# Communities > Modern-era Swords and Collecting Community > Modern Production Katanas >  Cutting bamboo with the Cheness Yamakami

## Jim Anestasi

As promised Im back with test results with Yamakami. Let me first state the bamboo we have stands around my corner of the south west is very dry& trying to find green bamboo is next to  impossible. However I did find  a few that had some green showing, I harvested what I could .This bamboo is not nihondaki that you see being cut in pitures this stuff is very hard . Chinese mosodake is one third to double the dencity of nihondake & is much more difficult to cut & tends to shatter if not if not fully supported. My cutting stand for bamboois an old cable roll spindle that we use as a table.It was difficult toget the bamboo stable I usally stuff the center hole with other small  bamboo so the mainpole target is set up with very little movement. Now to the test of the Yamakami, the smaller greener targets were cut using kesagiri, on the larger bamboo they were angeled at about 40 to 45 degrees. The only way to cut them was with the powerfull yokogiri in this manner I was able to cut all of the larger bamboo. The yamakami came through through with flying colors. No damage at all. It took me about 2 & half hours to cutt all the bamboo I had, I will ad that it took all the power & techniqe that I had. The blade was not cleaned until I was finished, I used windex and gun oil. There was no damage at all every was still nice and tight.The yamakami has handled everything in its way.

----------


## tom_urso

A more stable alternative bamboo holder is a metal/ceramic base patio umbrella stand. The diameter of the bamboo can't exceed 2" but you can readily buy one at Big Lots or other like stores for around $25.

If you're handy with a welding torch, welding a pipe to a tire rim also works well.

Thank you

----------


## KeithM

Jim, that sounds great.  Can you compare this blade to any others?

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hi Keith, I have 5 swords all katanas. My showato in shirasaya I would not cut this bamboo with it because I dont want to scratch it. However it will cut any thing within reason. Also I have the infamous Masahiro bamboo,Also a folded 1045 steel blade,and couple of other beaters. The SCG yamakami is the only blade that will cut this type of bamboo with any consistency. Itried  the folded blade before It made only two cuts. Idid not try the others as I didnt they had the mass.

----------


## KeithM

Sounds like the blade rocks.

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Now that Ive had this sword for only 4 months, Im still impressed with its cutting ability. Ive cut just about every kind of mat through keen mirrors goza,which is very heavy when soaked for 36 hours, estimated weight about 25 lbs. or so. and now heavy bamboo. this 9260 blade is tough. There was some talk about staining when first used. I polished the blade about 3 or 4 times befor e cutting, I used metal glow, and use it on my other swords also. perhaps that why my blade didnt stain?.

----------


## KeithM

Soaked for 36 hours?  That seems a bit long.  And as I understand it, the longer you soak a mat the easier it is to cut.

----------


## AdamTNesvick

> Soaked for 36 hours?  That seems a bit long.  And as I understand it, the longer you soak a mat the easier it is to cut.


Not really, it will only absorb so much water, but it actually would make it harder to cut, due to the material being more dense.

I've left them for two days before, let em dry out for an hour, and its harder to keep the velocity of the blade through the medium, but not impossible, you just have to show it whos boss.  :Smilie:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hi adam, Im trying to find the correct time to soak the goza rolls and it seems about 36 to 40 hours on these large mats, I let them dry between 3 and 4 hours. You are right on about absorbtion the longer I let it soak the harder it is to cut, so letting them dry awhile helps in cutting. but not much, they are very heavy & the water level has gone downbuy about two thirds.

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

Hi Jim...I suppose it really does not matter, since I own all three Yamakami's, but which did you get?

Katana
Ko-Katana
Wakizashi

Thanks for the testing by the way!  Have not had the chance to try to cut anything with mine yet.

----------


## KeithM

Hm, I had read that soaking a mat longer made it easier to cut.  Does someone know a official answer for mat soaking time?

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

> Hm, I had read that soaking a mat longer made it easier to cut.  Does someone know a official answer for mat soaking time?


