I have never seen chisels like these.

[Lemwise]

Saw this posted on Reddit. We all know the Swiss made Rali chisels with a replaceable blade but I've never seen an oire nomi style chisel with one. If I had to guess I'd say it's some kind of HSS blade. Very unusual.

 

[HarveyWildes]

Saw this posted on Reddit. We all know the Swiss made Rali chisels with a replaceable blade but I've never seen an oire nomi style chisel with one. If I had to guess I'd say it's some kind of HSS blade. Very unusual.

That's a new one to me as well.  At just under $100, it seems like a gimmick, and unnecessary unless you really abuse your chisels.  I wonder (1) if the blades might be carbide, (2) how much the replacements cost, and (3) how well the screwed on blades handle heavy use.  I wonder if the blade will eventually torque away from the body under enough force.

Speaking of heavy use, I just got a 24mm Masashige Tataki (timber) chisel from Hida Tool for my son - I was in the San Francisco east bay and managed to work in a visit to their retail shop.  I was wondering what distinguished a Tataki chisel from a regular chisel - it's the heft.  It feels like it weighs about 3X what a normal bench chisel weighs, and will certainly be able to stand up to heavy timber frame use.

I also picked up a couple of Masashige paring chisels for myself.  I'm not really a Japanese chisel guy, but have wanted to try Japanese paring chisels for a while now.  I'm looking forward to giving them a try - my initial impression is that they feel nicely balanced and easy to manipulate.  But unless they are really superior, they will probably end up with my other Japanese chisels in my son's shop.

 

[Lemwise]

I also have something nice in transit to me. A 5 piece set of Fujikawa 'yasaku' professional grade chisels from Workshop Heaven.

As for the chisels in the picture, they're probably meant to be used as beaters. I don't think a serious Japanese craftsman would use these for fine work.

 

[Svar]

At just under $100, it seems like a gimmick

A $100 chisel is high end in my world.

 

[Lemwise]

In my world as well.

 

[lwoirhaye]

Keep in mind the traditional Japan chisels have a hollow ground back and the edge needs to be "tapped out"  when the hollow catches up with the edge.  It's a maintenance hassle today's tradesmen in Japan may not want to deal with.

 

[Lemwise]

Keep in mind the traditional Japan chisels have a hollow ground back and the edge needs to be "tapped out"  when the hollow catches up with the edge.  It's a maintenance hassle today's tradesmen in Japan may not want to deal with.

I've actually asked Mr. Fujikawa about this and he says tapping the edge is a big nono. He says that during normal sharpening you always do the back as well so the hollow won't catch up with the edge. If it does catch up with the edge you're to use a coarse stone to reduce the hollow. I'm inclined to believe what the maker says and not what someone on a forum says.

 

[lwoirhaye]

You sure got a way with people, bruh.

To put it in standard English, "you are a jerk".  I saw your reactivity in another thread but it wasn't directed at me so I ignored it. Now I see it's a pattern.  Even if you think I am wrong, your response was rude.

I won't be engaging with your "friendly" chats in the future.

 

[Lemwise]

That last sentence probably wasn't necessary. But you know what, this is just a forum. Don't get so upset over what someone you have never met and never will meet says online. I'm just a bunch of letters on your screen.

 

[HarveyWildes]

At just under $100, it seems like a gimmick

A $100 chisel is high end in my world.

And in mine as well, if it performs to its price.  If it doesn't perform well, it's overpriced but not high end.

But that wasn't my point.  A router bit that has braised carbide edges generally goes for less than a router bit with replaceable carbide edges.  Since $100 isn't unusual for a Japanese chisel, I was sort of expecting that a chisel with a replaceable blade would run $150-$200.

All that said, if anyone gets hold of one of these chisels and can report on how it performs under light use and then under heavy use, I'd be interested.

 

[Lemwise]

All that said, if anyone gets hold of one of these chisels and can report on how it performs under light use and then under heavy use, I'd be interested.

I seriously doubt you will ever see these chisels outside of Japan. They look like an item that the Japanese only sell in Japan.

 

[Rip Van Winkle]

At just under $100, it seems like a gimmick

A $100 chisel is high end in my world.

And in mine as well, if it performs to its price.  If it doesn't perform well, it's overpriced but not high end.

But that wasn't my point.  A router bit that has braised carbide edges generally goes for less than a router bit with replaceable carbide edges.  Since $100 isn't unusual for a Japanese chisel, I was sort of expecting that a chisel with a replaceable blade would run $150-$200.

All that said, if anyone gets hold of one of these chisels and can report on how it performs under light use and then under heavy use, I'd be interested.

