JAPANESE HANDPLANES. Setup and Use

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1 JAPANESE HANDPLANES Setup and Use

JAPANESE HANDPLANES (KANNA) Similar to Western wooden planes If you ve worked with a woodie smoother, the setup and use of a kanna will feel very familiar Differences Used on the pull stroke instead

2 JAPANESE HANDPLANES (KANNA) Similar to Western wooden planes If you ve worked with a woodie smoother, the setup and use of a kanna will feel very familiar Differences Used on the pull stroke instead of push (like rowing) Blade is king the plane body (dai) is considered a consumable, meant to be modified, used up, and replaced as needed. Thicker laminated blade made of hard edge steel and a wrought iron or soft steel backing. Generally wider blade many sizes are available, but a standard smoother (hira kanna) has a 70mm blade (2.75 inches wide). Hollow grind on the back of the blade for easier flattening of the hard steel. Blade is tapered in two directions and wedged into grooves in the sides of the dai rather than held in place by a separate wedge. Typically a lower bed angle (standard is 40 ) Not usually ready to go out of the box some setup and tuning of the blade and dai will be required, but the performance of a well-set-up kanna makes up for any lack of instant gratification. PHOTO: Mokuchi Woodworking

KANNA ANATOMY SOURCE: http://www.toolsfromjapan.

3 KANNA ANATOMY SOURCE: SEE ALSO:

4 BLADE ANATOMY ILLUSTRATION:

5 BLADE STEEL Soft Metal Backing (Jigane) Soft steel or wrought iron (kamaji) Hard Steel Edge (Hagane) White Paper Steel (Shirogami) Carbon steel with impurities removed (mostly sulphur & phosphorus) #1 ( % Carbon) #2 ( % Carbon) #3 ( % Carbon) Blue Paper Steel (Aogami) Carbon steel with impurities removed and Tungsten and Chromium added to make the hardening temperature less critical and to increase wear resistance for longer-lasting sharpness. #1 ( % Carbon) #2 ( % Carbon) Super Blue Steel with more Tungsten and Chromium, plus Molybdenum for additional toughness and wear resistance Common Western Steels (for comparison) O1 Tool Steel Carbon steel with Chromium and Tungsten added, along with Manganese to allow oil quenching. (0.9% Carbon) A2 Steel Carbon steel with Chromium, Nickel, Molybdenum, and lots (5%) of Manganese to add toughness and allow for air quenching. (1% Carbon) SOURCE:

6 WHITE STEEL VS. BLUE STEEL SOURCE:

7 DAI ANATOMY Wood Must be dense, hard, and stable, but also have enough spring to allow the blade to be repeatedly set and removed without permanently deforming the groove Best choice is Japanese Oak While the North American Oak and Japanese Oak are related, Japanese White Oak is an evergreen tree and does not have a conspicuous open grain like American White and Red Oak. The open grain structure of American Oak produces soft areas which are more prone to impact damage. Shirogashi on the other hand has a structure that is uniformly hard, has excellent dent resistance and has better impact strength than American Oaks. Compared to Akagashi the Shirogashi has denser grains which also makes it slightly heavier Shirakashi Japanese evergreen white oak (Quercus myrsinaefolia) Akagashi Japanese evergreen red oak (Quercus acuta) Other woods European Beech, Osage Orange, Bubinga, Cocobolo, Live Oak Grain orientation for kanna masame: called quarter cut but similar to flat-sawn (best for fairly stable humidity) oi-masame: corner/rift cut (best for large swings in humidity) itame: quarter-sawn with vertical grain (less desirable) SOURCE:

8 DAI BLADE ANGLE A standard bed angle for a kanna is 38 40, and many experts recommend using this angle with a 25 blade bevel for all woods, but some advocate using a higher angle and steeper bevel when planing harder or highly-figured woods. A B

KANNA SETUP Many modern kanna smiths (notably Tsunesaburo) will provide kanna that are mostly set up, with the blade fitted to a dai, so only minor adjustment is needed.

9 KANNA SETUP Many modern kanna smiths (notably Tsunesaburo) will provide kanna that are mostly set up, with the blade fitted to a dai, so only minor adjustment is needed. As with Western planes, more expensive kanna will usually require less tuning and setup. As in Western shops, master/apprentice training led to different philosophies about the details of proper plane setup, but there are general steps. Even a kanna that is mostly set up will need to follow the basics of this process. 1. Adjust the blade 2. Fit the blade to the dai 3. Adjust the chipbreaker to mate with the blade and fit the dai 4. Condition the sole of the dai Excellent resource: Kanna: Japanese Plane Set Up, Tuning, and Use, by Chris Hall PDF download available at

KANNA SETUP ADJUST THE BLADE In general, avoid using a high-speed grinder or anything that will heat the steel on any Japanese laminated blade, but in the

Check the width of the cutting edge against the mouth opening of the dai and grind the mimi (angled ears of the blade) as needed so the cutting edge is the same

