Timber Framers Guild

Yari Ganna

Posted By: Jon Senior

Yari Ganna - 05/31/18 08:15 PM

So I cracked and bought a 2nd hand Yari Ganna (spear plane) with which I hope to finally finish the timbers in our house (Note to self - although I think I may have mentioned this before - always plane / sand timbers before erecting the structure. Otherwise it gets a lot more time consuming).

It could perhaps do with a little sharpening work, and has something stamped on the tang, but since I have no knowledge of japanese, I can't see if it's the name of the smith, or just a snide comment about tool geeks. If I were to upload a photo of the mark, might there be someone here who was able to translate? And also does anyone have a video of one being sharpened. I'm fairly sure I understand how to, but I'd like to see it in action before I start playing around.
Posted By: Jay White Cloud

Re: Yari Ganna - 05/31/18 09:15 PM

Good for you Jon!!!

You will love working with it. I want to replace the set I lost. They are some of my favorite planes and "go to" tool for all manner of clean up.

For the Kanji found on the tang, it is most likely the makers mark and/or location orgin.

Google Translate has a "hand write" interpreter built into it. It's not perfect, but it is usually close enough to figure things out. I also have a few other sources (as do others here) that probably can assist you...

Thanks for sharing...

j
Posted By: Cecile en Don Wa

Re: Yari Ganna - 06/01/18 11:22 AM

When you look up one of the web pages for the kesurokai I think there are shots of sharpening these, otherwise you have to get in on the one in Luneburg in July,still some openings I am notified by Hannes, there will be a group coming in from Japan for that week, with their yari ganna in hand.
When I sharpen I'm sharpening both edges on the push stroke and a pivot action for the tip, slip stone for the bevel side. If it's correct or not I don't know, it's a good question.
Posted By: Jon Senior

Re: Yari Ganna - 06/03/18 12:40 PM

Thanks guys.

Jay: I'll take a look at Google Translate and see if it can shed any light.

Cecile en Don Wa: I've sent them an email so I'll see what comes of it. I'd looked at that event before, but figured that there was no way my other half would release me for even a week abandoning her with the kids. But since she seems to think that I really should go I'm not going to argue!

Your description of sharpening is exactly what I had imagined doing. Now I just need to buy some slipstones (or hack up my old waterstones and use this as the excuse to buy some new ones! :-) )
Posted By: Jon Senior

Re: Yari Ganna - 06/07/18 01:02 PM

So I'm going to Germany!

I can only make it for the second week (I can't abandon the family for 2 weeks if I hope to find them in the same condition when I get back). Will we see one another there?
Posted By: Jay White Cloud

Re: Yari Ganna - 06/07/18 01:08 PM

Look forward to a report on what you learn...

Regards,

j
Posted By: Cecile en Don Wa

Re: Yari Ganna - 06/07/18 02:15 PM

Are you trying to make me feel neglectful? smile
Guess we'll be meeting up in the second week Jon, axes all sharpened 'n stuff.
I tried to convince Martin Claudel, the fantastic smid of the Guédelon to come, he lives possibly along your route, but he had no time then.
Posted By: Jon Senior

Re: Yari Ganna - 06/09/18 07:34 PM

Not at all. But I have 3 kids under 5 so I'm guessing that it's not quite the same situation!
Posted By: Jon Senior

Re: Yari Ganna - 07/23/18 08:39 AM

Yarri Ganna sharpened and tested under supervision. Going to need to buy some new stones, but the technique is as described. Flat stone to sharpen the back and slipstones for the sides. Also need to make a new handle as consensus of opinion was that the handle supplied is a little on the short side.

All in, a good week. Interesting to compare German and French carpentry techniques and also the German and French apprenticeship system. Both are similar but different.

The Swede's were all particularly happy and it looks like the next Kesurokai will be in Sweden in 2021!

Sorry we didn't meet up Don. It appears that you were called away shortly before I arrived. Hope you missed out on the stomach bug that totaled a number of people in the second week.
Posted By: Cecile en Don Wa

Re: Yari Ganna - 07/23/18 08:28 PM

It is a bit of an irony that I had to return on family related matters. Not that it matters much, I got my two weeks in, but this is the second occasion my woodworking plans have been nearly thwarted by public sector work actions this summer, but still, I am in total sympathy smile
It's fantastic that you got some first hand recommendations for yari kanna use and maintenance but it seemed the members from Japan were traveling with a bare minimum in tooling, very understandable, so no yari kanna that I noticed, just like the Scandinavians all with their very versatile, light weight and transportable Gransfors Bruk hewing axes, (with the exception of Martina's huge side axe, and then Magnus hauling that frame saw back on the roof of the van).
Luckily I had no run-ins with food poisoning and in fact thought we were very well cared for by the Bohmsholz hosts. I too noticed the difference in the French and German work routines, mainly that the Germans wait till the end of working before taking their alcohol, very sensible even if somewhat boring.
Posted By: Jon Senior

Re: Yari Ganna - 07/25/18 12:10 PM

They had at least one. They apparently did a demonstration over the weekend before I arrived. I missed the hewing and sawing but that apparently all went very smoothly. The raising was pretty swift as well, although a few of us did wonder if the design couldn't have been tweaked to allow for raising in completed assemblies rather than raising each timber individually. That said there were so many hands available that it was never a problem. Even moving those enormous oak stringers was child's play with every lifting at once.

Despite the accusations, I wasn't convinced that it was food poisoning. It took too long to come on and too long to clear. The hosts I think did start to tire of us by the end, but it was all good.
Posted By: Cecile en Don Wa

Re: Yari Ganna - 07/26/18 08:48 AM

I'll see if I have pictures of the squaring-up, the part which actually drew me to this project, since you missed that. Can you guess who left these tracks behind? Yes, lifting even the heaviest timbers, no problem with twenty or thirty.
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