Debating chisels...

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Steve
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Re: Debating chisels...

Fri May 01, 2015 1:34 am

A quick follow up on my order with Stu - actually 3 weeks went by without any communication, order confirmation, etc. and I became alarmed - at this point I emailed asking if the order had been shipped. If not - I asked for the order to be cancelled. This did get a response, and quickly. - a lengthy and a bit snippy reply, the gist of it being how busy he was with orders, too busy to really communicate . My money was refunded and I get the impression we will not do business again.

I am not Stu bashing here. I screwed up by getting impatient. My instinct is that Stu is an honest merchant who will eventually get your order shipped, just be prepared for a good long wait, and don't expect a quick response on emails.
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RLSIII
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Re: Debating chisels...

Fri May 01, 2015 7:04 am

I recently made three purchases from stu, and have had quite the opposite experience. his response were prompt I was notified of all shipment the nomi were here in less than two weeks along with everything else I ordered, sans a 600mm shinwa rule which had to be shipped separately and is still in transit and a tsesubaru kanna which obviously had to be made so I expected a wait there. hes a very straightforward individual and overall a great guy to do business with. he had my chisels here faster than Lee valley could send their products ordered at the same time. anyone considering the oire nomi 10pc
set, I doubt you'll be disappointed very nice work considering the cost/availability.

sorry to hear of your experience,
RobS
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Chris Hall
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Re: Debating chisels...

Fri May 01, 2015 7:19 am

Oh I had a similar experience, more or less, with him several years ago. Very spotty communication.

It seems he works full time as an English teacher, and the tools is a sideline and seems to be sufficiently busy that he is overwhelmed most of the time. He mentioned in 2013 that he had shipped more than 800 orders by July.

Some of my 2013 communication highlights from him, in response to my questions as to WTF is going on:
"I got the knife, out of the blue a little, and meant to let you know it arrived safely, but never managed to do that. Sorry, losing the plot with how much we've got on at the moment."
"Hi Chris,

Sorry. Failing you here, and while we are busy, it's not an excuse."
"I need to get something on it's way to you, so if I can manage it, I'll aim for this coming week. Not everything, but it's a start. Don't hesitate to yell at me if I don't work fast enough, and I mean that. You will not hurt my feelings, and I need a kick in the pants occasionally."
"Chris,

Believe me, the email I got the other day basically hit a switch that dropped a heap of stress off me, and all it did was tell me that I'm focusing on the wrong thing. Switched to what I should be doing, and a lot more stuff makes a lot more sense. Forest/trees kinda thing. "
The odd thing I found about him in my dealings with him and otherwise over 2013, was that he would in one breath complain about being too busy, no time, etc., and on the other would write extremely lengthy replies and then go on various forums and make long detailed postings. There definitely seems to be a disconnect there in how he prioritizes his time. Anyway, sorry to hear the same thing continues.

I deal with suppliers in Japan who are drama-free. Stu is not the only option, though his is the only Gaijin in Japan with a online tool shop as far as I know.
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Chris Pyle
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Re: Debating chisels...

Fri May 01, 2015 10:22 am

I've ordered from Stu on a number of occasions. When he first opened up, he was thoughtful in reply and quick to ship. Since last year, my orders have taken much more time and with less communication (but I'm not complaining). My Tsunesaburo planes took about 3 months before being shipped and I can't remember seeing an email until they were ready and on there way but to be fair, they had to be made and he did upgrade shipping. I have an active order now that I placed a couple months ago, so I'll keep this thread updated on it's whereabouts. I'm not piling on, I've been happy with the tools I've received from him. If you place an order, set the expectation that you'll have to wait a minimum of 3 months and there will be scant communication. Then there will be no problems. (Let me also state that I never reached out to him. I wasn't in a hurry so I was fine waiting. He shouldn't be docked points unnecessarily).

On the other hand, I've placed a small order with Suzuki of SuzukiTool.com and So of Japan-tool.com and I've had great communication with both. Suzuki had some Inomoto dais ordered and shipped and kept me updated on the order. So answered countless emails from me and helped me decide on a number of tools. I will be placing orders with both in the future.

Tomohito had some planes and saws being liquidated on Ebay for the last few months and I've picked up a number of them to store away for future set-up. They've all been relatively cheap so I have less fear about setting them up incorrectly.

I don't know of any other Japanese tool dealers so I can't comment further.

Does anyone know where to buy disposable blade kataba? Most stores have disposable blade ryobas but I haven't seen any kataba listed anywhere. I'm not after handmade as I simply cannot afford it and I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference.
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Brian
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Re: Debating chisels...

Fri May 01, 2015 12:15 pm

I recently had a set of sharpening stones get caught up in American customs for over 5 weeks, it left Japan after 2 days transit and literally sat, unchecked, in a warehouse near JFK for 5 weeks. It was not acknowledged by customs until just before it resumed shipping and as such I assumed it was never to arrive. Stu was prepared to replace the stones on his dime and prepared the shipment...but we lucked out and it resumed shipping just before he sent another set.

I thought that was a very stand-up thing to do, and I'm not a huge customer by any means.

I've place a few orders and I understand there is a lead time, Stu has made mention of it whenever I have emailed. Most of what I have ordered (stones aside) has been something which has required time to be made, and while he doesnt email the lead times proactively, whenever I have asked him about he has given me an updated estimate.

I have worked with Stu, Tomohito, Takeshi (Aframes Tokyo) and So, and have had great experiences with all four.
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Brian
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Re: Debating chisels...

Sun Jun 21, 2015 4:24 pm

Image
Image
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djwong
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Re: Debating chisels...

Sun Jun 21, 2015 5:14 pm

Those are beautiful Brian. I really like the file finish.
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Chris Hall
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Re: Debating chisels...

Sun Jun 21, 2015 5:25 pm

Tasai does make pretty tools
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Brian
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Re: Debating chisels...

Sun Jun 21, 2015 8:25 pm

Thanks fellas, looking forward to their arrival.
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Brian
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Re: Debating chisels...

Mon Jun 22, 2015 8:43 am

Also, with regard to mortise chisels; I have a set from Koyamaichi that just wont maintain their edge without raising the cutting angle to over 40 degrees, which is counter productive.

After consulting with Tomohito Iida I decided to buy a pair of mortise chisels from Yamahiro which Tomohito suggests will fair much better than my current.

I don't 'lever' my mortise chisels and as such see no reason for the edge to crumble in the cut. I am also not using Tanaka's 950g hammer, so the edge should not run scared from the end of the chisel.... while I tend to avoid blaming the tools in most cases, so far I havent been able to see what I might be doing that is incorrect.

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