Sideline: I renovated my Jap hammer today, ie the shaft. After 10 yrs hard work it had split. I epoxied it back together and built up the top of the shaft (oak) with West epoxy + colloidal silica.
Then I beeswaxed it, after sanding it lightly.
I'm putting my hand back on Shoji's hammer again. I have another, mallet, given to me by a joiner who was on the minesweepers in WW2 in the North Atlantic. Gone now, Dennis...
great joiner.
Connections........