There are japanese hand planes that use replaceable cutters like the swiss Rali brand planes, although the planes are made in the "traditional" japanese style, with a body made from a block of wood, and an iron or steel blade body that holds the replaceable cutter, but that still needs to be tapped in like on a traditional japanese plane. I believe there are at least two different brands as well with different cutter systems.

The replaceable japanese planes may be made for hobbyists who do not have a proper set of sharpening stones yet or they may be made as an option for craftsman who do not want to carry around a full set of sharpening supplies for quick jobs. Like the Swiss Rali planes they may also be used for rough work, or trimming hard or difficult material like laminates, or reclaimed wood that might otherwise damage a high quality blade. I believe the cost of the replaceable blade japanese planes is actually lower than that of most traditional japanese planes except the lowest cost ones.

Those chisels might be made for laminates, or they might be manufactured for non traditional japanese woods such as high silicate exotics like purple heart or other ultra hard South American lumbers.

If you knew who manufactured the chisels you might be able to find them on Rakuten, or from one of the traditional japanese carpentry tool exporters.

 

[Lemwise]

So I received the 5 piece Fujikawa set today and they're going back. I'm so very disappointed with the overall quality of these chisels. All of the heads on the smaller chisels bend to the left, none of the bevels are square, the finish on the small chisels looks like it was done by a chimp and the lamination on the 30mm chisel is just awful. How the heck did this blade get approved?

So here's what I'm going to do now. Dictum in Germany sells chisels made by Yoshiro Ikeda, that's the same blacksmith who makes the famous Kunikei chisels. They're basically the same as the Kunikei chisels but these don't have the black ferrule and hoop. They cost more so I'm just going to take my time and buy one every month for the next 5 months.

 

[rst]

Cheez Lemwise, I just bought the same five piece set from Japan Woodworker (Woodcraft) and mine were beautiful.  I ran mine over my DMT Xtra Xtra Fine (8000) and they were perfect.  You got screwed.

 

[peter halle]

Maybe with pricing advantages here in the US it might be worth investigating if a friend to friend transaction would be beneficial?

Peter

 

[bertv]

Maybe with pricing advantages here in the US it might be worth investigating if a friend to friend transaction would be beneficial?

Peter

Well, lately (at least that is my experience) the Dutch border inspectors are really hitting US imports with taxes and duties — even ones by persons, not firms. Most of the time any savings that apply are wiped out by that, and there is also a lot of hassle involved (shipments getting hold over for quite a long time, in some instances; the postman wants to be paid in cash, etc.).
Way better to have friends that travel and can 'smuggle' the stuff for you.

 

[Lemwise]

The difference between this Fujikawa set and the 24mm Matsumura chisel I have is night and day. The Matsumura has a clean, tidy lamination line and the finish of the blade and neck is very fine with clean lines and no coarse grinding marks. You can clearly see he paid a lot of attention to the details.The price is also very good so I think I'm just going to order the 5 piece Matsumura set instead of ordering Kunikeis over several months. The edge is still a bit chippy from the hardening process but I think that will stop after sharpening it a few more times.

 

[derekcohen]

Did you contact Stu at Tools from Japan, or consider the Koyamaichi I recommended?

In Stu you are getting a recommendation from someone who is an expert on the subject, and you can trust you will get value for money (no matter how much you spend).

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Lemwise]

I have not considered the Koyamaichi chisels because of the simple fact that Dutch border inspectors are not only hitting US imports but imports from Japan too (and many other countries as well). They're busy little bees. The shipping + taxes makes them too expensive.

Without me knowing it my girlfriend asked my lead shipwright what size chisel I use the most and she ordered this for me as a present.https://www.dictum.com/en/tools/woo...0358/tasai-oire-nomi-chisel-blade-width-30-mm
Luckily he was right and this is the size I use the most  [laughing]

 

[Lemwise]

So there has been a new development. I know a rather famous knife maker in Japan, Shinichi Watanabe. He lives in Sanjo where a some renowned chisel blacksmiths also live. We chat from time to time and I never thought to ask him about chisel because he's a knife maker, until last night that is. It turns out he personally knows the blacksmiths behind Tasai, Kiyohisa, Funahiro and Kikuhiromaru. He's going to see if he can get me a good deal on 5 blades (I only need the blades). I can turn the handles myself and a buddy has a metal lathe and he can make the ferrules and hoops. This should save me quite some money.

Doing it this way should make it quite difficult for a customs officer to determine the value if they pick out my package for inspection. After all, a chisel blade has no commercial value. It's only the complete product, a chisel, that has commercial value.