になるわけではありません。ITAKURA2.0は製材が仕上がってから家具になるまで平均3～5年以上もかかります。途方もないこの時間をかける理由は、ITAKURA2.0の素材が一枚板であり、最大限一枚板自身に負担をかけずに家具加工ができる状態にするためです。一枚板というものは、丸太を贅沢にカットしただけの板であるため、製材したては木の中に地中から含んだ水分が残った状態（生材と言われたりします。）です。生材をそのまま家具加工をすると、家具として使っている途中に水分が抜けていき、その過程で割れたり反ったり木に大きく動きが発生してしまいます。無垢材を乾燥させるのに機械乾燥も使えますが、一枚板は大きな無垢材であるため、はじめから機械乾燥に入れることは無理やり水分を抜く事となり、一枚板自身に大きな負担をかけ、折角の風合いや色合いを損なう事になってしまうのです。よって、昔の人たちが行ってきたような、外で木を桟を挟んで積み、風を通しながらじっくりと天然乾燥することが、技術の発達した現在でも一枚板には一番良い方法なのです。そのようにしても、自然の生き物である一枚板の動きを全く止めてしまう事は残念ながらできませんが、人が使いやすいように軽減することはできるし、季節によって柔軟に変化しながら環境と調和するのが自然の素材ならではの特徴です。
