We feel that we make the best marudai (ma-ru-dye) that money can buy; having excellent tools is well worth the investment as they last a lifetime.
We make our marudai to Rodrick Owen's specifications which are based on Japanese marudai. There is much more to it than a simple disk of wood with a hole in the center. We have learned to make a velvety surface for the mirror (the top of the marudai) so that threads don't slip yet won't catch either and a shape that is conducive to providing balance and symmetry for the braider. We use hard maple with a hand-rubbed shellac finish (other than the mirror), and the marudai screw together with machine screws so that they are easy to assemble and disassemble yet rock solid when in use.
The Western Style marudai is 26" (66cm) tall, which allows the braider to sit in a chair to braid. If you need a different height we are happy to work with you.
The hole in the mirror is approximately 1.5" (4cm) in diameter. These marudai can easily hold 24 tama. For more than 32 tama please consider a 12" marudai. The hard maple wood insures a light color and hence, good contrast for your threads. The mirror is carefully finished so that it grips the threads without snagging them. We recommend using 70 gram tama.
Our marudai can be assembled and disassembled thousands of times without worry that there will be any failure of the bolt and metal insert assembly.
Made in USA by BraidersHand