Check this out... 

http://www.tameshigiri.com/folding.html

The soak time and reasons are on page 2, but be sure to read page 1 also!

----------


## KeithM

Thanks John.  Hm, I had read before that the mats should be soaked for 4-6 hours. Sounds like the site I looked at was wrong.  Of course in my dojo we don't cut mats in our sword work.  So I was never told these finer details.

OK, so a 10-12 hour soak should be good, and 30 hours is better.

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

I've heard of 6 as a minimum.  Most of the people that I know that do any cutting generally soak the mats 12-24 hours before use.

----------


## Jim Anestasi

> Hi Jim...I suppose it really does not matter, since I own all three Yamakami's, but which did you get?
> 
> Katana
> Ko-Katana
> Wakizashi
> 
> Thanks for the testing by the way!  Have not had the chance to try to cut anything with mine yet.


the katana yamakami!

----------


## Jerry G.

Guys, do the Yamakamis come with the same lame alloy f/k like on the Shura(though obviously oversized) or are they somewhat different?  Brass or iron would be ideal but I thought only the Kaze and Tenchi sport the harder metal.

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hi Jerry If you go to this web site it will give you all the answers. WWW.chenessinc.com/sgc.htm. thanks.

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

> Guys, do the Yamakamis come with the same lame alloy f/k like on the Shura(though obviously oversized) or are they somewhat different?  Brass or iron would be ideal but I thought only the Kaze and Tenchi sport the harder metal.


Jerry, I'd have to pull one of them out of the safe to find out...May do that later tonight after I get back from MA class.  The only way I could describe it right now is to say that the SGC's remind me of a REALLY good sword size survival knife!  Built to last and not very pretty!  The plainness of the look is actually kind of appealing to the eye when you see the raw size of the katana and the saya!  In fact, I was so impressed, I bought the other two in the Yamakami series.  (I'm more of a knife person than a sword person...I love my Ontario Spec Plus knives and my A.S.E.K.!)

----------


## Jerry G.

They _look_ like oversized Shura koshirae; I was hoping someone might _know_ whether they were brass, iron or  :Gag:  alloy like the Shuras.

----------


## Jim Anestasi

> They _look_ like oversized Shura koshirae; I was hoping someone might _know_ whether they were brass, iron or  alloy like the Shuras.


Hi Jerry, well the tsuba is iron thef&k are the same. That is what the specs. say and the blade is 9260 spring steel .the shape is however diffrent, much wider and longer as you can see on the web site .www.chenessinc.com.

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Well I ordered a stand today from www.swordsofmight.com .Should be here next week so I will get some more bamboo and retry to cut this heavy mokodaki. I will let you know how it all comes out. :Big Grin:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

HI: Guy's I received my new stand from  Swordsofmight.com, I ordered this stand because of the long 18" tube and wide hole ,which is just right for bamboo cutting. Since most of my harvested bamboo is about 8' to 9' long. I did have to mount the masahiro stand to two 4"x6"s x39" long,I used the existing hardware that came with the stand, also I nailed two 2x4s acrossthe ends to make it secure. I just happened to have a couple of left over poles that looked tempting so, I set them in the stand shimed the poles and pulled out the Beast The Yamakami katana and went to work. This time I was able to cut the mokodake bamboo poles like I wanted to the last time, but was unable to because of of my cable roll table did not work well. I used kesagiri and kiriage with the yamakami and cut thru easily no problem at all. Being that the bamboo had been laying around for sometime ,I oiled the blade with gun oil just in case. Any way tomorrow I will see if I can find some more heavy bamboo that isnt dried out.

