Thread: How to Use a Japanese Plane 1: How to Set the Blade

Great post and great info thank you very much

I have a japenese plane I use for most difficult finishing, in preference to a Matheison infill. I use Murifangs for normal finishing and save my HNT Gordon for the really difficult stuff.

One thing I have noticed using the Japanese planes is that I can subtley adjust the depth of cut while planing by adjusting my grip on the blade. I find this useful when I want to plane some grain just that little bit deeper than the rest of the board. We are not talking about much, maybe a scraper shavings worth.

When I first can across these phenonem I assumed that I hadn't set up the plane properly but now I am wondering if this is how they are supposed to work.

Originally Posted by Mapp

I have a japenese plane I use for most difficult finishing, in preference to a Matheison infill. I use Murifangs for normal finishing and save my HNT Gordon for the really difficult stuff.

One thing I have noticed using the Japanese planes is that I can subtley adjust the depth of cut while planing by adjusting my grip on the blade. I find this useful when I want to plane some grain just that little bit deeper than the rest of the board. We are not talking about much, maybe a scraper shavings worth.

When I first can across these phenonem I assumed that I hadn't set up the plane properly but now I am wondering if this is how they are supposed to work.

Hi Mapp,

Exactly! I think you are a quite skilled Japanese plane user.

How to grip, where to press, how much you press, makes a great difference! I might refer to that in coming How to Use Japanese Plane article, but this is quite advanced stuff, so it might have to wait until later...

Saws have same kind of liberty in control too. The blade is made flexible so that while cutting you can correct the cutting line, when the warping timbre pushes the saw out of the cutting line. If the saw was just a toothed stiff sheet of hard steel, you won't be able to correct the cutting line by flexing the saw. Flexibility is stronger than stiffness! Someone who aren't used to Japanese saws might think that flexible saws are difficult to control, but actually it is quite the opposite once you get that hang of it. You have MORE control!

BTW, it is interesting that you use both Japanese style and western style. I would have a hard time using a western style now that I am so used to pulling when planing... It is surprising you could mannage both ways!

Hi all. Something I've always wondered.

Why are there chip breaker and non-chipbreaker planes? It is the same with Western
planes as well as Japanese.

I would have thought they would work better one way or the other so why have both? Are there special jobs for each type?
Thanks for any answers.

Originally Posted by willie

Hi all. Something I've always wondered.

Why are there chip breaker and non-chipbreaker planes? It is the same with Western
planes as well as Japanese.

I would have thought they would work better one way or the other so why have both? Are there special jobs for each type?
Thanks for any answers.

Hi Willie,

There might be other explanations, but this is what I know, and from my experience as well.

-Chip breaker Plane (Double blade)

These were introduced quite recently, around the begining of Meiji era (1868.) I read that the idea was invented in western countries (I don't know which one, but probably in UK right? Does anyone know?)

Chip breakers are necessary when you are rough planing, when you are roughly adjusting the thickness or the shape. But I think 90% of the users in Japan use this type even for fine planing. And for someone like me who don't have any machines, they are essential.

If the chip breaker isn't adjusted well, the plane will not function properly. The chip will get stuck between the chip breaker and the main blade, and soon the mouth would become closed filled up with the shave. Adjusting the chip breaker is sometimes very difficult. You adjust by changing the angle of the ears on both top sides of the chip breaker, hitting on an anvil with a hammer. But sometimes no matter what you do, it just doesn't work. In that case it is worth changing the chip breaker to a new one.

If you want to use this type of plane for both rough and fine planing, it is important to keep the mouth thin enough, and change the sole adjustment whenever you switch the use. When rough planing the sole should be touching with 2 narrow parts (Ni-dokoro-zuki), rather than 3 (Mi-dokoro-zuki). You don't need the top part of the sole touching the timbre. That way, the blade can bite the timbre deeper when you press the head side of the block. The photo shows where you need to shave.



-Non chip breaker Plane (Single blade)

These are used for the finishing. 99% of the Kezurou-kai (Japanese thin shaving contest) members use non chip breaker planes.

