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Post by Novice_Surgery on Nov 30, 2014 19:03:02 GMT
Any kind of sap is detrimental. Ive never purposely used a wood thats unsuitable for a core so I wouldnt know which ones are the worst. Best to just buy a couple boards of yellow poplar, then you know exactly what you have and what properties it exhibits.
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Post by Maat22 on Dec 1, 2014 17:19:07 GMT
I appreciate the advice... although i am not going to buy the wood for the handles, because i don't think I cant get yellow poplar at the few lumber yards were i am from, or form the one home depot. they mostly sell PT pine and some mahogany (which grow prolifically in the islands so why buy).... IF i find it i will pick up some. these things hold spiritual significance for me and i would much rather harvest from the bush myself. although i "shouldn't" be against buying it, i am biased. I will let you guys know how it goes! it will take years but if we all stick around I should have some interesting experience to share!
according to yahoo, all trees have sap (i thought so too because sap is like tree blood). The most important part of harvesting wood is the time of year. in temperate climates you would do so in the winter before the solstice, the trees are shutting down and most of the sap is gone from the wood. Basically if the tree is growing vigorously (spring/ wet season) it has lots of sap in the wood, if the tree is dormant (winter/ dry season) most of the sap is gone.
Then there is Resin and latex....... a very complex subject to say the least.
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Post by frankthebunny on Dec 1, 2014 20:06:23 GMT
Wood like pine which does produce sap can have lower acidity (depending on species) than a wood like oak. Kiln dried wood can also be more acidic than air dried. Generally, it's not really that crucial when you're dealing with a production sword, it's not like the wood will melt your nakago like Ridley's Aliens. If your carving a new tsuka for a priceless nihonto, you should probably use honoki to add to the value and keep it traditional.
Harder woods are going to transfer shock more than softer woods although it might not be that much, but they can be harder to carve, plane, file and sand. I have escrima sticks made of hickory, which is a very hard wood and while I do feel the strikes, it's not bone shattering and certainly doesn't cause the sticks to break in my hands. Wood that's too soft like balsa might be very easy to carve and shape but obviously wouldn't be the best choice to use between you and a huge razor blade.
Nice even grain, free of obvious defects, easy to work with, easily available, affordable, these are the qualities you should be looking for when it comes to making a tsuka or grip for some other sword types. People also use Alder or Bass wood or Birch.
Companies like Hanwei tend to use very hard wood. Some of it is also pretty dark. The grain is generally tight and it can be tough to carve if your chisel isn't as sharp as it should be. It carves much better in one direction than the other. It can also be a pain to sand. I'm not sure what type they use and I doubt it's all the same from piece to piece. Although the wood quality from them on average is good, there have been some pretty scary cores here and there, including some that were so patched with strips of veneer inside and out, it might have made up about an 1/8 of the total wood used.
Ronin tsuka I've worked on has been soft and hard, dark and light, rough and smooth all in the same piece. It's very unpredictable and can have defects like knots, rot and sugar deposits. It can be tough to carve and in spots, tends to splinter easily. This isn't on every tsuka core but definitely more spotty in general than Hanwei. KC uses hard wood as well that's fairly dark but the grain is even and tight and they use clean pieces. It can also be tough to carve and sand but not overly so.
Huawei has been pretty hit or miss in the past but has been getting a little better lately. They use a medium density, light colored wood that's pretty easy to carve and sand but not always defect free. They have been making their tsuka cores a bit beefier recently, perhaps to try and cut down on cracks. Other ebay sellers are generally a crap shoot and I haven't seen a Munetoshi core in a while. Cheness was average quality, DF was pretty clean.
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Post by Maat22 on Dec 5, 2014 3:13:44 GMT
wow thats alot of info! i will definitely keep that in mind the next time i looking around (although im gonna have to pull up this thread!)
I think.....For the most part the dark wood is heart wood, usually heavier, harder and much more resistant to decay than the lighter softer sap wood...
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Post by frankthebunny on Dec 5, 2014 23:12:12 GMT
This is really the only important part of my ramblings above when considering wood to use on production swords.
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Post by Maat22 on Dec 6, 2014 0:09:51 GMT
Thanks again! I did make a note of that. Simple instructions that are easily followed, and that was the essence of your advice. simple and easy is better. I was just trying to sound smart... and keep my thread ALIVE!! lol
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Post by Anankai on Dec 6, 2014 0:35:55 GMT
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Post by frankthebunny on Dec 6, 2014 1:29:46 GMT
Yeah, probably about as good a design as you're going to find outside of Japan. You'll need to hone the edge as with all chisels to get optimum performance.
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Post by Anankai on Dec 6, 2014 4:48:13 GMT
Ok thanks Josh! Are you using something similar yourself?
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Post by frankthebunny on Dec 6, 2014 5:41:16 GMT
Yes, I'm using a long neck chisel that I bought locally and to which I've added a slight bend. I custom shaped the edge and keep it honed at all times and it gets me by. I'd love to buy a Japanese made saya nomi at some point though.
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Post by Anankai on Dec 6, 2014 15:03:17 GMT
What must I use to hone a chisel? If it is not too much to ask? Sorry for all the questions, it's just that I'm trying to do it right, at least the best that I can.... I don't want to highjack Maat22's thread either :?
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Post by frankthebunny on Dec 6, 2014 18:08:24 GMT
Sharpening stones and a strop or something similar. Try to keep the edge as sharp and burr free as possible.
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Post by Anankai on Dec 6, 2014 18:11:35 GMT
Ok thanks again Josh, will try that!
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Post by Novice_Surgery on Dec 7, 2014 15:49:32 GMT
Saya nomi noot cheap... I use a standard straight wood chisel because its all I could afford right now. Still gets me by though.
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Post by Anankai on Dec 7, 2014 18:14:35 GMT
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Post by frankthebunny on Dec 7, 2014 18:40:27 GMT
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Post by Anankai on Dec 7, 2014 19:18:52 GMT
Well, that is all very nice but... can't afford this
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Post by Maat22 on Dec 7, 2014 23:39:42 GMT
i have never been able to get my chisels sharp enough to shave hair.... my wood working teacher from high school did so on a whetstone but i was so amazed i didn't take the time to learn.... never been able to reproduce that kind of edge... can anybody here get it done?
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Post by Maat22 on Dec 7, 2014 23:40:56 GMT
Dont worry about it, once we are all learning anybody can take it as far as they need too!
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Post by frankthebunny on Dec 8, 2014 0:00:41 GMT
Yes, all the time. I keep my chisel hair popping sharp and it really makes a huge difference. You have to be careful with chisels, most have a flat bottom and either an angle or bull nose edge on top and if you change that, the performance will suffer. I use 600-2000 grit paper (depending on how much work it needs) with a little oil and lay it flat on a smooth surface, I use a piece of sheet metal. Go easy and slow and with patience you should be able to get it there. I then strop it on leather with green jewelers rouge to really make it smooth and razor sharp.
It might sound like a lot of work to sharpen a chisel but it's nothing compared to trying to carve a tsuka with a dull edge.
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