Hamaguri edge and Flat bevel

[ian maybury]

Combining your two posts. Put them together and you end up with the problem of trying to figure out what you really need, then finding a trusted source and communicating that to them. There's a lot to be said for living close to a few people with a lot of experience in the field, as it otherwise risks becoming a bit of a lottery. Failing that it's a learning road i suspect. Trouble is it's a moving target - it seems that it's possible to almost indefinitely go on finding ways in which we would like to further refine our requirement.

I bought a set of Matsumura white steel bench chisels a few years ago based on the usual magazine recommendations, and while the the steel seems pretty damn good by normal standards (but they haven't had heavy use since i've mostly been on shop set up or interrupted by health issues) they needed huge amounts of back flattening work to eliminate most of the effect of a slight curl in the blade. (below as posted once before - funny how a camera sometimes decides a surface is shiny, and sometimes not when they look similar to the eye)

I've thought since that maybe i was picking up some subtle vibes about forums to the effect that they might in retrospect be made to a price (?) and hence less well finished/that maybe a short cut is taken by e.g. grinding of the backs before final tempering/maybe a final step is omitted (again who knows ?) for volume distribution through wholesalers/to permit an extra mark up in the chain while still permitting making the usual noises about hand forging by dedicated master smith xyz?

A set of long handled paring chisels and a couple of fishtails by Koyamaichi in white steel from TfJ last Christmas based on recommendations from here were a nice step up for very similar money - decent steel, more precisely forged and ground, and dead flat backs.

Seems like you're another step up the epcking order again Brian...

chisel backs 23-7-14.jpgchisel bevels 23-7-14.jpg

[Brian Holcombe]

That's nice work Ian!

Koyamaichi, Tasai and Ouchi are very easy to setup in my experience, Kikuhiromaru and Yamahiro have been more work. Yamahiro was the most work in my experience, of the group. The reasoning, in my understanding, is that they're geared toward consumers who would rather be able to determine everything from the get go than to have everything pre-determined for them.

Meaning they would rather work with a slightly curved back knowing that they have more steel to work through before the sides start to thicken, and they would rather grind their own bevel than have one pre-set that they have to change. So I have kikus with two lands flat and the sides are untouched, I will be able to work with them for many years before I start to thicken the sides.

Yamahiro and Kikuhiromaru have had super accurate handles that were very easy to setup. Most I just drove the hoop down, some I had to adjust slightly, before peening the wood.

Tasai sends them with the hoops already set.

None of them were particularly difficult, but some took a bit more fitting work, but your mileage may vary, as they say.

I wouldnt let this become too daunting, of the variety of brands I've used I've been quite happy with all of them. I feel pretty spoiled with everything from the Koyamaichi blue steel parers that Stu had special made for me all way on through the Kikuhiromaru, Tasai and Yamahiro. All awesome, just different.

Also, I dont want to proclaim myself an expert here, far from it, just passing along personal experience.

[ian maybury]

Think i probably ended up taking a bit more off some of the backs to get them flat than i really needed to Brian, but c'est la vie.

I guess another view is that once you get above a certain threshold there may be detail differences, but everything should be functional unless you get a bum example.

It's in my case definitely a budget determined matter of using what i have and sticking with it unless real problems emerge...