Japanese hand planes

[Cameron Wood]

It's a little workhorse, good for lots of things. It's usually the first thing I reach for.

Yes, I have two similar. One set for a medium cut, the other a medium fine cut.

IMG_3998.jpg

[Richard Coers]

That sounds more reasonable. A couple of reviewers said not much covered beyond what's in Odate's book. What do you think?

It's a simple read with great details on setting up some of the tools.This is where I got the best tips for setting the hoops on chisels. I am a real fan of Odate since listening to him at a symposium. He is a great story teller and touches my passions for woodworking. Since I have hundreds of books, I have both. Would I suggest one over the other? Both have a purpose, but with good information on the internet now i would probably just get Odate's book. Learning about Japanese tools was much different when I bought both of those books than now.

[Mike Allen1010]

Lie Neilson sells plane floats which if You have any interest in building planes are really pretty essential. I highly recommend them.

As to the question of building your own Japanese planes; it might be useful to consider your motivation. I've built dozens of planes that I use on a daily basis, in addition to lots of other hand tools my shops including marking tools, joinery saws etc. My experience is of all the woodworking hand tools I built, the issue of precision/accuracy/tolerances and their relevance to ultimate tool performance is most pronounced with regard to hand planes. If you think about the exact physics and tiny dimensions of the shavings were talking about, building tools to really small tolerances definitely matter here. Don't get me wrong, I encourage anyone to try and make their own hand planes – it's definitely totally doable, but not the place I would start if my goal was to produce a well-functioning tool better than what I could buy. Building a Kernov style laminated plane is straightforward and more easily accomplished by most woodworker. Ron Hock sells blades and I think the kits are otherwise available commercially to make this easy. For me, the ROI on buying

IMHO, the chief virtue of Asian/Japanese hand planes is the quality of the steel in the blades, which in my practical experience is really, really good. I got a great results with PMV 11, O1 and A2 blades, but if I had to be honest there's something about the Japanese steel/blades that sets them apart. I also like the versatility of being able to use a pull Japanese plane when the grain requires it, versus having to reorient the work piece on the bench. That said, IMHO the ROI on making your own Japanese style plane versus buying from an established maker is limited. Don't let me discourage you and please share your results.

Best , Mike allen

[Eric R. Smith]

Shoot me a pm and I will send you a couple of beaters I have. You pay shipping.

[Richard Coers]

Lie Neilson sells plane floats which if You have any interest in building planes are really pretty essential. I highly recommend them.

As to the question of building your own Japanese planes; it might be useful to consider your motivation. I've built dozens of planes that I use on a daily basis, in addition to lots of other hand tools my shops including marking tools, joinery saws etc. My experience is of all the woodworking hand tools I built, the issue of precision/accuracy/tolerances and their relevance to ultimate tool performance is most pronounced with regard to hand planes. If you think about the exact physics and tiny dimensions of the shavings were talking about, building tools to really small tolerances definitely matter here. Don't get me wrong, I encourage anyone to try and make their own hand planes – it's definitely totally doable, but not the place I would start if my goal was to produce a well-functioning tool better than what I could buy. Building a Kernov style laminated plane is straightforward and more easily accomplished by most woodworker. Ron Hock sells blades and I think the kits are otherwise available commercially to make this easy. For me, the ROI on buying

IMHO, the chief virtue of Asian/Japanese hand planes is the quality of the steel in the blades, which in my practical experience is really, really good. I got a great results with PMV 11, O1 and A2 blades, but if I had to be honest there's something about the Japanese steel/blades that sets them apart. I also like the versatility of being able to use a pull Japanese plane when the grain requires it, versus having to reorient the work piece on the bench. That said, IMHO the ROI on making your own Japanese style plane versus buying from an established maker is limited. Don't let me discourage you and please share your results.

Best , Mike allen

Well said Mike! Another consideration about Japanese planes is that they can change with the weather, and tuning can be a seasonal experience for the first few years for sure. So even tuning a high end tool should be expected because of way the soles are dressed, but also because the blade wedges into the body. Buy a used plane and invariably you see a mushroomed edge on the top where users hit them harder instead of tuning the fit of the taper. I hate that kind of disrespect for the tool!

[Cameron Wood]

It's a simple read with great details on setting up some of the tools.This is where I got the best tips for setting the hoops on chisels. I am a real fan of Odate since listening to him at a symposium. He is a great story teller and touches my passions for woodworking. Since I have hundreds of books, I have both. Would I suggest one over the other? Both have a purpose, but with good information on the internet now i would probably just get Odate's book. Learning about Japanese tools was much different when I bought both of those books than now.

Thanks. I've had "Japanese Tools..." for many years, looking to pick up additional bits of info.. I came across and purchased Dale Brotherton's book last year, which is very good and worthy of support.

It has a section on making a dai that would be good for the OP.



Question: What is a plane float? I looked on Lie Nielsen site & didn't see anything answering to that description.

[Edward Weber]

Thanks. I've had "Japanese Tools..." for many years, looking to pick up additional bits of info.. I came across and purchased Dale Brotherton's book last year, which is very good and worthy of support.

It has a section on making a dai that would be good for the OP.



Question: What is a plane float? I looked on Lie Nielsen site & didn't see anything answering to that description.

It's a fancy file/rasp for building planes
https://www.lie-nielsen.com/nodes/40...emakers-floats
https://www.leevalley.com/en-us/shop...t?item=62W3096

[Reed Gray]

Eric, I would like to take you up on that, but can't figure out how to PM you. If you can PM me, that works, and/or I can post my e mail here. It might be up on my woodturning videos on You Tube also. Leave a comment maybe....

robo hippy

[Eric R. Smith]

Reed, I sent you message

[Reed Gray]

Got the message Eric, thanks!

Another side note, I have noticed in watching videos about using the Japanese style planes, they pull in a straight line, and never skewed. I am guessing that has to do with the concave parts of the soles of the plane. Any other reasons?

robo hippy

[Edward Weber]

Got the message Eric, thanks!

Another side note, I have noticed in watching videos about using the Japanese style planes, they pull in a straight line, and never skewed. I am guessing that has to do with the concave parts of the soles of the plane. Any other reasons?

robo hippy

Reed, I think has more to do with individual style than anything else. I've seen many kanna users, including myself, slightly skew the tool why making certain cuts.
It has nothing to do with the concave area of the sole, which is minuscule. thinner than a sheet of printer paper.