Have a look at his tools and tool rest at minute 6 of the video.

[Toni Ciuraneta]

I run acroos this video and I thought it would be interesting to share it here.

 

[Don Baer]

Thanks Toni, I am sure Big Mike will find this entertaining as well.

 

[Tom Niemi]

Neat video, but that big round disk the lady was using scares the heck out of me

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

Thanks for sharing, Toni. It's cool to watch people using the old (or somewhat primitive) methods to create beautiful work. In this case, it's a combination of old and new(ish) techniques.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

Neat video, but that big round disk the lady was using scares the heck out of me

These came up a few weeks back on another discussion board. This was the best real discussion I've seen of them:

A Roundtable Discussion

A little video to start off – really quite a boring one, but it does bring me around to the topic at hand, in a roundabout sorta way: The above machine is a sort of relative of the super surf…

thecarpentryway.blog

The "modern" ones seem to be all Japanese but there might be a few old US made ones floating around as well. Interesting piece of kit anyway.

The hooks knives are fairly standard looking overall, as is the tool rest - at least for eastern style lathe work. It's definitely a lot different than most western style turning structurally and functionally though. Interesting using one of their hand hooks in a carriage for a kind of ad-hoc pattern lathe. I'm not sure on the time/value there vs other methods but it does seem to work. The usual knife for a pattern lathe cutter is generally move V than U shaped but that's partially to be able to get into more detail areas and since they're not doing that, likely doesn't matter, they're getting a decent finish off of it anyway.

A more interesting part (to me) was whatever they're soaking the wood with before the final shear scraping and sanding. Presumable some sort of sealer but they get back to it really fast so I'm left wondering a bit what it actually is.. maybe an oil just to lubricate the grain? Not sure.

You'll also notice that *most* of the pieces are centered on the pith (or close to it anyway... it's hard to tell for sure), but at 1:57 there's one that's laid out offset to the side a bit which is kind of interesting.

The center boring is also worth eyeballing a bit. It's closer to a boring bar with a negative rake cutting edge than a drill bit. I would imaging that they get two things out of that, a relatively flat (or slightly rounded) bottom and a fairly clean cut (based on the shavings anyway).

 

[David Johnson]

Bet that place didn't pass OSHA standards. Beautiful work by the old masters.

 

[Don Baer]

didn't pass OSHA standards.

sure it does, that China and OSHA stands for Okay Stuff Happens Anyhow

 

[Mike Stafford]

Love watching Japanese and Chinese craftsmen at work. They are so skilled and practiced they make difficult look easy.

A wonderful video!

I made a couple of tea caddies. One of them was too wet when I turned it and when the diameter shrunk from drying the inner lid is now locked in forever and ever amen.

 

[Ryan Mooney]

One of them was too wet when I turned it and when the diameter shrunk from drying the inner lid is now locked in forever and ever amen.

You can intentionally do that to make shrink pots (usually on the bottom not the top though ). The traditional way there is to inset the bottom into a slight groove in the outside of the box and as it shrinks in it locks the bottom into place. I managed to get one to real close to water tight that way with some effort (it would drip slightly when dry and then tighten up in a minute or two and stop).

 

[Vaughn McMillan]

sure it does, that China and OSHA stands for Okay Stuff Happens Anyhow

It's in Japan. That lady is 89 years old and still has all of her fingers. So does her son. I'd say they have the process figured out.

 

[Mike Stafford]

Thanks for sharing, Toni. It's cool to watch people using the old (or somewhat primitive) methods to create beautiful work. In this case, it's a combination of old and new(ish) techniques.

I always think that when I see people like Roy Underhill or any other traditional woodworker use their skills with the old timey tools that it is just amazing what they were able to create. Stop to think about the furniture people were building before the advent of power tools. Some of the most marvelous furniture ever built was built without a single power tool.

And even better that stuff built without power tools has outlasted the cheap crap built today using the most modern tools available.

I used to like to build boxes; tackle boxes, jewelry boxes, tool boxes, all kinds of boxes. I thought I was pretty good. Truth is I was a rank amateur compared to those craftsmen of old who built things like the Studley Tool Chest or the Clarks Thread chests. I mean, how many of us have ever created chests that magnificent to hold spools of thread that sell for $15,000? How did anyone ever conceive and plan a fitted tool chest like the Studley let alone build it?

 

[Chas Jones]

……..OSHA stands for Okay Stuff Happens Anyhow

Off on a side track: -
Too True, in my last workshop we had a 12ft wide 5/16” steel sheet capable guillotine delivered (USAF procurement supplied) that had no safety guard provision.
To meet UK H&S rules I tasked a fitter to manufacture and fit a guard that would stop someone putting fingers under blade.
Having fitted same, he called a supervisor over to approve the fit and demonstrated that a human hand could not reach the blade, then smugly actuated the machine via the foot switch.
Followed by a trip the emergency room with a flattened finger from a hydraulic material clamp piston just inside the guard.