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

Thanks for the follow up Jim!  Very interested in hearing more!   :Big Grin:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

HI: Guy's I received my new stand from  Swordsofmight.com, I ordered this stand because of the long 18" tube and wide hole ,which is just right for bamboo cutting. Since most of my harvested bamboo is about 8' to 9' long. I did have to mount the masahiro stand to two 4"x6"s x39" long,I used the existing hardware that came with the stand, also I nailed two 2x4s acrossthe ends to make it secure. I just happened to have a couple of left over poles that looked tempting so, I set them in the stand shimed the poles and pulled out the Beast The Yamakami katana and went to work. This time I was able to cut the mokodake bamboo poles like I wanted to the last time, but was unable to because of of my cable roll table did not work well. I used kesagiri and kiriage with the yamakami and cut thru easily no problem at all. Being that the bamboo had been laying around for sometime ,I oiled the blade with gun oil just in case. Any way tomorrow I will see if I can find some more heavy bamboo that isnt dried out.                                   

[ A snow flake settled on my blade and said, As if in fear, " I must be on my way before I turn into a red tear".}

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

Is there an echo in here?   :Confused:

----------


## KeithM

Is there a echo in here?

Oh, sorry, just echoing your thoughts.

Actually the two posts are slightly different, and I think they happened because he has similar posts in a couple threads and probably forgot that he had already posted in this thread.

I am jealous though, as he now has a cool cutting stand, a cool sword, and a huge supply of bamboo.

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Well the stand only lasted 3 cuts ,it flew across my large cutting area in my back yard.The tube came completly off base ,I found that itwas held together with some type card board disc's that looked like they had been nailed together and glued the tube was glued to the base. I really cant get upset about it breaking because it is advertised for mats, and I wanted to cut bamboo. So a trip to the hardware store I found what i needed in the plumbing section. I spent about $25 more, now i have a bamboo cutting stand that will stand up to the pressure of hard bamboo cutting.I used the original post  and completly diffrent base, and  gorrilla glue, some long bolts . Any how If I ever need another stand i will know how to make it right.    
    JIM. :Mad:

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

> Well the stand only lasted 3 cuts ,it flew across my large cutting area in my back yard.The tube came completly off base ,I found that itwas held together with some type card board disc's that looked like they had been nailed together and glued the tube was glued to the base. I really cant get upset about it breaking because it is advertised for mats, and I wanted to cut bamboo. So a trip to the hardware store I found what i needed in the plumbing section. I spent about $25 more, now i have a bamboo cutting stand that will stand up to the pressure of hard bamboo cutting.I used the original post  and completly diffrent base, and  gorrilla glue, some long bolts . Any how If I ever need another stand i will know how to make it right.    
>     JIM.



GO GETTEM KILLER!!!!   :Big Grin:   :Big Grin:   :Big Grin:

----------


## KeithM

Hmm, I would think if it can handle mats then it should be able to survive bamboo.  I would think that it may just not have a holder for the bamboo, but was made to hold mats.

I think this starts a new standard, destructive stand testing.

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Well guys some land developer dug all of bamboo up#$%#&^) dirty guy, Just when i finished my new stand!. So now the hunt begins, I just might order some bamboo from MAS, shipping would be very high, How ever that gas is well over3.00 a gallon , I might spend more just driving around trying to find some. Well see what happens. 
Thanks for listenind to my rant.

Jim. :Mad:

----------


## KeithM

Well, if you find cheap bamboo let us know.  So far I am just cutting bottles as they fit the budget.

----------


## Jim Anestasi

There I was minding my own business when suddenly I was attacked  by mutiple assassins armmed with pool noodles stuffed with 1 " bamboo. Lucky for me my mind was in state of zanshin, The  yamakami flew into action blood flying everywhere .It was over before it began, the yamakami katana saved me again. :Big Grin:  

If any body wants a bit of fun try stuffing pool nooldes with hard dry bamboo 

poles, This will have to do until I find another source.  Cost 1.49 bamboo poles , Pool noodles 1.50 at wal mart. Have fun be happy.     Jim.

----------


## R. Hill

Has anyone tried growing bamboo?  :Confused:

----------


## Jerry G.

> Has anyone tried growing bamboo?


I can't say that I have although I _did_ experiment with similarly thick and fibrous cannabis stalks in college.  My Ontario/GI machete made short work of them.   :Big Grin:

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

> Has anyone tried growing bamboo?


