ClayDowling

I'm not sure where all of you are from, but at least in North America it's really easy to get Japanese hand tools, and they aren't overly expensive. I tend to order them from Lee Valley. I don't tend to use a lot of Japanese techniques, but a lot of their tools are really useful. I cut my dovetails with a small dozuki and it couldn't be easier. I paid half of what I'd pay for even the lowest priced western dovetail saw.

This is why I don't mind hand-surfacing my lumber.

It makes excellent table and counter tops if you seal it properly. It's not fine furniture for me, but something I can build and sell at a reasonable price.

I'm interested in this too. I have a friend with a wood lot, and between the two of us we could probably make good use of this information.

Let me second the recommendation for Delphiglass.com. They're a local business and incredibly helpful. They offer classes on making windows if you're in the Lansing, Michigan area.