japanesewoodworkingnyc.org

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Joe Samalin
info@nihonsantools.com

So this might be a last minute heads-up for you all but it was for me too! Apparently tomorrow Saturday November 29th is Small Business Saturday, something that for obvious reasons I feel even stronger about since opening Nihonsan! 

So, if you are not too busy, stop by tomorrow from 12 pm - 5 pm to say hi to us and get a discount on all of our tools! Check out our new tools in stock, and see what we have coming in terms of classes and more!

New handmade belt loop kanna (hand-plane) holders!

New line of Japanese cooking knives, to compliment our in-store-only vintage Japanese cooking knives! Come check them out!

Will O'Connor
will@makegoodwood.com

Somewhere in the two days of the Build Your 'Toolbox' class—usually when someone finally pulls a clean kanna shaving or watches their saw behave for a change—there’s a moment when the participants realize that hand-tool woodworking doesn’t actually require a big bench or fancy shop. It can happen in the kinds of places life actually gives us: on a dining table with a towel under the board, at the kitchen counter (as it did for me initially), or on two chairs pressed into service because that’s what was available. I like to think the class gives people the tools and the confidence to start, even in those improvised, slightly wobbly spaces.

Over the past year, as more of these new woodworkers have continued down this road, a set of questions keeps circling back to me. How do I get past the dining-table phase? What’s a bench that makes sense for real apartments and real lives? What’s the next step after learning how the tools work?

My workbench in its natural habitat.

I’ve been carrying those questions around for a while, partly because people kept bringing them up, and partly because I went through the same search myself. My own workbench setup evolved slowly—a planing beam, a pair of lightweight but sturdy workhorses, a few boards, and a handful of clamps. The setup is borrowed from a common Japanese approach, and I've adapted it to the spaces I’ve had. It sets up quickly, stores easily, and holds up to real work.

So, using this setup as our model, I’m excited to introduce Build Your 'Workbench', a class designed as the natural continuation of the Toolbox course, and another step in building a hand-tool woodworking practice that fits the reality of apartment life in NYC.

We’ll start by making a planing beam from thick poplar, shaped and flattened entirely by hand. Next, we'll build a pair of Japanese-inspired workhorses, adjusting proportions for your height and your workspace. Throughout we'll be learning how to mill reference faces and edges by hand, planning layout and joinery, with some advanced mortise and tenon techniques.

As with the toolbox, the build doesn’t end in class—this time, though, you’ll have the beam you made to possibly spare your dining table any further strain.

Adjustable friction-fit stops aren't hard to add and make the beam incredibly versatile.

For now, I've capped the class size to four and added two dates to the calendar, one in late December and one in February.

Participants will bring their 'Toolbox' kit, and there will likely be a couple of recommended additions. Materials are included.

If the toolbox helps you begin,
your workbench helps you continue.

Hope to see you in class!
-Will