Yes...And it took me almost a decade to get rid of it all!  It grows and spreads like weeds do.  It also grows as fast or faster than a weed.  Nasty stuff!!!

----------


## R. Hill

> I can't say that I have although I _did_ experiment with similarly thick and fibrous cannabis stalks in college.  My Ontario/GI machete made short work of them.



 Haha!  :Big Grin:   Probably, "I am growing it for sword cutting practice, officer" wouldn't fly as an excuse.  :Smilie:

----------


## R. Hill

> Yes...And it took me almost a decade to get rid of it all!  It grows and spreads like weeds do.  It also grows as fast or faster than a weed.  Nasty stuff!!!


 But in a way it sounds perfect for something that some here use up pretty quickly, cut anyways and otherwise have to pay for (I have acreage). If I try it, I'll report back.

 It could be like Tom Sawyer; you could have a monthly cutting party and all of the local swordsmen would scramble to help you cut it!  :Big Grin:   It would look like the final fight sequence of a 70's samurai film or "Kill Bill"!

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

> But in a way it sounds perfect for something that some here use up pretty quickly, cut anyways and otherwise have to pay for (I have acreage). If I try it, I'll report back.
> 
>  It could be like Tom Sawyer; you could have a monthly cutting party and all of the local swordsmen would scramble to help you cut it!   It would look like the final fight sequence of a 70's samurai film or "Kill Bill"!


Well, unless you live in Antarctica, you should not have a problem growing it.  The problem is KEEPING it where you want it to grow.  It tends to root down and then come up in a different area...It daisy-chains itself.

----------


## B.Blackwell

> I can't say that I have although I _did_ experiment with similarly thick and fibrous cannabis stalks in college.  My Ontario/GI machete made short work of them.


uhum, oh yeah me too just experimentation I swear......(cough) :Big Grin:  

Blackwell

----------


## Jim Anestasi

RHill , After the cutting party we can put it in alarge pile and have a bon fire,then we can sit around the fire and meditate and practice deep breathing.  
cough, cough.   
Jim. :Big Grin:

----------


## Glen C.

What is it about common sense that seems so elusive to some? 
Put a lid on it for crissake. Stop proving how stupid it is. 

It is not just the outside world of pedestrians that watches, reads and listens. Keyword searches have nothing on tracking that has been going on for decades. Think about that. Think even more carefully about the quite wide range of professionals that participate here. Gee, I wonder who may be reading?

Cheers

Hotspur; _there are other reasons not to joke about it_

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

Forget it....

----------


## Jim Anestasi

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/kendoka66

Here are the rest of the photos of my new sword.
Enjoy and let me know what you think! :Big Grin:  
Thanks, Jim

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

> http://new.photos.yahoo.com/kendoka66
> 
> Here are the rest of the photos of my new sword.
> Enjoy and let me know what you think! 
> Thanks, Jim


Was just looking at it on the other thread!  Really nice!  So, when are you sending it to me???   :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

----------


## Jim Anestasi

J.H., lol,tomorrow I will see how it cuts, Two full mats await there destrution. I will let every one know how it does. 

JIM. :Big Grin:

----------


## AdamTNesvick

> What is it about common sense that seems so elusive to some? 
> Put a lid on it for crissake. Stop proving how stupid it is. 
> 
> It is not just the outside world of pedestrians that watches, reads and listens. Keyword searches have nothing on tracking that has been going on for decades. Think about that. Think even more carefully about the quite wide range of professionals that participate here. Gee, I wonder who may be reading?
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Hotspur; _there are other reasons not to joke about it_


AHHHH!!! HIDE!! ITS THE FUN POLICE!  :Big Grin: 

Seriously Glen, calm down man, your gonna have a heart attack, or stroke.  

