Where to begin?

[Ken]

I'm looking to slowly add Japanese tools to my meager collection of western tools. I have a fairly basic set of tools, enough to get me into trouble most are lower end user grade tools. I'd like to upgrade a little but still need to stay in a budget level. I haven't been burned on eBay yet, but would rather not take the chance with these tools.

I've been looking through Hida Tools, Tools from Japan, and Suzuki Tools almost daily now, but to be honest I'm totally lost.

I know one of the first things I need is to upgrade my sharpening setup. Right now I'm using wet/dry sand paper, not something I want to continue with nicer tools. I've been looking at lots of differnt stones, but there are so many that it been difficult to pick. I'm mainly looking at the ceramic stones from Suzuki Tool based on reviews from several blogs, Naniwa super stones because of price, and King stones because I can buy them locally.

I would be grateful for any help or advice.

Thank you,
Ken

[djwong]

Welcome Ken...

Are you planning to hand sharpen, or use a jig? It can influence your stone selection. I really like and used for many years, King stones. They are somewhat slower and messy, but provide great feedback when learning to hand sharpen. Being slow is a benefit in that it prevents you from making big mistakes. The King 800 remains as one of my most used stones.

Shapton pro stones are also very nice. I use the 2000 regularly. My only complaint is they can load up with the softer iron layer when sharpening japanese laminated blades. Messy to clean. Amazing in their ability to stay flat.

Have not used ceramic stones, but have also read the favorable reviews. No experience with Naniwa stones, except the 8000 Snow stone. A fast and aggressive finisher.

For me, technique matters much more than the type of stone. Of course that has not stopped me from buying new stones that exhibit qualities I have come to appreciate.

[Ken]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences Ethan, now I've added shapton pros back to the mix. Just checked Tools from Japan, and the prices seem pretty good right now.

I have started to freehand more than any thing, I think it's a good skill to have. So far I've had good luck, but I know it could be better.

[Brian]

My setup process is diamond plates through 400, then 1k, 3k chosera then Tsushima nagura, Shinden suita, then finally Nakayama asagi.

On resharpenings I rarely go lower than Tsushima nagura.

I keep synthetic finishers on hand for my western planes which have A2 blades.

I will eventually find a way to dump the choseras as well, I find the constant re-flattening to be a real nuisance since I do not have a sink where I sharpen.

I have tried a soft ark, but really don't like the action when using water.

Starting with a natural finisher is probably a bad plan, since you don't know what you like at this point, but it's good to know that they're out there and absolutely great to use.

I use jigs and freehand personally, without regrets.

[Vips]

Hi Ken,

On the sharpening front I also started off with abrasives on a reasonably flat surface. The problem with this approach (as shown by Paul Sellers and scary sharp advocates) is that it limits you to a certain technique. Next, I chose a few diamond stones and strop which I hated after a while. Diamond stones, in my opinion, aren't cost effective because they seldom last as long as a water stone, and usually break down in grit similar to abrasive paper. This arrangement is also made more difficult by not having a flat final surface to sharpen away the burr cleanly.

After lots of internet research, which unfortunately is all you have unless you have a local store allowing you to try out an array of stones, I decided on Stu's suggestion over at toolsfromJapan. This is the set I chose with the Atoma (Sigma Power ceramic 1000-6000-13000 special set): http://www.toolsfromjapan.com/store/ind ... ts_id=1667

I've spent almost a year refining my approach, and it's now perhaps only best suited to these stones, but I'm very pleased with the edge. It's a mirror finish, which is not indicative of a sharp edge, but is definitely a pleasing look. I would suggest, however, adding in a stone between 1k and 6k, as it can be quite a jump, and also opting for singles stones, as opposed to the dual sided if possible.

As far as tools are concerned, I have mainly western tools (apart from a few Gyokucho saws) and would love to start dabbling in Japanese Kanna and Nomi, but also don't have an idea where to start, so I'll keep my eyes on this thread

[Ken]

Brian,
After looking those stones up, it looks like you have a very nice set up. I think it would be a bit much for me right now, but definitely something to aspire to. I've read many of the praises of natural stones, but I think most of the nuance would be lost on me.

Vips,
I think we're on almost the same path. I went with Paul Sellers recommendation for diamond plates, opted for the smaller 6x2 size and after a week of using them switched over to sand paper. My local store has Shapton on special order for a ridiculous mark up, Kings, and Nortons. Right now I'm really thinking Tools from Japan's two stone set of sigmas might be the best option for me. Just need to save up and make the shipping worth while

[Ken]

I've got my stones on order and will hopefully have them in hand in a few weeks.

I think next up will be some layout tools like a sashigane and some kebiki. Still trying to find the right oire nomi for me. The price, while probably worth every penny, makes it difficult to figure out which ones will be good daily chisels.

[Ken]

I got this in the mail today,


Sorry for the poor photo. I'll try to get better ones if any one wants.

I have no idea if it's a good plane or not, the dai looks to be in good shape and the blade seems to be in good shape as well. I plan on letting it sit in my shop for awhile to acclimate before trying any thing.

[Jack_Ervin.]

Ken,
You might post up additional photos like laying the blade flat out of the dai and photographing with raking light to show markings better and one of the sole or bottom. Here is a screen shot of an "Azumashoseki" Kanna, 70mm. -Blue steel-. Maybe you can make make a comparison.
Also you may not have found all of the different files available on this site. There is definitely a wealth of information made available to us. Thank you Chris. Here is a link to "Kanna Help You?"
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=283
The location is Board index » Dōgu: Tools of the Way » Hand Tools » 鉋 Kanna: The Japanese Plane
Jack

Screen Shot 2016-01-24 at 9.36.35 PM.png (323.63 KiB) Viewed 16758 times

[Ken]

Ken,
You might post up additional photos like laying the blade flat out of the dai and photographing with raking light to show markings better and one of the sole or bottom. Here is a screen shot of an "Azumashoseki" Kanna, 70mm. -Blue steel-. Maybe you can make make a comparison.
Also you may not have found all of the different files available on this site. There is definitely a wealth of information made available to us. Thank you Chris. Here is a link to "Kanna Help You?"
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=283
The location is Board index » Dōgu: Tools of the Way » Hand Tools » 鉋 Kanna: The Japanese Plane
Jack

Screen Shot 2016-01-24 at 9.36.35 PM.png

I'll see if I can't get some better pictures tonight. Thanks for the link, it looks like there will be some good info there.

One thing I did notice, and I'm not sure if it's right or not, is that the blade seats in the dai very tightly. I know it would be difficult on the Internet, but could any one say roughly how tight it should fit?