You don't need the chip breaker when you are shaving thin enough (you would easily find out how thin it needs to be through experience, but as a guidance perhaps less than 30 microns?) with a razor sharp blade, and also most importantly when the mouth is opened just enough for the thin shave to go through. The mouth can be (and usually) less than 1mm between the blade and the block.

This type of plane is considered to be for the skilled users. If you can use this plane on interlocked grain timbre without causing any scraping, then you are a skilled user. And if you can even produce a full blade width shave with 72mm blade, then you are a master user!

In response to Willie, and just to add a little to this excellent explanation by Soatoz:

Toshio Odate in his book "Japanese Woodworking Tools" explains that the original Japanese planes had no chipbreaker, but it was introduced sometime around 1900.

Some scholars suggest that this was a result of the war between Japan and Russia. At this time, many highly skilled shokunin were drafted by the government, leaving inexperienced shokunin to fill civilian needs. Because these shokunin did not have the skill to avoid tear-out with single-bladed planes, the chipbreaker was added.

None of the Japanese language woodworking books I have give any specific reasons for the chipbreaker introduction, so this may only be an old wives tale passed down over the years. Interesting nonetheless.

Regards
Des

I must say, these new threads on Japanese hand tools are making me want to get some, and use them more. I do have Japanese tools, but mostly no-brand stuff The no-brand stuff generally needs lots of work to get them in good working order.

Excellent threads here Soatoz, keep em coming mate!!!

Thanks for the replies people.

How to extract installed plane blade correctly?

Originally Posted by ronnix

How to extract installed plane blade correctly?

Tap the dai (wood body) as per Soatoz's original description in para d and following pic (http://www.geocities.com/soatoz/phot...t_Planes/4.jpg). Note how the fingers control the blade/chipbreaker so they don't come flying out.

So my question is one that I think will be difficult to answer with words.. how hard to strike the iron with mallet?#
I have a new kanna, the blade was exceedingly tight.. so began the pencil process outlined in the Odate book.. gradually scraping away. (after months of acclimation to my area)

I feel I am close.. I can push the blade most of the way by hand.. yet there is still about a CM to go. I CAN tap it into place.. but it takes a couple dozen taps with my wooden mallet. I am concerned that I may cause damage.

So I am curious.. when you push a blade into place.. about how much is left to go before you would have the blade edge meet the sole from throat.
and.. for your mallets and strength etc.. about how many "tap-lightlies" are you expecting?

as well.. originally my blade was skewed a bit so I gradually scraped the upper and lower parts where the blade sides slid through dai to more correctly steer the blade.. this seems to have worked.

All in all the kanna works well and is enjoyable to use.. however since it is new and tight (not an old ebay find) I am a little unsure of how hard to tap on the blade top.

ObairLaimhe,

I will give me opinion just to start the ball rolling, however others with greater knowledge can give you a more definitive answer. 1 cm sounds a long way to tap the blade in. I would want the edge of my blade to be level with the sole after a few sharp taps (say 4 or 5). I think you should at least halve the distance (I'm guessing). I've read in places where the distance was been given but can't remember where. Also, after adjusting the skew of the blade, is there clearance in the dai for the sides edges of the blade? This should be snug but not interfere.

Regards,
Gadge

thanks, yes I will work a bit more to get the blade closer to the sole. As for the sides, I am careful not to touch the top of the "slide" or "shoot" against which the blade is being pressed.. but only scraping at the lower bed. I have not tried to adjust the dai laterally, or side to side, aside from trying to turn the blade just a slight bit counterclockwise (from a top view).#

I am also trying avoid a situation that I find in one of my old ebay kanna. That is when holding the old kanna up to the light (with blade inserted) you can see that much of the blade does not lie against the bed.. but that light shines through the throat, between blade and bed.

So (back to new kanna) as I scrape away little by little of my new dai, I am puzzled why, as pencil marks (high spots) are cleared away I do not see an eventual expanding field of pencil carbon upon which the blade wold lie. #

ObairLaimhe

My experience is that you get an expanding field of carbon on the dai. Of course it's only the high spots, but on the dai I have scraped I eventually get spots of carbon over the entire area where the blade beds.

Any chance of posting a photo?

Regards,
Gadge