tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post6669067928307860982..comments2023-10-18T02:01:33.980-07:00Comments on My peculiar nature: The wonders of using a high angle Japanese planeJasonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-44503423618542413362018-03-03T10:22:52.710-08:002018-03-03T10:22:52.710-08:00Hey Dan!
Sorry for the late reply, I'm out o...Hey Dan! <br /><br />Sorry for the late reply, I'm out of practice at this writing thing, but your question really got me thinking….<br /><br />In the intervening 4 years since I wrote this post, I'd love to say that my kanna skills have become so awesome that I can plane anything with ease but, ahhhhh, no. Not even close, haha. There are a few things though….<br /><br />1) Sharp is crucial with Japanese tools of any sort, but kanna in particular. I keep getting better at sharpening, but that only proves that there is more to learn. I'm working on a post about gains that I've made in this department, slight though they feel at times.<br /><br />2) The Osae-gane secondary blade, when properly set up, will be a great help in controlling tear-out, but not a panacea. As with sharpening, others show great success here, but I'm not entirely satisfied yet.<br /><br />3) Restricting the mouth opening to the bare minimum helps greatly in reducing tear-out.<br /><br />4) You REALLY need to pay close attention to the condition of the kanna base. Having the contact point just to the front of the cutting edge off by just a bit virtually guarantees less than perfect results.<br /><br />Some days are just off, no matter what I do. Some stuff just doesn't plane well, like the softwood lumber yard crap that I have been planing for the last few years. I suspect that the industrial processing that the wood goes through enroute to the retail yard damages the surface deeply enough that it's REALLY hard to get a satisfactory finish. In comparison, air dried stock that hasn't been hammer planed by those giant spiral planers is way easier to work well. Yesterday, for the first time in far too long, I was actually working with some nice figured hardwood, about on par with American red oak in hardness. Soooooo much nicer to use, and easy to plane using just a standard bed angle kanna even though it had some rowed and interlocked grain. I felt like a planing God!<br /><br />Now, to your actual questions…..<br /><br />If I had to guarantee quality on some irreplaceable piece of wood, I would be tempted to go with a decent western plane, Veritas, Lie-Nielsen, or a classic Stanley in good condition, all are good. Veritas or a LN would be pretty much good out of the box I suspect, and easier to get going. Why a western plane? Tight and adjustable mouth opening mainly. If I get really pissed-off at a kanna, I still have my trusty Stanley 50 ½ low angle block plane and it's hair thin mouth opening. The finish won't be as good, but at least I can get the bare minimum of tear-out. <br /><br />Going with a high angle frog would be an even better guarantee, but with a subsequent loss in surface gloss. If the piece is going to have any sort of film finish, you will be knocking down the gloss with a light sanding anyway, but bare wood or an oil finish…..I don't think you can easily beat a kanna in that department. You know this already, I suspect, so forgive my long-windedness, haha. A higher bed angle kanna is an option, and easy to buy here in the states, but as I wrote in this post, you will likely still need to do significant setup. Then the learning curve of getting to know a new kanna….etc etc.<br /><br />And now for something completely different…..at least with Japanese planes, reversing the blade for dense, figured wood. Google translate is enough to get the gist here.<br /><br />https://kaiganyafo.exblog.jp/12623075/<br /><br />https://kaiganyafo.exblog.jp/12632091/<br /><br />I have been dying to try this, but haven't yet. I've got some old blades and worn out dai's, just got to get around to it. Let me know if you try this...It's on my list <br />Jasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-52694247899115879482018-01-08T00:37:37.445-08:002018-01-08T00:37:37.445-08:00@Jason, wondering if there was ever a followup to ...@Jason, wondering if there was ever a followup to this article, keenly interested in a solution to highly figured, dense hardwoods, and the other plane in contention is a Veritas 4 1/5 western plane with a custom frog angle. Would much rather find a solution involving Japanese steel though. I need curly white oak that shines with dust-free pores... Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06409378469538302291noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-42549385120168481802014-09-21T09:41:17.990-07:002014-09-21T09:41:17.990-07:00It has already helped immensely. Truly.
My thanks...It has already helped immensely. Truly.<br /><br />My thanks.<br /><br />JasonJasonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06740185043053833321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3324046123100137801.post-75352375724889424312014-09-20T14:01:43.994-07:002014-09-20T14:01:43.994-07:00You're welcome. That kanna has been sitting he...You're welcome. That kanna has been sitting here for a few years and I really don't think I would ever touch it because I have more than enough without it. Not really sure why I bought it on eBay back then but it must have been a good deal or something. It looks like you got good results after sharpening. I hope that it works well for you and thanks for all the excellent posts.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15075440454691100473noreply@blogger.com