Search:

Hi all,
I bought a Silicon Chip tube amplifier kit from Altronics which doesn't come with an enclosure.

I would like to ask for some help with how to approach making the tube amplifier enclosure...

I tried again with the belt with a couple of irons from a newly acquired wood plane and a Stanley no 4. I was able to flatten the iron blades quite easily and quickly with the belt this time even on...

I finally went to the hardware shop today and bought a 120 grit beltsander belt. Initially it was really good and was taking a lot of metal away, but it clogged up quickly.
I tried vacuuming it out...

Belt sander belts sound like a great idea. It is also quite cheap too. I'll give that a try on the weekend.

Hmm I've never tried sand paper before. It certainly sound like a cheap solution to removing a lot of metal before moving to diamond or water stones.

When sharpening with sand paper is the paper...

Thanks for the recommendation. Wasn't sure if diamonds or water stones were the answer. Looks like water stones work for you.

I'll check out the water stones at Japan tool and tools from Japan.

I have a set of cheap diamond stones (coarse, fine and extra fine) plus some water stones at 1000, 3000 and 8000 grit.

With this setup I can sharpen my blades very sharp.

My main problem is...

I'm in. Wishing everyone a merry Xmas and lots of woodworking pressies under the xmas tree.

Thanks for the informative post. It sounds like a lot of fun!
I'd like to go, but not sure if I'll be able to go to Japan again just yet.. but maybe! :)

Earlier this year, I did go to the...

Nice, it sounds like a lot of fun. I've added it on my to-do list for any future trips to Japan. :)

I'm in

Pam's idea is interesting.

If it was a meetup in Japan visiting all the makers and tool shops there, I might be interested. :)

Sydney is a bit far for me too unfortunately.
I'd like to see it happen though. :)

Hi Marki,
Thanks for sharing that link to the shop.

It was interesting to see that they sold a lot of western hand tools there.

So far I've only come across only traditional Japanese hand...

I'm in

Thanks for that link.
That Tools from Japan site is just what I was looking for. :)

Tim.

Yeah, it is a common business practice it seems. Shopping online in Japan often is done by bank transfer which is really quite strange and backwards. Some shops that do accept credit cards actually...

Was just looking through some of these links and the Arde one doesn't mention shipping outside Japan, the Shinwa one has no webstore to place orders, but just shows the tools catalog online and the...

Thanks for the tips on getting a flattening stone.

I bought a set of cheap Trojan diamond sharpening plates (course, fine, super fine) for $32 at Bunnings and it worked very well for flattening my...

Hi Rob,
Thanks for the heads up. I forgot about the flattening stones. I know my water stone is already starting to become uneven on the sides.

Tim.

Hi Des,
We were just talking about your book, so I'm surprised to see you also responded. :oo:

I did my order on Amazon Japan and was unsure which kiri to buy as they had about 5 different types...

I agree. I found rulers with stoppers really improved the speed and accuracy of my marking out significantly.
I started with a rule stopper I bought at carbatec once and after seeing how useful they...

Interestingly enough I find the diamond files convenient to use. For control, I hold a finger behind the file and place the bevel side of the blade on the surface so that the angle is flat to the...

Thanks for the info! Still didn't get around to checking out the kanna blade again yet, but will do this weekend.

My 1000 waterstone is a King that I picked up used in Japan for 500 yen ($5~) at...

Thanks for the detailed post. I'm learning a lot from what you wrote. I also had a good laugh about your reaction to the state of the kanna. Although I wouldn't of known without you pointing it out....

My friend in Japan sent over a box of Japanese tools I had been ordering from Amazon and Yahoo Auctions Japan.
I received it today and laid out the tools in the shed.
...

That looks like it :)
Nice find!

Hi Neil,
I did look up Okazaki Takeshi and visited the pages to check his stamp but the kanji in the name is too different and the characters there can't be read that way.

It would be nice if it...

If it's a person's name it could be read as Kazu Takeshi.

The characters say Ichibu (could be a different reading) but I can't find any info on Google regarding who or what company makes it.

Thanks for the plans for the Knockdown Nicholson bench DoctorBobski. It is interesting as it can be disassembled quickly and packed away or taken around.
I still seem to like the design of that fold...

I just found another store that is based of the Japan-Tools store.
They have a Rakuten and Amazon English store, but the Rakuten store is only selling some very pricey chisels and water stones....

Yes I can speak, read and write Japanese. :)

I could only find one more that wasn't in your list:
http://www.330mate.com/page/14

Nice list!

I started making a list and all of them were already in your list.
I'll have a bit more of a look for some more and try to add to your list then.

Tim.

I'm surprised that there are some tool shops out there selling decent tools in Japan willing to ship overseas and accept payment using PayPal.

I think perhaps it might be worth making a list of...

That Mandaraya website looks quite interesting. They mention at this page: http://www2.odn.ne.jp/mandaraya/oshirase-1.htm that if you spend over $100, then you can choose to get a free instructional...

Thanks for the info about the nankyou kanna. I haven't had much experience using them before, so I'll be looking at trying it out when mine arrives. The Gordon spokeshaves look very impressive.
...

I see, adjustable chamfer plane does sound like the perfect name for it :)

I actually don't own one (yet!), as the one I used last time belonged to the woodworking workshop I was making the box...

Good question. I simply gave it the name corner plane as it's more understandable but it's proper name is mentori kanna. It is used to plane down corners and has two fences to guide it. In this case...

I decided it might be of the interest of others here if I wrote about my experience of doing woodworking classes and shopping in Japan.

I am from Perth and fairly new to woodworking but I really...

Hi Graeme,
That is interesting about the workbench being the reference surface and that it's accuracy will be reflected in all the work I do on it. I do hope that the workbench I build will be...

I visited Derek on the weekend and really enjoyed checking out his work area and his amazing works.
He took time from his busy schedule to show me the basics on how to prepare wood by hand with hand...

Silentc, that design looks really interesting. I like how it has space for all the tools so you shouldn't end up with a lot of stuff on the workbench.

What is that particular design from? It might...

Thanks for clarifying that.

Sorry for the lack of replies, I was sick over the weekend.

Derek is right, I am a handtool woodworker and have been doing most of my hand sawing and planing work on the cheap Bunnings vice n...

Wow, there are lots of responses. :oo:
Thanks for all the input!

After reading through each of them, I've concluded that I don't really need one yet. I'll keep working without one for now, but...

I also have trouble posting a new thread or accessing my profile and settings.

I am relatively new to woodworking, and don't have a proper workbench. Whenever I read online about woodworking, apparently the first thing you must have is a proper workbench. What are the benefits...