Japanese plane advise

[John Piwaron]

I might be interested in trying out a Japanese plane, but I think I could use a little advise. I've seen some that are very expensive and others that are not so much.

What would be a good one to get a feel for how these work without buying something whose quality isn't indicative of what they can do or one that's the "Festool" of it's kind? You know, not a used Yugo or a Bentley.

[David Weaver]

Full size (65 or 70mm) from tools from Japan . Tsunesaburo blue steel #1 with some type of wrought iron backing in the iron. That'll be the least expensive full feature plane.

[John Piwaron]

Full size (65 or 70mm) from tools from Japan . Tsunesaburo blue steel #1 with some type of wrought iron backing in the iron. That'll be the least expensive full feature plane.

Thanks. Interesting site. At first, 18,500 looks like it's a *lot* of money. Then the conversion. $190. Not so bad. :)

[David Weaver]

You can get a lot less plane for a little less money, and you can get a little more plane for a lot more money. Tsunesaburo is a good way to go because they are a modern process place (which means less variation plane to plane of the same type) and they are retailed over here so if you don't like the whole Japanese thing, you won't take too much of a bath.

[David Wong]

Japanese planes prices usually reflect the degree to which the blade and body were hand or machine manufactured. Also, the quality or scarcity of the materials, the reputation of the maker, and the collectibility.

Tsunesaburo is a great brand, as is Yamamoto. You can get good results with very inexpensive planes. The tradeoff is that they may require more setup, and their blades may not keep a sharp edge for very long (depending on the type of wood you are planing), or sharpening the blade may take longer. All japanese planes will need initial setup and tuning of the blade and body. There are some great videos on Youtube that go over the procedure.

I would start with a smaller size 48mm, 54mm, or 60mm. They are generally less expensive, and somewhat easier to use since a narrow blade takes less effort to pull through the wood. Setup will also take less time.

[David Weaver]

Japanese planes prices usually reflect the degree to which the blade and body were hand or machine manufactured. Also, the quality or scarcity of the materials, the reputation of the maker, and the collectibility.

Tsunesaburo is a great brand, as is Yamamoto. You can get good results with very inexpensive planes. The tradeoff is that they may require more setup, and their blades may not keep a sharp edge for very long (depending on the type of wood you are planing), or sharpening the blade may take longer. All japanese planes will need initial setup and tuning of the blade and body. There are some great videos on Youtube that go over the procedure.

I would start with a smaller size 48mm, 54mm, or 60mm. They are generally less expensive, and somewhat easier to use since a narrow blade takes less effort to pull through the wood. Setup will also take less time.

I agree with the yamamotos, too, though I don't know where they can be gotten inexpensively anymore. Suzuki tool took their prices off of their listings, and the planes that JP metalmaster used to sell for about $200 with a stamped nimura dai, he no longer carries, and JWW was carrying a plainer version with an unsigned dai for somewhere around $350. They have cut out a lot of their good moderately priced planes, though, and they aren't anywhere near remotely close to toolsfromjapan's prices on tsunesaburo stuff (presumably that comes from harima for them, who likely supplies a lot of US woodworking retailers with japanese tools, though that's my guess and not something I know).

I still have one yamamoto plane with a nimura stamped dai, David I believe you have or had the very first one I got from takeshi kuroda (JP metalmaster). I hold their planes in the same regard as tsunesaburo - they share raw materials from what I've heard (like they're in some sort of builders cooperative or something). I guess i've had three or four yamamotos and all were good. I only had one tsunesaburo in super blue that harima had dumped over here (you might have that one, too!! I can't remember). Being lazy, I've pretty much only kept planes that were either softer than they should've been (which makes it easy to sharpen) or white or swedish steel (which makes it easy to sharpen).

[Stanley Covington]

I agree with David. I don't own a Tsunesaburo plane, but they have a good reputation as a working-man's tool mass produced using the best QC procedures. A good value. I prefer a slightly higher grade of plane, but I have many years of experience. And as David said, when it comes to Japanese planes, the quality/cost curve is not a straight line, and a little increase in quality costs a relatively large amount of money. Tsunesaburo's products are a good place to start.

Avoid highly decorated overpriced planes claiming superpowers or mystical abilities.

A properly setup and sharp Japanese plane is a joy to use, and no Western plane will hold a sharp edge as long.

You should also be aware of the challenges of Japanese planes. They can be a bitch for the beginner to setup and maintain. The can also be cantankerous as the solid wood body bends or warps in response to humidity changes, often just enough so the plane doesn't cut anymore. This always occurs at the worst possible time and can be extremely frustrating. Japanese craftsmen typically have multiples of the same type of plane so they will always have one ready to go. Take a look at pictures of Japanese craftsmen's workshops and you will see what I mean. Metal body planes require setup too, but once done, they are good to go for a long time, and are not influenced by humidity changes.

A lot of Westerners that buy Japanese planes became frustrated before they really figure out how to setup and use them, so there is some question about their practical value to the average Western hobbyist. I suggest you not buy a Japanese plane with the intention of it becoming your primary plane.

Stan

[Jack Curtis]

I bought my first Japanese plane 12 or 13 years ago from Misugi Designs. When it arrived, I tried to set it up and noticed I was getting into that "trim just a bit more here, bit more there, ..." mode, so I put it in a corner and signed up for Inomoto-san's dai making class at Harrelson's. This was an extraordinary experience, and I recommend it. Since then I have no problem making and/or adjusting dai, even for some of the more complicated planes.

However, I don't know whether these classes are still offered, so Stu's Tsuenesaburo's planes that come ready to work out of the box, more or less, may the the best deal today. I can't recommend blue steel, preferring white paper high carbon steel; but then again, an OK place to start.

Personally, I recommend that anyone would benefit greatly from using these planes vs western style metal things, and have never regretted the effort and expense.