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Exclusive Video: New Tools in the Shop

🕑 Added 2022-04-02 11:01:01 +0000 UTC

Comments

Billy Schwake

I am a huge fan of the Chinese planes, I ordered a set of 7 for around 35 bucks, and its still only running about 47 dollars on amazon right now. The tiny planes are not great, but the 4 larger ones are and a great price.

Paul Mouradian

Rex excellent presentation as always, spontaneous, enthusiastic, you are the inspiration to us for excitement in woodworking

Alvin John Osmena

The Taiwanese plane is the same as what we use in the Philippines. I believe Chinese brought it to the Philippines coming from Amoy Island which is very close to Taiwan.

stlmch

I know nothing about Taiwanese woodworking. However, a friend of mine once recommended me going to Taiwanese restaurants. She said their cuisine is very diverse, because after establishing PRC people came to Taiwan from all over China bringing their traditional recipes. I guess this may have happened with woodworking too.

Stefan Blümke

Hey rex - I use the longer sawblade (Turbo-Cut 700mm) in a home made frame for layout cuts - it really works very well - usually for faster cuts i use it on the push stroke - for the beginning or more delicate cuts i use it on the pull stroke.

Peter Svedman

If you want another source for frame saws, try : https://www.fine-tools.com/gestell.html They sell different sizes, just blades, complete saws, furniture for the saws and so on. Very helpful, they even list which saw files are suitable for sharpening which blade. Not for the japanese blades ofc, but for the traditional ones.

Edward Conway

Very interesting Rex. I am trying to whittle down my wish list for hand tools for my extremely small shop so this was a great glimpse of what can be done to pare down the tool inventory. Thanks!

Kris Towson

If you're *really* curious about that Taiwanese blade, polish up the side of the blade and do an acid etch. If there is a lamination, the etch should show it clearly. Lee Valley sell a small line of Taiwanese planes, but theirs (at least the two I have) do not have the cross handle. Another wrinkle for you to consider. :) I don't have a very extensive collection of planes, but the Taiwanese are among my favourites and are definitely go-to tools for me.

Jonathan Keeling

Ever since I bought the Chinese wood plane you recommended a long while ago, I’ve always loved the light weight and two-handed push mechanics… I’ve found very limited info on Chinese or Taiwanese hand planes in the past. Thanks for doing the research! Looking forward to your continued work on our behalf!

Benjamin Fouty

Mortise and Tenon magazine gave a research grant to someone studying traditional Taiwanese planes. It will eventually be an article, according to their podcast

Kenneth Carlile

I'm a sucker for behind the scenes stuff. This is great!

Matt Evans-Koch

Thank you Rex for the behind the curtain look. It will be interesting to see your review of these tools in the future.

Jonas Oßwald

i agree, see my comment. but, to be fair: the frame on his saw isn't perpendicular to the blade. i imagine it feels kind of odd and is maybe even unergonomic? It's also not a lot of space.

Jonas Oßwald

he is probably very used to push strokes as he's older and probably did his apprenticeship and the master-school with a framesaw with a push strokes. Japanese Saws were introduced in the 90s in Germany.

Toby Hrynick

Seconded. I've mostly seen people use them holding the frame, with the frame canted 45 degrees or so in the direction of the dominant hand. It may be that gripping the frame feels unnatural because of lack of cant, or because you are cutting on the pull. Or you may be so used to the turning saw grip that everything else feels wrong. But seconded also that I'd love to see you do more frame saw content!

Mark Thornton

Rex! Just when I was thinking that I've been less captivated by your videos lately, that they've been a bit too polished and productised... Bam! You hit me with an impromptu lecture on a topic of which I know nothing and that clearly excites you. THIS is the sort of thing that attracted me to your channel in the first place. Thank you! Thanks for letting us see behind the curtain a little too.

Helge

That said, I really like that you check out non-American and non - western tools. Please let us know in a while if you warmed up to the dictum framesaw.

Helge

https://www.dictum.com/de/blog/werkzeugwissen/gestellsaegen-wissenswertes-ueber-saegeblaetter-aufbau-und-anwendung

Helge

Hi Rex, great video! I do recommend you dive a bit deeper on how to use the Gestellsäge (frame saw). I am no expert, but I am pretty sure it's the exact opposite: you *dont* hold the handles, but you *do* hold the frame - unless it's a turning saw. This blog post by dictum is in German, but the pictures speak for themselves.

