Kezurou-Kai #39

Japanese hand plane has to be one of the most satisfying tools to use...if you're into wood working, really worth trying one.

What's the difference between a regular hand plane and a Japanese one? They look quite similar to me?

Quite a few different "technological" choices, mostly informed by different circumstances:

-You pull them instead of pushing them, because Japanese carpenters used to work on the floor using their own body to brace the work piece

-All wood construction because steel has always been a rare material in a volcanic island without much iron ore veins like Japan

-Most Japanese native woods (pawlonia, cedar) are on the soft side compared to European and American (and from the XIXth century onwards, tropical such as ebony, mahogany) woods. Which is also why they manage to make such thing shavings without tears.

I wonder if the pulling motion helps with less tearing too. From my limited understanding of drafting and painting, humans are able to exhibit much better control when pulling a pencil/brush toward them than when pushing away.

I’ve only ever used a western-style push planet, but intuitively I think I’d have more control with one designed for pulling.