Go on over next to Jim's "bonfire", and take a DEEP breath. There, all better.  :Stick Out Tongue:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Bon fire is out!. I've noticed there is quite a lot of difference in size and length, also the material that i bought from wall mart is a very heavy substance. It seems to be a firm styrofoam of some kind. The first ones were smaller in diam. and i could slide 1" bamboo in the hole and would be fairly snug. My wife bought some that has a much larger hole so 11/2'' inch bamboo would fit better but were still a little loose. I thought pool noodles were flimsy?. Just wondering.

Getting ready for another attack from those silent assassins.

Jim :Big Grin:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

I found some dry bamboo at the local mursery 1'' & 1/12''. I stuff the bamboo int o the matching holes. This way it keeps the dry bamboo from shattering 
 I'm able to get about 6 or 8 cuts per pole. With out the firm pool noodel's the poles splinter & shatter,so much so that I had to use my very fine file set. Did'nt like to To do that  but i thought it was needed, after all that what i bought this SGC for. BTW the tsuka ito is still tight how ever the fuchi, kashira are a bit loose. I cut every week both heavy mats & dry bamboo. I'm still looking for some green bamboo.


Thanks for reading   Jim :Big Grin:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hi Guy's, Thought I would let you know That I ordered some bamboo from M.A.S.,I gave up finding the type of bamboo I like to cut around here .I received an email from them that it will be about three weeks before they can ship. Seems That there farm will be closed  for two weeks. So I'm still using pool noodles stuffed with dry bamboo. I'm will test all of my swords when it arrives to see how they perform , should be interesting as I will start with the Yamakami then try the others.

FWIW. Jim. :Big Grin:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

I'm Sorry to report that it is out of commission , The deadly cracked tsuka virus has put it out of order. Since I have bamboo coming I thought a check up was needed ,so when I looked down the throat of the tsuka I saw two crack's on each side at the top also the lower split was no longer glued together.So I called Paul Chen and told him about it. He told me that he was out of new tsuka's for the Yamakami and his next shipment would be in around next month. he said that the have changed the design & should ease the problem. He stated tha only about 2% of all the swords he sells have had this problem , it sounds like a lot more than that if you read in this forum. Also we talked about sharpening the blade and he gave me a couple of pointers on how I could do this, first he said to try 600 & 900 grit sand paper next he mentioned Spyderco's expensive sharpener .$ 59.00. I went shopping and found this neat little 2 step sharpener made by Smith's,it has a carbide on one side & a ceramic finisher on the other It also it has dual non slip rubber feet. I sharpened all my knives first And it worked like magic. So then I tried it on the yamaKami I put The sharpener in a vise then then pulled it along the "ha" several times And the rough edge was no longer rough, it was sharp So I flipped it over and did the same, The blade is very sharp now. Stay tuned as I will let you know how thing work out when the tsuka arrives.

 Jim. :Smilie:

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

> he mentioned Spyderco's expensive sharpener .$ 59.00.


Hey Jim...Do you have a source or model number of the sharpener?   :Smilie:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

J.
 It is Smith's 2 step,here is the web site www.smithabrasives.com . IT cost me $5.00 :Big Grin:  
  JIM.

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

> J.
>  It is Smith's 2 step,here is the web site www.smithabrasives.com . IT cost me $5.00 
>   JIM.



Thanks Jim...I've seen them at Gu_ and Knife shows before.  I really never tried one, although I do know people that sharpen their knives with them and they swear by the darn things.

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hello everyone,

 Well yesterday I received some good news, Paul Chen is sending a new tsuka for the Yamakami Katana at No charge!.He told me that I should drill new holes ,offset from each other. Has any one tried this?, what should I look for?, do & don'ts.
The Bamboo from M.A.S. will be shipped to day!.