10 KANNA SETUP ADJUST THE BLADE In general, avoid using a high-speed grinder or anything that will heat the steel on any Japanese laminated blade, but in the initial setup, a light touch on a grinder may help speed up the process. 1. Check the width of the cutting edge against the mouth opening of the dai and grind the mimi (angled ears of the blade) as needed so the cutting edge is the same width as the opening, being very careful not to heat the blade. 2. Check for any twist in the blade and flatten the back, being careful to reduce the hollow as little as possible PHOTOS: from Kanna: Japanese Plane Set Up, Tuning, and Use, by Chris Hall

KANNA SETUP FIT THE BLADE TO THE DAI The blade should fit smoothly and

11 KANNA SETUP FIT THE BLADE TO THE DAI The blade should fit smoothly and tightly in the grooves of the dai and contact the bed as broadly and evenly as possible. Coat the back of the blade with oil and/or pencil marks to test the contact with the bed. Never modify the upper portion of the groove, but focus on paring the sides of the groove and scraping the bed. The blade should be tight enough in the groove that hand pressure will only advance it to within 6mm of the sole. (If you can push the blade by hand to almost set, it s too loose.) PHOTOS: from Kanna: Japanese Plane Set Up, Tuning, and Use, by Chris Hall

KANNA SETUP FIT THE CHIPBREAKER With the blade fitted to the dai, insert the chipbreaker and check for overall

The chipbreaker should press against the pin in the center, not the edges.

As with the blade, flatten the back of the chipbreaker and check for any unevenness or twist.

If there is any wobble, either gently hammer one of the ears of the chipbreaker or file the opposite ear until

12 KANNA SETUP FIT THE CHIPBREAKER With the blade fitted to the dai, insert the chipbreaker and check for overall fit. It should stay firmly in place, but not be so tight that it exerts significant pressure on the blade back. The chipbreaker should press against the pin in the center, not the edges. If the chipbreaker is too tight, gently file or hammer the ears of the chipbreaker to raise or lower. As with the blade, flatten the back of the chipbreaker and check for any unevenness or twist. Check how the chipbreaker mates with the back of the blade. If there is any wobble, either gently hammer one of the ears of the chipbreaker or file the opposite ear until there is a solid connection. Sharpen the bevel of the chipbreaker as you would the main blade, but add a small microbevel of with a fine-grit stone. PHOTOS: from Kanna: Japanese Plane Set Up, Tuning, and Use, by Chris Hall

KANNA SETUP CONDITION THE SOLE OF THE DAI Check

tight, but keep the mouth as tight as reasonably

the edge of a chisel to scrape away a slight

13 KANNA SETUP CONDITION THE SOLE OF THE DAI Check the sole of the dai for any twist. Flatten the sole. Judiciously trim the mouth if uneven or too tight, but keep the mouth as tight as reasonably possible Use a scraper plane, card scraper, or the edge of a chisel to scrape away a slight hollow from about 6mm in front of the mouth to about 10mm from the back of the plane. PHOTOS: from the article Get to Know Japanese Handplanes by Andrew Hunter, Fine Woodworking #260, March/April 2017

14 SOLE LANDINGS Smoothing Plane Jointer Plane 2 touch points 3 touch points ILLUSTRATION: from the article Get to Know Japanese Handplanes by Andrew Hunter, Fine Woodworking #260, March/April 2017

USING A KANNA Tap the head of the blade lightly with a hammer or mallet to set the blade depth.

When planing, hold the body of the kanna with your dominant hand and use your other hand as a guide at the head of the

Adjust downward pressure as you pull, but if the blade is sharp and set properly, it shouldn t require significant

15 USING A KANNA Tap the head of the blade lightly with a hammer or mallet to set the blade depth. Tap the sides of the blade to make any lateral adjustments. Hit the front top bevel of the dai to retract the blade. When planing, hold the body of the kanna with your dominant hand and use your other hand as a guide at the head of the blade and front of the dai. Don t keep your arms rigid but use your shoulders, back, and legs to pull the plane. Adjust downward pressure as you pull, but if the blade is sharp and set properly, it shouldn t require significant effort to pull the plane and take a shaving. PHOTOS: from the article Get to Know Japanese Handplanes by Andrew Hunter, Fine Woodworking #260, March/April 2017

16 BLADE MAINTENANCE Uradashi (tapping out the blade) Gently hammering the soft metal of the bevel to push the front of the hard steel down to form a new cutting edge when the blade is sharpened close to the hollow.

17 RESOURCES Instruction on Japanese Tool Setup and Use Online Chris Hall Classes Yann Giguerre ( Chris Hall ( Japanese Woodworking Communities and Information Piedmont Japanese Carpentry Club ( Japanese Woodworking Tools, Techniques and Interests ( ngtoolsandtechniques/) Craftsmanship in Wood ( /index.php) Tool Retailers US Hida Tool (hidatool.com) Suzuki-Ya (suzukitool.com) Japan Woodworker [Woodcraft] (japanwoodworker.com) Jay Speetjens ( Japan (in English) Tomohito Iida (japantool-iida.com and kanamonoya71 on ebay) So Yamashita (japan-tool.com) (Japanese seller based in Australia) Stuart Tierney (toolsfromjapan.com) Australian seller based in Japan (long wait times but good selection and prices comparable to Japanese sellers) Japan (in Japanese only, but sell internationally) Ichikawa Youichi ( Masanori Teshiba ( Hokuto Pro Shop (

Square Edge Jig SE-77 (SE-76)

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