Moving to Tokyo (if all goes well!)

[Stanley Covington]

So cool! Beautiful work Stan!

Thanks Brian, but I didn't make any of the items in the photos!

[Brian Holcombe]

Ah! well, it's beautiful all the same.

[Luke Dupont]

Sorry about the very late response. I wanted to comment on a few things, though!

Tokyu Hands is a fun store, that sells great stuff. But the tools they sell are very much in the Borg mold, and pricey as well. Professionals do not buy their tools there. TH will have some wood, and some of it may be useful. It will be expensive and quite limited.

I suggest you learn where the lumberyards (zaimokuya 材木屋) and meibokuya 銘木屋 are located in your neighborhood, and make friends with the owners. They often have some useful stuff they will sell you cheapish. If you buy enough, and they like your boyish grin, perhaps they will throw it into the back of their little truck and give you a lift home. Delivery costs are included in the price, normally. I suggest you procure a bicycle while you are here. Used ones are cheap. Great for hauling both your ass and wood. Get to know the softwoods of Japan. Akita sugi. Hinoki. Excellent woods and very fragrant. They demand sharp tools, but are pleasant to work and very addictive.

Thanks! Actually, I love working with softwoods, so I'm very keen on trying Japanese varieties.
Besides whatever tools I decide to bring over, I think I will follow your and other's advice here and stick with a few high quality tools -- especially in regards to a nice Kanna or two.

Meibokuya will have the exotic imported and domestic woods. It will be pricey, and you will need to buy entire boards. The other option is Moku Moku in Shinkiba which I mentioned before. Tremendous selection. Unsurpassed quality. Smaller sizes and quantities. Not cheap. But it is the best and most efficient place to get some woods.

If you decide to get into carving, I suggest you haunt the recycle shops and buy old wooden store signs kanban, which are often made of excellent keyaki. Also look for old goban (table for playing Go) which are solid chunks of Ho or Katsura. Excellent carving woods.

If you are artistic, you might consider the religious styles of figure carving. They don't have to be buddhist figures, but there is a deep tradition of beautiful carving that it would be impossible to see or learn from outside of Japan. How about a Shishi lion?

The last two pics below remind me of my high school math teacher.

Those are some great tips -- especially on the kanban! And I hadn't thought of traditional Japanese carving. Also a great idea. The examples you posted are incredible.

For tools, the Pfiel swissmade carving tools are hard to beat, and very reasonably priced. If you the time and money, you might want to get a few carving tools made for you by Konobu while you are here. I will be happy to make the intros. You will need a couple of planes. A LN rabbet block plane is ideal IMO. And you will need a 60 ~ 65mm plane. Buy that here. Buy sharpening stones here, as well as a rip and crosscut kaeba saw. Buy a steel square here. Buy a couple of good quality kiridashi kogatana here. You should also bring or buy a hammer and few chisels for rough work. These you can take into the neighborhood park along with your workbench and a goza to sit on for a few hours and not worry about the noise. Just don't let the Moms get the idea that you are waving edged weapons around their kiddies.

I will be bringing my favorite oil-stones -- definitely my Pike Washita, and a nice hard/translucent Arkansas, and maybe an India stone for any shaping or grinding I may need to do. I tend to prefer natural stones, but I don't think I'll be able to afford J-Nats any time soon. I'm not so fond of synthetic waterstones.

Any problems with sharpening stones in your carry-on luggage, by the way? I wouldn't trust my vintage Washita or Translucent Arkansas to the insanely rough treatment of, and chance that I'll lose entirely, my checked luggage. But I also don't want them getting confiscated by some overly paranoid TSA officer or such, as they're somehow vaguely related to sharp things. I would like to bring them with me on my person, as I can use them in the kitchen and elsewhere even before I have any tools shipped over / find time for woodworking.

On that same line of thought, I wanted to ask you about working in the park! I found that statement a little surprising, because I know that Japanese laws and perceptions can be very strict / suspicious regarding sharp things on your person in public. Have you ever had problems with people reacting to your tools, or officers stopping to question you? Any tips on being as inconspicuous as possible? That said, if I can work in the park, that would be great and allow me to do any rough chisel work that might be necessary.


Edit: A bit off topic, but I just noticed one of my friends share this story regarding Toukyuu hands: http://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articl...0/news124.html
Maybe I'll stick to cash when doing business with them

[Stanley Covington]

Sorry about the very late response. I wanted to comment on a few things, though!



Thanks! Actually, I love working with softwoods, so I'm very keen on trying Japanese varieties.
Besides whatever tools I decide to bring over, I think I will follow your and other's advice here and stick with a few high quality tools -- especially in regards to a nice Kanna or two.




Those are some great tips -- especially on the kanban! And I hadn't thought of traditional Japanese carving. Also a great idea. The examples you posted are incredible.




