Tacit,
True enough, but when the owner of the Nakashima table trusts nobody else to disassemble it, it does help to have world-class tools. It should be noted that the table is worth about seven times its original purchase price.
As far as I can tell, the real advantage to expensive tools is their precision, and the fact that they will not be chewed up in dealing with hardened steel fasteners. I will never forget the flame-hardened Campagnolo pedal axle, which simply defeated the mass-market American wrench that attempted to loosen it. I doubt I will ever have to replace my Bahco Ergo screwdrivers. They show no signs of wear.
I have been asked by friends to disassemble some very expensive modern furniture from Herman Miller, Knoll Studio, and USM Haller. These products are assembled using the finest tools that can be found, and deserve no less in the disassembly.
I decided to order all three of the Wiha Inomic pliers (at 35% off), having used ones at least fifty years old for most of my life. These pliers are so advanced that if a hostile alien civilization landed on earth, they might beat a hasty retreat, on the grounds that our primitive spacecraft were a deliberate deception, and our best pliers are a true indication of the state of our technology :-)
A friend of mine who just returned from the
New York Custom Knife Show wanted to bring to my attention another kind of precision:
Shosui Takeda sharpens a knife. His knives can be purchased at
Blacksmith Takeda from Japan.