   Jim :Big Grin:  :Smilie:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Just to keep you guy's informed the replacement arrived but did not fit. It was to small for this Yamakami katana.
It was so small I thought that they may have changed it some where in the past.I also tried to make it fit,I made some progress but if I try anymore the tsuka will split. I sent Paul Chen a message sunday night ,I haven't heard from him as yet. 
So for now I am without my main cutting katana until I get this problem resolved.
Some of the formites think I should ask for a refund,Im not sure if Paul would do that,since I have had this sword for 7 months and have been cutting tatami omote & bamboo. When the tsuka cracked.
I'm going to send him another message, and see what happens.
Jim :Confused:

----------


## sal v.

"Spyderco's expensive sharpener .$ 59.00. I went shopping and found this neat little 2 step sharpener made by Smith's,it has a carbide on one side & a ceramic finisher on the other It also it has dual non slip rubber feet. I sharpened all my knives first And it worked like magic. So then I tried it on the yamaKami I put The sharpener in a vise then then pulled it along the "ha" several times And the rough edge was no longer rough, it was sharp So I flipped it over and did the same, The blade is very sharp now. Stay tuned as I will let you know how thing work out when the tsuka arrives." 

jim anestasi

where did you get it? what exactly was the name?

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hi Sal, Go back & read post #52 or 53.

 Jim :Big Grin:

----------


## sal v.

thanks jim, didn't see that lol it looks good, do you have one? i would like a cheap one too sharpen all my blades

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Just finished, drilled the tsuka & put the pins in, now I can try to see if it will stand up to some cutting tonight. I took some measurements before hand and that helped with marking the ana's, so I didn't have to drill the nakago, the mekugi went in with a few taps.
 Stay tuned more to come .
 Jim

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hold everything ,I received a message from Paul Chen,He wants me to send pictures of the tsuka so he can see what the problem is, He warns me not to cut with the Yamakami Katana. Until he can see whats wrong with batch of tsukas,he said that he would send me another new tsuka after he inspects them.
I will report on this later.
 Jim

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Lets Get caught up,Well I sent pic's to Paul Chen and he is sending me another Tsuka and should be here any day now.When it arrives I will mount it and hopefully with out trouble. Also My order of bamboo arrived this morning.Things are looking up!.
The last tsuka that he sent me had a different wood than the original,as it has a tighter grain.
I took the original apart to see how it was made as it was cracked in three places and two of the splits were 6"long on the right mune side & one on the left side as well the bottom the ha edge.
On inspection The channels for the tsuka were just dug out no real attempt to fit the nakago at all.
It looks like they use some kind of two sided tape for the "same" as it is very sticky also the cotton ito was also glued on with the same stuff,It sure work good.

Stay tuned as I travel this crooked road.

     Jim

----------


## Michael Mason

> Hold everything ,I received a message from Paul Chen,He wants me to send pictures of the tsuka so he can see what the problem is, He warns me not to cut with the Yamakami Katana. Until he can see whats wrong with *batch of tsukas*,he said that he would send me another new tsuka after he inspects them.
> I will report on this later.
>  Jim


Mr. Anestasi,

Two thumbs up for checking the tsuka prior to a catastrophic failure. Your continued health and well being are important to us.  :Smilie: 

But tsuka (replacement or otherwise) should NOT be made in "batches". :EEK!: 
The tang of your sword is like a snowflake, unique and individual. 
If you were having a qualified tsukamakishi replace the handle of your sword, they would have you ship the blade to them so they could craft a new tsuka core to fit.  This is pretty standard.  
Of course, this service (rightly) costs more than you actually paid for this particular blade. 

I'll leave out the cliches ... 

Best Regards,

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hello Michael, It's good to hear from you and thanks for your concerns.
I have been thinking about getting a custom tsuka made, The cost has stopped me from doing it at this time,however I have contacted a fellow about it. The safety of the tsuka is my prime concern. When the new one arrives I'm taking it to my old friend,since he is a master stock maker & G.S..He has all of the wood carving machines so I will see if he could carve one for me.Also he has a long device for looking down barrels, so we will be looking down inside the tsuka to see if it has a channel for the nakago or not.
 Stay tuned,    Jim :Smilie:

----------


## sal v.

i was looking at the cheness tsukikage, and i really want the wakizashi version, it looks great. but how are the blades?how:

balanced are they
looks and appearances
 blade geometry  
sori
broadness 

all aspects of this fine looking sword!  :Big Grin:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hi Sal,
If you read this post from the start you will find out about all your questions.
The blade is IMO is exceptional it can handle just about every thing you try to cut excluding cement blocks etc.
Since I dont have the Wak version I can't pass judgement on it,However the 9260 blade is a superior steel for every day cutting.
My only problem is with the Tsuka!, Swords made for cutting with this type of steel should have a better tsuka ,it should be able to
withstand the rigors of heavy cutting.Since this type of sword is advertised for cutting heavy Goza etc.,The tsuka is a weak link in 
this sword.
Paul Chen is great on handling all your problem's quickly  & efficiently.

Regards,
       Jim :Smilie:

----------


## Stephen C Foster

> Hi Sal,
> If you read this post from the start you will find out about all your questions.
> The blade is IMO is exceptional it can handle just about every thing you try to cut excluding cement blocks etc.
> Since I dont have the Wak version I can't pass judgement on it,However the 9260 blade is a superior steel for every day cutting.
> My only problem is with the Tsuka!, Swords made for cutting with this type of steel should have a better tsuka ,it should be able to
> withstand the rigors of heavy cutting.Since this type of sword is advertised for cutting heavy Goza etc.,The tsuka is a weak link in 
> this sword.
> Paul Chen is great on handling all your problem's quickly  & efficiently.
> 
> ...


 I have after my 1st tsuba failure,fixed or made my own Not authentic but sound as I didnt have a clue what authentic was. So if the tsuba was loose I would coat the tang,the wood under the fuchi,the peg's and hole's with grease.Nexed I take epoxy and coat the inside of the tsuba.Replace the blade into the tsuba with mekugi''greased'' and clean away any exess epoxy.When the epoxy is allmost cured I remove the mekugi and blade.Wait for a full cure then clean the grease away, replace the blade for a tighter than hell fit and if there were cracks they now have 2 ton epoxy in them.Try it on a hanwei practical,the sword will hum in your hand.I've never had a failure of these tsukas done this way .$4.00 and 20 minutes.I now do this to my cutters out of the box.

----------


## sal v.

> Hi Sal,
> If you read this post from the start you will find out about all your questions.
> The blade is IMO is exceptional it can handle just about every thing you try to cut excluding cement blocks etc.
> Since I dont have the Wak version I can't pass judgement on it,However the 9260 blade is a superior steel for every day cutting.
> My only problem is with the Tsuka!, Swords made for cutting with this type of steel should have a better tsuka ,it should be able to
> withstand the rigors of heavy cutting.Since this type of sword is advertised for cutting heavy Goza etc.,The tsuka is a weak link in 
> this sword.
> Paul Chen is great on handling all your problem's quickly  & efficiently.
> 
> ...


yeah i know,Mr.Chen is a good guy, i speak with him quite often. is there any place where i can find a person to make me a good tsuka?custom tsuka are hard to find...

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hi Sal,
Sal as to your request for information you should go Cheness Web site as all the stats are there.
I can't comment on the Tsukikage Wak.
On my Yamakami katana is blade heavy as it should be,The weight is 3 lbs.with out bo-hi.
If you do a search here on S.F.I. I'm sure you will find a source.

 Here are a few  that come to mind [ brian@roninswords.com.]
Try Fred Lohman at shadow of leaves,also Thomas L. Buck at
[ http://pages.prodigy.net/tlbuck/maki.htm].