I will be bringing my favorite oil-stones -- definitely my Pike Washita, and a nice hard/translucent Arkansas, and maybe an India stone for any shaping or grinding I may need to do. I tend to prefer natural stones, but I don't think I'll be able to afford J-Nats any time soon. I'm not so fond of synthetic waterstones.

Any problems with sharpening stones in your carry-on luggage, by the way? I wouldn't trust my vintage Washita or Translucent Arkansas to the insanely rough treatment of, and chance that I'll lose entirely, my checked luggage. But I also don't want them getting confiscated by some overly paranoid TSA officer or such, as they're somehow vaguely related to sharp things. I would like to bring them with me on my person, as I can use them in the kitchen and elsewhere even before I have any tools shipped over / find time for woodworking.

On that same line of thought, I wanted to ask you about working in the park! I found that statement a little surprising, because I know that Japanese laws and perceptions can be very strict / suspicious regarding sharp things on your person in public. Have you ever had problems with people reacting to your tools, or officers stopping to question you? Any tips on being as inconspicuous as possible? That said, if I can work in the park, that would be great and allow me to do any rough chisel work that might be necessary.


Edit: A bit off topic, but I just noticed one of my friends share this story regarding Toukyuu hands: http://www.itmedia.co.jp/news/articl...0/news124.html
Maybe I'll stick to cash when doing business with them

I have never tried to take a sharpening stone onto carry-on luggage. I suspect the thinner novaculite stones would not be a problem so long as you called them "polishing bars," if questioned instead of "sharpening stones," but the bigger stones might be seen as blunt weapons.

Working in the park will depend very much on the type of park and the neighborhood you live in. There are a lot of small, sandy parks tucked into neighborhoods intended for kids to play in and old folks to relax. During school hours, these are mostly empty. If you can find a quiet corner away from kids and foot traffic, face away from the moms, smile as you work (don't look scary or too intense), and avoid spreading out too much (moms will be concerned about toddlers stepping on tools), it should be OK. Also, don't leave any chips or shavings behind. If you have a child or wife, bringing them to the park will go a long way to making you more acceptable to the moms. But if there are a bunch of moms that don't like foreigners, or are hyper sensitive about tools close to kids, they may shut you down.

This approach will not work in the big high-traffic public parks patrolled by the police. It is not against the law, but they will shut you down just on principle. Don't mess with the Japanese police, and always quickly agree with them. They are very honest, intelligent, polite and helpful guys, but they can be touchy if they feel challenged by bigger gaijin men, and if one gets on their bad side, batons will appear, backup will swarm in on white bicycles, and later back at the station, introductions will be made with rubber hoses. I kid you not. Japan has a very low crime rate for good reason.

Cash is standard in Japan. There has been a big increase in hacking and credit card fraud in Japan the last 10 years or so, mostly by Chinese grifters. If you use your America-based credit cards, there will probably be a foreign transaction fee charged by your credit card company.

If you speak Japanese, it should not be difficult to find someone that teaches carving classes. That's what I would do. I can ask Konobu for some names if you are interested. Most of his carving tools are made for the University art professors, and they will know the best private teachers.

Stan

[Luke Dupont]

I have never tried to take a sharpening stone onto carry-on luggage. I suspect the thinner novaculite stones would not be a problem so long as you called them "polishing bars," if questioned instead of "sharpening stones," but the bigger stones might be seen as blunt weapons.

The translucent I have is quite thin, but the Washita is about 1"x2"x7" -- or a little smaller.
I have given some thought as to what to call them. Maybe just "natural novaculite stones" followed by "for finely polishing metal surfaces" if pressed further.
I have read several accounts of people bringing stones on planes without problems, but better safe than sorry.

Working in the park will depend very much on the type of park and the neighborhood you live in. There are a lot of small, sandy parks tucked into neighborhoods intended for kids to play in and old folks to relax. During school hours, these are mostly empty. If you can find a quiet corner away from kids and foot traffic, face away from the moms, smile as you work (don't look scary or too intense), and avoid spreading out too much (moms will be concerned about toddlers stepping on tools), it should be OK. Also, don't leave any chips or shavings behind. If you have a child or wife, bringing them to the park will go a long way to making you more acceptable to the moms. But if there are a bunch of moms that don't like foreigners, or are hyper sensitive about tools close to kids, they may shut you down.

This approach will not work in the big high-traffic public parks patrolled by the police. It is not against the law, but they will shut you down just on principle. Don't mess with the Japanese police, and always quickly agree with them. They are very honest, intelligent, polite and helpful guys, but they can be touchy if they feel challenged by bigger gaijin men, and if one gets on their bad side, batons will appear, backup will swarm in on white bicycles, and later back at the station, introductions will be made with rubber hoses. I kid you not. Japan has a very low crime rate for good reason.

