Craftsmanship in Wood

So Yamashita and i have been in recent communication about some chisels I am ordering, and he mentioned that he has a set of Konobu chisels:

http://www.japan-tool.com/zc/index.php? ... adjg4o1l26

He recommends these highly, and with the Yen at a shockingly low 119 to the US greenback, this set is a good opportunity as far as I'm concerned. If you're interested in getting a bench chisel (ō-ire) set, and happen to have the funds available, I humbly suggest you not dawdle too long....

If that set is gone before you get a chance, then there is another option from Japan-tool.

Yamashita-san wrote,

"...people are still very unaware that Kikuhiromaru tools are just as good at least performance wise. I guess it’s the price and the availability. When any young daikus working for you will be looking to build a quality tool box, please do recommend them to try Kikuhiromaru nomis and kannas."

I bought up the old stock Kikuhiromaru's on So's website and I have been putting them into use. They're quite wonderful and have impressed me in use. If an edge can stand up to walnut that's nice, but I know my chisels are performing when I can chop white hardwoods without issue. These do so.

The finishing is a bit spartan, but certainly respectable. Just from photos it looks like their newer chisels are improved in the finishing department.

Glad to see both you and he are recommending Konubu as well, they have been recommended to me by Stanley Covington as well as one of the few sources he prefers in current production. I believe Stanley's preference is for very hard edge white steel #1 chisels, which I'm also slowly going toward that same preference.

I have a set of Konobu gouges which I just love. His chisels are indeed amazing.. If I was looking for such a chisel I would have no doubt about acquiring them.

The backs are scraped on the Konobu (Konobou?) chisels it would appear....that is pretty nice and certainly more time consuming than using a grinding wheel.

With the gouges the ura is rounded along the width of the chisel and does not have a hollow. The scratches on the hagane are along the length of the chisel opposed to perpendicular to the side as is the case when the hollow is made with a grinding wheel. Looking at the scratch pattern of the gouges it does suggest that is made with a hollowed sen (metal scraping tool) not entirely sure though.
The chisels for sale are very likely hollowed with a sen since I see no other reason for the scratches to be aligned in the length direction. Performance wise it really doesn't make a difference but it is a statement of quality by the blacksmith.

Brian wrote:The backs are scraped on the Konobu (Konobou?) chisels it would appear....that is pretty nice and certainly more time consuming than using a grinding wheel.

Konobu

Chris Hall wrote:

Brian wrote:The backs are scraped on the Konobu (Konobou?) chisels it would appear....that is pretty nice and certainly more time consuming than using a grinding wheel.

Konobu

Thank you for clarifying, edited my mistake.

The full name is Hidari Ko-nobu, written thusly: 左小信

Thanks Chris.

So......what are you expecting from So? Inquiring minds.....hehe.

Brian wrote:Thanks Chris.

So......what are you expecting from So? Inquiring minds.....hehe.

Oh something so utterly fabulous and unexpected that I must keep it secret for a while longer yet in case it is all a figment of my imagination. It's as if the ultimate situation dropped into my lap.