tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261993076995357307.post3296131881148334251..comments2023-11-05T06:16:56.961-05:00Comments on the Carpentry Way: Two on Test (Part 3)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14328401081765407624noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261993076995357307.post-75126825742972651362013-10-31T08:24:37.855-04:002013-10-31T08:24:37.855-04:00Dennis,
some excellent points there - thanks for ...Dennis,<br /><br />some excellent points there - thanks for sharing!<br /><br />~CAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14328401081765407624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261993076995357307.post-81418500527702141922012-04-29T08:47:03.503-04:002012-04-29T08:47:03.503-04:00Mike,
good job on your chisels, however I would s...Mike,<br /><br />good job on your chisels, however I would say you might have been good to have pushed the kashira down slightly further, especially on the heavier mortise chisel. As Dennis mentioned in his comment, with tools that are going to be pounded on a bit more it is good to have a bit more coverage of the mushroomed-over wood on the top of the rings. Try it out and see how it goes. If you find that the rings are getting beaten up by the hammer, pull them off, clean them up and set them a tad lower, mushrooming over a bit more wood.<br /><br />I'm currently doing some experiments with textured finishes and methods, but way to early to report much. I appreciate your interest in the topic, and continued patience. Thanks for your comment.<br /><br />~CAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14328401081765407624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261993076995357307.post-52988260662047791592012-04-29T01:23:48.974-04:002012-04-29T01:23:48.974-04:00I'm glad to report success with hoop setting. ...I'm glad to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/fission/7123423605/" rel="nofollow">report success</a> with hoop setting. My entry level chisels have been given the much needed treatment with the aid of a ball peen hammer, and an old mortise chisel has been restored to take a beating once again.<br /><br />While I'd be interested to read an academic account of finishing techniques, or even musings on their relative aesthetics, it sounds like I may have to exercise some patience in that regard.<br />-MikeMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03549635625104230787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261993076995357307.post-8476940737507245442012-04-24T21:46:10.916-04:002012-04-24T21:46:10.916-04:00Dennis,
good to hear from you and some great poin...Dennis,<br /><br />good to hear from you and some great points. Perhaps I should Shanghai you into a guest post at some point?<br /><br />I've never had chisels with ebony handles, but having worked the material otherwise, i can imagine that mushrooming over the top would be problematic. Possibly ebony makes more sense with paring chisels than striking ones.<br /><br />Mike,<br /><br />you comment is greatly appreciated. I haven't done any posts about finishes such as lacquer, lime, etc., and would say that my knowledge of finishing isn't that great at all, and thus all I could offer wold be merely academic recounting at this point. I like a planed finish, find textured finishes a delight though seldom do them as the hardwoods I have been working with in recent years don't generally lend themselves well to texturing. Thanks for the link!<br /><br />~CAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14328401081765407624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261993076995357307.post-46506903998138078852012-04-24T19:19:13.565-04:002012-04-24T19:19:13.565-04:00Thanks for the tip about soaking the ends in oil, ...Thanks for the tip about soaking the ends in oil, my chisels will be forever grateful.<br /><br />On another subject, have you written any posts covering traditional Japanese wood finishes? I'm curious about the tools, techniques, and materials used. <a href="http://nihon-ichiban.com/japanese-woodcraft/" rel="nofollow">This site</a> mentions that Chinese wax, lime or lacquer were variously applied to sashimono woodwork. Then there are the textured, natural plane finishes and burnishing techniques.<br /><br />-MikeMShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03549635625104230787noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6261993076995357307.post-60923301800140636242012-04-23T20:43:11.749-04:002012-04-23T20:43:11.749-04:00If I might take the liberty of expanding on what C...If I might take the liberty of expanding on what Chris has carefully shown here, and Just some further considerations for the type and amount of use a chisel is expected to receive.<br /><br />My understanding is that different approaches are called for, depending on how the tool is going to be used. If the chisel is not going to be struck with any implement, used solely in your hands without blows, the fitting of the ring is less critical, it doesn't so much matter how the ring seats against the wood, nor the amount of mushrooming over. The wood won't be subject to distress, and can remain in it's initial over the ring configuration for many years, possibly one's lifetime. <br /><br />With a handle subject to blows, I believe the ideal is to have no part of the ring showing on top, the wood should completely cover it, so it requires a more thorough job of mushrooming over, and a deeper set, with the thickness of the wood not so thin and brittle to fairly easily break away against the edge of the ring. This often entails reshaping the handle at the top a bit, both so that the ring can be set deeper, and ideally, can somewhat move down the handle by it's own accord as well, when the pressure from the wood above becomes forceful enough during use. Mortising chisels would require it in particular. Shaping to a more perfect fit is better than forcing. You want tight, but not extremely so. Tapping the ring down with something and it going smoothly, is more kind to the handle than forcing beyond that original shoulder gouged in when someone did it at the factory, as can be seen by looking at the handles of Chris's new condition chisels, where the ring is initially butted up against an edge in the wood. Mashing it down with a hammer is one way, but an ideal fit allows some fairly easy slip beyond that point to begin with, and shaving some wood away will often better allow. It is understandable that people might want to be hesitant to spokeshave their new handles, but proper fitting is an important consideration. A chamfer put on the bottom of the ring also helps for it to slide easier and without damage to the handle.<br /><br />Ebony handles are quite a bit more problematical to get the wood to mushroom over without breaking, the wood being much less flexible than oak, and breaks away fairly easily. Soaking becomes pretty essential to get a good degree of mushrooming over, I use hot water for a short period. Another method is to put a series of thin saw kerfs (4) into the top of the handle almost down to the ring, which will facilitate an easier task in musrooming over, and doesn't seem to cause the wood to break much easier when striking it. Some people will do that with Oak handles as well, getting a good mushrooming over to begin with, without having to bang on the chisel so much. A very small chisel can break that way as well, and completely removing the handle from the steel portion below is advised, and reassembled after the mushrooming is complete. With a ring that can fairly easily slide a bit, it doesn't take much additional attention to have a good solid and lasting bedding above, as the chisel maintains itself. Refitting may still be required on occasion.djyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08985330530360767281noreply@blogger.com