Okay. That's kind of what I figured; clean up after yourself, and find a place that is quiet and not well-traveled. I am kind of wondering if I will be able to find such places in the middle of Tokyo, though? I'll be in Meguro-ku, specifically.
I'm very cooperative and respectful in general, and neither large nor intimidating, so I'll think I'll be alright with regards to the police, but that's very prudent advise. The only thing I was worried about is them potentially over reacting and arresting me on the spot for having what might perceived as some kind of weapon, as might happen even in certain cities here in the U.S. Tokyo is a pretty urban city, after all. People have certainly been arrested for less in places such as New York.

Cash is standard in Japan. There has been a big increase in hacking and credit card fraud in Japan the last 10 years or so, mostly by Chinese grifters. If you use your America-based credit cards, there will probably be a foreign transaction fee charged by your credit card company.

Right. I was jesting really because of the nature of the article. I found it kind of funny coincidence that it came up in my facebook feed as soon as I learned of Tokyu hands.
I actually use cash primarily, even here in the states. It's much easier to keep track of how much you're spending that way, I feel.

If you speak Japanese, it should not be difficult to find someone that teaches carving classes. That's what I would do. I can ask Konobu for some names if you are interested. Most of his carving tools are made for the University art professors, and they will know the best private teachers.

Stan

Thanks! Yes, I was thinking that must be something that you would need to learn directly from someone. I may actually take you up on that at some point, but I'll hold off until I have the time to commit. I'm sure it will take me some time to get settled in.

[Stanley Covington]

I am sure there are a few neighborhood parks of the sort I mean in the Meguro area. I live in Nerima-ku, which is not quite as crowded as Meguro, but with some luck you will find a good place.

The thing that causes the problem is young men carrying knives and box cutters on their person. In the same way that mentally unstable idiots tend to run people down or shoot them in the US and Europe, in Japan they have repeatedly cut and killed total strangers walking down the sidewalk. Double-edge dagger-style knives are especially problematic as a result of the Akihabara incident. Only very short bladed knives can be carried around in public. But this rule does not apply to tools carried for the express purpose of transporting to or from work, so long as they are not carried like weapons, i.e. hidden in a pocket or tucked into a shirt. Planes are not an issue, but you would be wise to keep your chisels and carving knives in a rollup stored inside a toolbox or tool bag while in transit. You might want to consider making a Japanese-style wooden toolbox for this purpose. This will make it easier to carry on the back of a bicycle, is perfect for working off a goza outside, and since it is traditional, will give you the appearance of a serious craftsman.

Stan

[Luke Dupont]

You might want to consider making a Japanese-style wooden toolbox for this purpose. This will make it easier to carry on the back of a bicycle, is perfect for working off a goza outside, and since it is traditional, will give you the appearance of a serious craftsman.

Stan

Do you mean using the top of the tool box as a work surface of sorts? I was going to ask about work holding. Of course, there are planing boards but I doubt I would want to haul one of those around in most cases.

[Stanley Covington]

Do you mean using the top of the tool box as a work surface of sorts? I was going to ask about work holding. Of course, there are planing boards but I doubt I would want to haul one of those around in most cases.

The toolbox can indeed be used as a sawhorse and work surface of sorts, but it won't endure too much pounding.

You will need a workbench of some sort. I recommend a 2~3" thick piece of hardwood. The width and length depend on the work you will do, your budget, and the means you have to carry it. Probably 10" wide is minimum, and 2' long would be enough for carving. You need the extra length so you can use a butt clamp or posterior sandbag. Mount a strip of wood underside each end to act as legs. You want it to be high enough so you can plane without hitting your knees.

You will also need to install some stops on one end for planing. But maybe not if you will not be doing any planing.

You can secure the piece you are carving with C clamps, or with lag bolts screwed through underneath. An nice alternative is to drill it for dogs and use the Veritas Bench Stud http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/pag...56&cat=1,43838 or holddownhttp://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.aspx?p=64685&cat=1,43838,43847&ap=1

You may want a couple of small sawhorses too.

This is how I suggest working. It is similar to what I saw craftsmen doing in Japan when I first came here in 1976, and is what I did when working on jobsites. Sometimes in parking lots, sometimes in the Wasatch mountains, and frequently in customer's houses or place of business.

Spread your goza or piece of carpet in the shade. Park your bike between you and the playground equipment as a barrier to kids. Put your toolbox behind where you will sit. Place the lid upside down to your right. The lid now becomes a surface to place your chisels. Planes should hook onto the edge of the open toolbox. Store wood and things you do not access as much on your left.

I always used an zabuton cushion with a flour sack cover to sit on (back when flour was sold in fabric bags).

Bring a battery powered radio to listen to Armed Forces Radio or your iPod. Don't forget a thermos bottle of wet stuff.

This kit is too much to carry around in your hands, but will all fit nicely onto the back of a bike rack.

Life is good, except for the mosquitos, but there are a few of those where you live now, I suspect. Katori senko mosquito coils will keep away most of those honest politicians.

Stan