Daniel Bohrer

Dictum Frame Saw: https://www.dictum.com/en/frame-hand-saws-baad/dictum-frame-saw-classic-400-universal-712968 and apparently the Taiwanese plane is also from Dictum: https://www.dictum.com/en/traditional-taiwanese-planes-baep/taiwanese-smoothing-plane-230-mm-703290

Daniel Bohrer

Indeed. A few minutes before he explained that you can change between pull and push just by turning the saw around, he probably got confused (or was just used to push saws).

Tom Manseau

On another note, I've got an inexpensive Japanese jack plane that has a habbit of sometimes digging in and causing tearout depending on the wood, so it became of limited use. But then I discovered it makes the most wonderful plane for a shooting board! Outside of the specialty shooting planes, this is the best and by far most comfortable plane I've found for that purpose.

Tom Manseau

Hi Rex, here's a video showing Frank Klausz making dovetails in roughly 3 minutes using a frame saw. You can clearly see him gripping the frame and not the end knobs. He's also got the blade canted so he can keep his arm and blade in different planes. Note that he uses a 2nd saw with a special bent blade to really make things zip along. https://youtu.be/YFqY73lelq8

György Bence Tóth

Hi Rex! Use the frame saw on the push stroke. Even it has a japanese blade, all frame saws are meant to be used on the push stroke. And hold it by its frame, not by its handle. What you call a handle is only for changing the angle of the blade, just like on your turning saw. It feels clumsy at first, but by time, you will be comfortable with it. I cut dovetails with my joinery frame saw, and they come out better and better by time.

Kyle Painter

The frame saw has handles on both ends that appear to be the same size. Couldn't you therefore just hold by the other end and make it a push saw? This is unlike the "standard" turning saw (like the one Rex has plans for), which has one end you clearly hold with your force generating hand, and the other smaller handle is there to merely steady the saw. Granted, with that turning saw, you can still choose to push or pull, depending on how you install the blade.

Allen

There are a couple of good non-English channels that I enjoy watching on Chinese woodworking. Heres a deep cut: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSaXOMZMrMCZPdbPG947_-A

R.E. Moore

2nd that request

Gil Grimes

Have I missed it, have you done a review of Japanese planes, setup and use? Also agree, what other obvious books? Would love a library list

Daniel L. Quigg

How about a source for these tools?

Jim

It's brill to see you adding to your tool collection, it'll be interesting to see how you get on with them.

Bas Noblesse

To add my 2 cents. youtuber John Zhu has a playlist about traditional Chinese Woodworking Tools. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jrX-QHzhnM&list=PLqKZ4NeHfse3j1h5wXSggpaGowzaNM32Y&ab_channel=JohnZhu

Bas Noblesse

I am a bit confused about that video though. He isnt sawing on the pullstroke, but on the push stroke. Listen to the sound, the way he thrusts and the sawdust.

Bas Noblesse

edit: wrong post to reply to. ment it one above

Duncan Barclay

Never stop being a plane geek - it's wonderful!

Greg Preston

Could you not use the saw in either the push or pull stroke? Why else would it have a handle on each end? I've actually thought about coming up with something like this to be able to use that fine blade in a push stroke.

Alexander W Goody

Heard you mention Chinese Domestic Furniture and immediately bought a copy. What are the other "obvious" books?

Kevin S Thomas

Interesting. I agree, it's a strange combination on that saw. I enjoy using Japanese saws, and don't see how the ergonomics would work on that type. Thanks for the information on all those planes. I've only used American/European style.

MUDD2247

Interesting stuff. I do like these off the cuff vlog-ish videos. On the topic of both frame saws and Asian woodworking, I found this video of Vietnamese frame saws, large frame saws meant to be used vertically with a low bench. Forgive me if you’ve seen it before. (https://youtu.be/n2JdScqYuuA)

Jonas Oßwald

Do you have the 40cm version of the frame saw? The angle of the frame looks very un-ergonimic for the normal hold. I couldn't imagine holding framesaws by their handle. We Germans even don't call it handle, we call it "Hörnchen", which can eiter be a small animal horn or a crossaint like pastry. Here's Peter Lanz, resident woodwoworing master at Dictum demonstrating how he starts a kerf with the handle and later switches to the arm of the saw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RqcT7S5d6GI&t=506s But it seems the Arms of the 50cm and 60cm version of this saw are more ergonomic than the ones on your saw?