Part Deux - The Gennou BTS

[Stanley Covington]

Ah, yes. I understand the predicament!

[Pat Barry]

Nailset? I pictured the smaller end being used as a tack hammer, not a nailset. I think it would be difficult to use as a nailset. That is, unless they were very large nails, in which case that little hammer is not enough for the job anyway. What size is the small end? I'd guess maybe 1/4 inch square. That's a strange size for a nail set.

[Stanley Covington]

Nailset? I pictured the smaller end being used as a tack hammer, not a nailset. I think it would be difficult to use as a nailset. That is, unless they were very large nails, in which case that little hammer is not enough for the job anyway. What size is the small end? I'd guess maybe 1/4 inch square. That's a strange size for a nail set.

My funate has a very small pointy end. 2mm square? An accomplished carpenter can pound in a nail, then flip the hammer around and set it below the surface without skipping more than a beat. You really need to develop a strong instinct for where the pointy end is at to do this consistently. Ship carpenters did this all day long.

There is a style called Yamakichi ("mountain luck") similar to the funate (meaning "ship hand"), but squatter and with a less pointy end. I prefer it to the funate style because it is less pointy. Different strokes for different folks.

[Pat Barry]

My funate has a very small pointy end. 2mm square? An accomplished carpenter can pound in a nail, then flip the hammer around and set it below the surface without skipping more than a beat. You really need to develop a strong instinct for where the pointy end is at to do this consistently. Ship carpenters did this all day long.

There is a style called Yamakichi ("mountain luck") similar to the funate (meaning "ship hand"), but squatter and with a less pointy end. I prefer it to the funate style because it is less pointy. Different strokes for different folks.

They must be very accomplished to do that IMO. I have enough trouble managing to set finish nails one at a time using my regular nail set and hammer. LOL

[Dan Kirkland]

So I've been a bit obsessive about this as of late. I had one more cutoff piece of zebrawood that I wanted to use, but before I cut into it I got ahold of some nice pieces of ash to experiment with the shape/length etc... according to Stanley's guidelines.

About 6 handle shapes later I found a shape, length, thickness and curve that really works well for me. And thus we have this.

The head weight on this one is about 245g


Compared to my smaller hammer it's a little different. The small one is the 126g one I posted before. I have used it alot in my luthiery work and found it satisfactory, but I might experiment more with it in the future as well. But for now it's nice to have the pair and with these two I can handle most jobs.

[Brian Holcombe]

My white ash handle, was a tad short so it has now become a template. The new handle is in white oak.

[Stanley Covington]

My white ash handle, was a tad short so it has now become a template. The new handle is in white oak.

Damn that's a nice head! A nice handle too!

As always, you do beautiful work, Brian.

I applaud your persistence in remaking the handle to fit you better. Please tell us why you concluded the first one was too short.

Stan

[Brian Holcombe]

Thanks Stan! Love that gennou, one of my favorite tools in the shop! I also polished the faces, I was in a hurry to put it to use initially but took my time this round and worked the faces to remove any lingering rust.

I had the length right on initially but had to tighten the handle and so rather than add paper as you recommended (and what I should have done!) I knocked it further down on the handle. I used it for a bit but swung and glanced off my thumb a few times and decided a new handle was the way to go.

So far I think the oak handle might be better than the ash for holding the head on tightly, but time will tell.

[Stanley Covington]

Remember to size the tenon carefully so it is a struggle to get it into the eye. 15 or 20 wacks. In fact, the eye should shave the tenon a bit when you are driving it in.

I also recommend heating the tenon for a few hours before final sizing during humid months, like it is here now (what a killer!) to shrink the tenon so it won't tend to loosen during dry winter months.

And finally, remember to seal at least the end of the tenon and butt of the handle with a good soaking of thinned varnish or PU to slow down moisture transfer and swelling/shrinkage.

The polished faces look beautiful! You have a tool that reflects your classic good taste, will serve you well, and will never wear out.

Stan

[Brian Holcombe]

Thank you! As always your guidance is invaluable!

I think this one was a success in that regard, it shaved some of the tenon and it took many whacks to install it, more so than the white ash handle. To allow it to be tighter still I chamfered the tenon so that it would compress. I don't recall if I did that the first time around but this time I made certain to.

I've shellacked the handle, but I'll go over the tenon again to make certain it is sealed. I think my error last time may have also been leaving the tenon unfinished.

It's hasn't been humid here at all (oddly enough) but I left it about 1/2" long so that I can tighten it down in the winter months, which I will likely need to do. Hopefully in the interim I'm not over-swinging.

[Christopher Charles]

Hello Brian,

That is a beauty. Would you mind sharing the rough dimensions you used for the handle stock? Especially the thickness. I'll soon be doing the same thanks to Stan (Thabks Stan!) and need to track down a proper piece of stock. Guessing from the photo, 4/4 won't quite do?

Best
C

[Brian Holcombe]

Thank you! 4/4 is a hair too thin, I believe I started with 6/4 stock. The handle butt would up slightly thinner than 6/4, but starting with heavier stock allowed me to correct for grain direction.

I am also under the impression that flat sawn is the best format for this, but I can't resist using rift.

Good to hear! Post up what you make!

[Mike Holbrook]

Nice one Brian!

Nice piece of white oak. I suspect that was a nice piece of wood to work with. The grain is ideal. You must have a nice supply of very good wood.

[Stanley Covington]

Hello Brian,

That is a beauty. Would you mind sharing the rough dimensions you used for the handle stock? Especially the thickness. I'll soon be doing the same thanks to Stan (Thabks Stan!) and need to track down a proper piece of stock. Guessing from the photo, 4/4 won't quite do?

Best
C

Its in the mail, Chris. Please post some pictures of how it turned out.

Stan

[Brian Holcombe]

Nice one Brian!

Nice piece of white oak. I suspect that was a nice piece of wood to work with. The grain is ideal. You must have a nice supply of very good wood.

Thanks Mike! I've been more and more particular about the grain in wood that I chose lately.