Re-handling a pair Japanese hammers

 

My day finished up a little early yesterday, and I knew exactly what I would do with my ‘free’ time. 

I have been building up the courage to remove the Boxwood handle from the larger of these two hammers. As I was preparing for it, I realized I have undone very little of my own work. I am not sure if that is a good thing or not, but did recognize how strange it felt. 

I cut the handle off just below the head - the painful part was over. I carefully drilled three holes from the top down - about 3/4" of the way through. I placed a punch in the middle hole thinking I could just pound the waste out. 

I think the Boxwood actually laughed at me. It did not budge. As much as I tried, I could not break it free. I was secretly happy to be honest - this suggested that I had done a pretty good job of handling it in the first place. I drilled all the way through and then grabbed a piece of Sugar Maple to use as a chisel and bashed the waste out. Even this was tough work, but the Boxwood finally gave.

This gave me a chance to weigh the head - something I did not do when I received it. The larger head weighs 17.2oz or 487.6g and the smaller head weighs 10.2oz or 289g

I have been stressing about what to use for the handles for the last week. I could go traditional and use White Oak or Boxwood again. I have seen fruit woods used as well - or I could use Ebony or Rosewood, but for some reason, those do not really appeal to me. I was taking some photos on the balcony when I noticed two lengths of Lilac that have been sitting out there for years. We have a 100 year old Lilac that was likely planted when our house was built. I have been pruning it over the years and have always saved any good sized usable sections. Lilac is certainly not a traditional wood to use for handles, but it struck me that it has many of the same tactile qualities to Boxwood, so I decided to see if I could coax a handle out of each section. Plus the idea of using something that grew on our yard is pretty darn cool.

There was much carnage. 

Lots of checks, voids and other areas to work around, but there was a graceful natural curve to both sections, and as luck would have it, the more solid sections followed this curve.

I roughed out the blanks very oversized, anticipating that they will shrink and deform a bit as they dry in the shop. I used some old glue on the end grain to help slow down moisture loss and keep end checks at bay. 

I tapered them as well, thinking that getting close to the final shape will help speed up the drying process. This is going to be the toughest part... the waiting.

A few shots of the two hammer heads. 

I am not sure how long I will have to wait before I can start handling them, but I will certainly post when it happens. 

Tools of the Trade & a spare XSNo.4

This past weekend, Joe Steiner and I traveled to Pickering Ontario for the spring Tools of the Trade show. This is the first time in at least 10 years that we did not set up as vendors but rather just as attendees. I have to say - it was a lot of fun! I am always overwhelmed by the sea of antique tools and no matter how hard I try to concentrate, I miss stuff. This year was a little different, and I wonder if it is because I had my camera with me and could ‘see’ through a different lens so to speak. Regardless of why it was different - it was, and I had a lot of fun seeing more and catching up with old friends.

There was a pretty cool infill with a particularly contemporary front bun. The traditional form of the front bun does not stray too much, so seeing examples like this is a real treat. Sadly, it did not strike me as an overly comfortable plane - I wish there would have been a bench to try it out. Things are different when you stand there holding a plane vs place it on a piece of wood. I have made that mistake in the past, and have learned not to pass judgement until I can actually try it.

A striking lever cap.

Frank Flynn had a pair of typesetters planes. These took me back to my previous life as a graphic designer. These are planes for re-surfacing wood type. What was new to me was seeing one of them outfitted with a Disston file for working endgrain type.  I was tempted, but held off, and I am glad I did - the real prize of the show was just around the corner.

Both planes ride in a track to ensure consistency of thickness. Examples of wood type below.

I had a chance to catch up with Darryl Gent as well. He is a planemaker from Welland Ontario and showed me this sweet spalted European Beech smoother. He has soaked it in oil which has added to the weight. Really nice work.

I also had a chance to catch up with my friend Anson. He had a table full of Japanese tools - mainly hammers and saws.

There was one hammer in particular that caught my attention right away. I couldn't believe it - a little brother to a hammer from years ago.  I immediately picked it up and did not put it down until I had decided. Needless to say, it came home with me, and I think I will re-handle both of them at the same time. The other handle has a small crack right below the head. I keep a close eye on it, but don't want it breaking off when I am working.  The hard part will be deciding on the handle material. Suggestions?

Can you guess which one it is?

I also have a spare XSNo.4. I just completed these 2 planes. The one in the back is spoken for - it was the original commission. There were 2 matching sets on the shelf so I decided to make both of them. I am working on a 24" jointing plane right now, and working on these 2 much smaller planes has been a nice break from such an intense plane.

The plane is 5-1/2" long, has  52.5 degree bed angle, bronze sides, lever cap and screw. The infill is an unknown Rosewood - I suspect a close relative of Cocobolo, but I am not 100% sure. The blade is high carbon steel from Ron Hock. The top photo is more accurate for color - it is pouring rain right now so the balcony ledge is unavailable. A Versailles pattern parquetry floor panel will have to do.

The price is $1,750.00 Cdn + actual shipping cost and insurance if desired. Send me an email if you are interested. konrad@sauerandsteiner.com