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Toshio Odate’s book Making Shoji has a description of the process and the tools involved.

The tool is a splitting gauge, or Wari Kebiki, which is used to split off the kumiko. As this compresses...

It’s a Kosaburo, 636g. Absolutely amazing piece of craftmanship. As they say ‘they don’t make them like they used to’.

Nice Hiroki! I have 2 and love them, but this is the gennou I would save in an emergency:

398744

Establishing correct bevel angles on new mortise chisels, by hand. Every time I get closer to buying a tormek...

Much simpler... an all square block of wood (sized to the work you intend to carry out, useful to have various sizes), with a guide screwed onto one edge, extending below the main block.

You can...

3 words. Tenon shoulder jig.

Yes its a crutch, but it helps you learn what cutting to the line feels like, and you can phase it out.

Paring for me almost always leads to undesirable results,...

On the topic of stubborness in Japanese craftsmen/shokunin, this is very much the norm by all accounts. The old apprenticeship system may well have led to this, with uncompromising ideas passed down...

Very hard to put a measure on how hour glass shaped it should be, but it should definitely be there. I would prefer more rather than less. Toshio Odates Japanese Tool Book has a section on genno...

Yohsio Usui also makes/oversees the Sukemaru brand chisels, and is very well known. They also make HSS chisels, but I don't have any experience of those, but the thought alone of sharpening them...

Its part of the reason I use more japanese methods and tools than western... they just work much better in a limited situation with no vicea etc.

For the foot clamp... sorry it was a crap photo....

Very nice Luke.

Sometimes being limited in ways that you are, can actually be a good thing I find (I am in a similar situation).

It forces you to work on certain projects sure, but you can...

Great to hear they arrived Hasin!

Take your time with the prep. Read Brian’s blog a few times and then go for it.

If going the kigoroshi route (traditonal, but benefits debatable) be careful on...

Hi Luke,

There are a few considerations with the planing board.

1. If you want the board to be more transportable, being able to remove the feet means it can be much easier to pack into a car,...

This also depends on the scale of the work you are thinking of, to an extent.

If using gauges to layout then as others have mentioned, having everything square makes sense.

But there are ways...

While only really a variation on a theme, what works for me are brads nailed into a small block of wood, and cut off short, and sharp. This block then gets tacked onto the end of my planing beam...

I have often lusted over these Swedish benches: http://www.workbenches.se/en/index.php

If that's your bag, it could well be worth getting in touch - however I doubt they will be cheap, especially...

Without going over what has already been mentioned here and elsewhere, there is also the fact that Stu doesnt stock these chisels, which he mentions on the website.

So on top of the normal wait,...

As David said, Des King has the most in depth explanation on how to do this, in the English language that I have found. It is also part of his Kumiko book 1, which if interested in that side of...

I just posted, then deleted, in the other thread, as more appropriate here:


For me the distinction is not about how much tools cost, but rather the sentimental value one attaches to said tool.
...

You know what the answer is then... gotta get both ;)

Hi Luke,

I don’t have much experience with natural stones... however try this for your rust problem:

Most water supplies have quite a bit of chlorine in them which can accumulate and cause...

As mentioned, blisters are a sign that you are using your hands in ways they aren't used to/using a new tool. FWIW I don't think using gloves is the answer, I have tried, and you miss the sensitivity...

Hi Hasin, I ordered some saws, but unsure whether these were in stock or had to be ordered in. However, they are much cheaper than some chisels, so I could afford to almost forget about the order....

Hi Cliff, I recently purchased from Stu - no problems. Yes, it didn't arrived for around 6-8 weeks, but I knew this going in, so wasn't disappointed. If not in a rush, I would say go ahead, but be...

There is/was a great set of posts from Stan regarding Gennou, well worth a search, but here’s my take.

Gennou are the traditional hammer for striking chisels, with the weight dependant on what you...