Olympics, Japan and Granitesurf
With the Olympics currently taking place in Japan I thought it would be a good time to discuss the link between Granitesurf and Japan!
Although the Hand Planes are designed and hand made in Guernsey I have found over the years that the sharpest and most refined tools to shape and finish the cedar wood are made in Japan. These tools have been designed to create the finest finish and are made to such a high quality, just like the handplanes that they help to create.
Traditional woodworking in Japan has a history of detailed craftsmanship and the tools that they use are well known for their quality and precision. Japanese woodworkers are taught that every cut is important as every cut is permanent (‘measure twice cut once’ is a phrase we use a lot in the workshop).
At Granitesurf a range of Japanese hand tools are used -
Japanese Pull Saw - These have very thin sharp blades that produce a precise clean cut in the cedar. The long handle (looking like a samurai sword handle) provides great control of the tool and unlike traditional western hand saws the cut is produced on the ‘pull’ stroke instead of the push. They are a joy to use and help the connection with the material whilst shaping the initial handplane profile. I could use a machine tool such as a bandsaw for this task however I love the connection that using a pull saw provides with the wood.
Japanese Hand Rasp - Most of the shaping of the hand-plane outline, the refining of the rails and producing the rocker underneath uses this versatile tool. The multi cut rasp allows rough shaping to take place without tearing the wood fibres, even across the grain. Each rasp has a rough cut and a smooth cut side to produce an excellent rough shape to each handplane. The final shape is then refined and finished using various grades of sandpaper before sealing with natural Tung Oil.
Japanese Block Plane - This simple looking tool, once set correctly, provides the most finest of cuts and removes small slivers of wood to refine the handplane rails.
Although not a tool I use when making handplanes the short video below shows the craftsmanship and care that goes into making Japanese hand tools ( I do own a pair of these garden secateurs!!!)
Video - Hand Forging Niwaki Secateurs
I hope this gives you an overview of the tools that I use when hand shaping the range of Granitesurf Handplanes and my link to the Olympics and Japan!