Have fun,      Jim :Big Grin:  :Wink:

----------


## sal v.

> Hi Sal,
> Sal as to your request for information you should go Cheness Web site as all the stats are there.
> I can't comment on the Tsukikage Wak.
> On my Yamakami katana is blade heavy as it should be,The weight is 3 lbs.with out bo-hi.
> If you do a search here on S.F.I. I'm sure you will find a source.
> 
>  Here are a few  that come to mind [ brian@roninswords.com.]
> Try Fred Lohman at shadow of leaves,also Thomas L. Buck at
> [ http://pages.prodigy.net/tlbuck/maki.htm].
> ...


yes, i have gone onto the cheness site a lot...and the blade looks great,obviously i will be able to do light cutting with such a sharp blade. but i want it more for decoration at this point...but i still need martial arts training, so i will probably not get it in awhile anyway. 

thank though  :Big Grin:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Well Guy's,
The last tsuka cracked along the ''same'' panels about 6" on both sides,P.C. sent it to me at no charge. I was sure disappointed to say the least when it cracked while inserting the nakago, very gently it made it to within about 1 1/2" from seating all the way. So I am going to make a non traditional Tsuka from a pick & mattocks hard wood handle.
Tomorrow I will start this adventure with a trip to my G.S. who is a master stock maker,we will saw the handle in 1/2, inlet the nakago then epoxy together so it will be removable ,I plan not to wrap the handle but file groves at angles along the sides before the final finish is put on.Iwill use the existing ana's and mekugi's,also the F&K will be used.
I will keep you informed.
I think I sense a presence lurking out behind the bamboo stand, if it is what I think is there will be bamboo flying for sure.
 Jim :Ninja Master:

----------


## J. Hedgespeth

You Go Girl..uh..jim!  :Big Grin:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

So I did sense a presence ,Watch out for all that falling chips of bamboo.
The project starts tomorrow,we will see how it goes.
  Jim :Ninja Master:

----------


## Hong Yeung

Awesome, Keep us posted with pics.

It certainly doesn't SEEM that hard to make a new tsuka, atleast with basic wood working knowledge and the right tools (something i Don't have), wish i can borrow a High schools tech workshop for a weekend, it'll be a blast...

----------


## Jim Anestasi

:Cool: Well I'm back & the crooked road took some strange twists as we last talked. I had to put every thing on hold as my wife came down with pneumonia and was in the hospital for a week, she is home & recovering slowly. So I have been busy around here. I did start my my project on building my own non traditional tsuka. I have one side in-letted man did I chose some hard wood,and not having the correct tools made it harder to dig it out. My Gun Smith was swamped with work so he did cut the handle in half for me,Since the handle was oval he made a special jig to hold it from moving while the saw blade did its thing. I need to buy some more tools to help with the next side. 
I plan on taking some pictures so you can see how it turns out.I'm having one of the forum family make another traditional Tsuka at the same time just in case mine doesn't work out.
 Stay tuned. 
 Jim :Smilie:

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hello Out There, Ive been absent for awhile,soI will let you know what has happened since my last post. First of all I sent my Yamakami to Skip Gardner a friendly formite to make me a new custom Tsuka for me,on the way the saya has cracked a long the Ha at the seam. Skip will try and repair it also. I sent an email to Paul Chen (cheness) to ask him if he had any spare saya's for the Yamakami Katanas, he answered my inquiry very quickly and informed me that he has not need to stock any for the SGC series of swords. His normal price for a saya is $30.00. I was hoping he had them on stock.I really have no problems with THe steel but the hardware are sub par. If I bought another one I would get it in a shirasaya, Then I would send it off for a custom Tsuka & saya. 
I had started my own tsuka and I did get one side done, but I got carried away with a chisel and cracked it while I was cutting a line of the Nakago, I don't know If it can be repaired or not. I started with an oval handle, that was a mistake,2 blocks of wood  would have been the way to go. Live & learn. 
When Skip gets all done I will write a revue with pictures. :Smilie: 
 Stay tuned.
 Jim

----------


## Jim Anestasi

Hi Guys,
 I just received some great pictures from Skip Gardner,he is making a new Tsuka for my Yamakami Katana. Also he is repairing the saya which was cracked along the Ha side .What he plans to do with the saya will not only be safe but awesome looking.I will post a review when he has completed the job.
Just to let you guys know.

 Jim :Smilie:

----------

