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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2009 22:08:25 GMT
I need a new tsuka for my katana, and wanted a 15 inch one to fit it's size (cold steel o-katana). Now I have a broken red oak bokken that was tough as hell, and the cracks begin exactly after the length I need. Is it a good choice to make tsuka?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2009 22:20:04 GMT
That stuff splinters like crazy.
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Post by genocideseth on Jun 23, 2009 22:30:29 GMT
I hear Oak is not a good wood for tsuka/hilts. Then again, I have used pine for my machete handle, put it through reckless abuse and it still survives today.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2009 22:46:00 GMT
That stuff splinters like crazy. Mine doesn't. And I had it for a year, through regular heavy contact and some abuse. And it's grain looks fine.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2009 22:49:48 GMT
I had two back when I was doing kenjutsu and they both ended up stabbing people with huge splinters. I'm sure it's a fine material but it'll be hard to carve out a slot for the Nakago because it's a hard wood.
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Post by genocideseth on Jun 23, 2009 23:06:43 GMT
I do not know much about red oak, but if it is anything like the oak I have used, it is quite splinter-y. Solid stuff, but easy to splinter in thin pieces, especially with a piece of metal wedged inside it (Nakago).
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2009 3:04:31 GMT
I had two back when I was doing kenjutsu and they both ended up stabbing people with huge splinters. I'm sure it's a fine material but it'll be hard to carve out a slot for the Nakago because it's a hard wood. Are you saying a softwood was originally used for tsuka cores? As for carving etc - if you want to do it the modern way you can use a dremel with a router tip mounted into a brace for carving the nakago ano... I will agree though that unless you've got some skills and the proper tools carving out the slot will be fairly difficult to do without power tools. I don't know much about what wood is good for what so I won't advise on what wood you should use. I'd heard somewhere (I think here on SBG) that oak isn't good for tsuka cores but I don't know why not. Perhaps ash? Ash is usually a very dense and strong wood... or if you want a real challenge try carving a tsuka core out of hickory.
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Post by genocideseth on Jun 24, 2009 3:13:57 GMT
Poplar is the best type of wood for a tsuka, as it is soft enough to absorb shock, and hard enough not to splinter. I hear Ash is too hard and will not absorb shock, but that makes me want to try even more.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2009 3:29:42 GMT
Hmm on second thought why not just get some water buffalo leather, you know the stuff off the backs of the buffalo and wrap the nakago in that. Forget wood as a tsuka, just used hardened water buffalo leather! The glue on same, wrap with ito etc. Nobody would know the difference and once hardened the leather would be just as hard as wood and still soft enough to absorb shock.
lol ok don't do that - just a joke.
If poplar is best then poplar it should be. I can understand why it wouldn't be good to use a wood that is too hard and won't absorb shock. Think about a wooden bat when you don't hit the ball right... ouch!
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Post by genocideseth on Jun 24, 2009 3:50:27 GMT
I think it absorbs shock places on the nakago, and this way it is less likely to break/bend on a bad cut. Not sure though, as I am no expert, although polar is advised from experts in this field.
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slav
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Post by slav on Jun 24, 2009 15:22:02 GMT
Red oak tends to become brittle as it ages, and it is too hard to use as a tsuka. A tsuka core should indeed be of a softer wood so that it has some inherent shock-absobtion and flexibility...but it should be a tough enough wood to hold up. It should also be just soft enough that the nakago "bites" into it a bit when installed, thus making it tight fit. Japanese honoki wood is actually quite soft. Poplar is the best choice for a custom tsuka core.
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