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Antique Japanese Farming Tools
Interesting tools used to manage a rice field and a mountain forest in the Japanese countryside. I have the privilege of being able to help out from time to time on the family farm. When we are in town, I enjoy hunting through the workshop and barn to see what old tools can be found…
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Making a handle for a small pick
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Japan Countryside
A brief glimpse into a day in the life of modern day rural Japan. Selective management of a Hinoki Cypress forest on a mountainside. I had the rare opportunity to assist grandpa in the management of his acre or so of mountainside Hinoki Cypress forest. From time to time he selectively thins the trees and…
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Charcoal Kiln V.3.0
We always seem to return to the roots eventually, don’t we? After a year of forging with charcoal made in Charcoal Retort V.2, it was time to address the issues with the system. The main one was that, though much improved from Charcoal Retort V.1, the high operating temperature took its toll on critical components…
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Post Drill Repaired
Another piece of Canadian history is restored to working order and finds its place in the Island Blacksmith workflow. I have had an old hand powered post drill for about twenty years now, but have never made a hole with it. My long term list of things to do included refitting a modern keyed chuck…
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Charcoal Retort B15-18
The recent rash of outdoor blacksmithing demonstrations has taken a toll on our handmade softwood charcoal supply so it was time to get serious. The lower heat shield was burnt right through last batch, so a new one was cut out of slightly higher gauge steel for this round. We processed and chopped four batches…
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Charcoal Retort B12-14
The wood for these two batches was completely dry and the process was correspondingly successful and efficient. The first batch was mixed split cedar and spruce from shop projects, and the second was mainly split spruce construction scraps. The burns were so efficient that there was time to complete two in one day, including the…
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Saya Nomi
A piece of high carbon agricultural steel turned into a specialized Japanese wood chisel for carving the interior of a scabbard. A saya nomi is a special type of wood chisel for carving out the inside of a wooden scabbard and handle. It has a longer shaft with an offset and curved corners for cutting…
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Charcoal Retort V.2.0
Update: An Iwasaki style kiln is a much more efficient and long lasting way to make charcoal of better quality for bladesmithing, read about it here: Charcoal Kiln V.3.0 The simplicity of the design of the version 1 retort allowed us to start making charcoal very quickly, but the toll of high heat on the…
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Alder Froe
An ancient tool used for splitting cedar into planks and shakes, made from a reclaimed leaf spring and alder driftwood. A froe is a splitting tool for making cedar bolts into shakes or even planks. It is held cutting edge down against the top of the block and struck with a wooden mallet into the…
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Charcoal Retort D. 7-9
Before and after… This weeks scrap wood generously provided by Chris and his crew again, who have always been more than willing to assist with my experiments. The major new development this week was not in the burn phase, but in the chop and sort phase of the process. Using some scrap 2×6 and a…
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Charcoal Retort Day 6
The second half of the load construction cut offs donated by Tim and his crew at Bayshore Construction were just enough to fill the retort and fuel a round of charcoal making. Though the lid and support bars were very warped from the last burn, the lid was hammered flat and new bars were cut…
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Charcoal Retort Day 5
A standard burn for version 1.0 took an unexpected turn, likely due to the wear of high heat on some of the structural steel. We loaded the retort with some excellent construction cut offs, this time thanks to Tim and his crew at Bayshore Construction Inc., and sealed it up as usual. The one difference…
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Charcoal Retort Day 4
The weather was great and today’s burn was like a party with everyone out to help chop wood, fuel the fire, and roast marshmallows. The official version 1.0 of the charcoal retort was based on the 0.9 design but incorporated a better airflow design via a grate and used bricks rather than logs as a…
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Charcoal Retort Day 3
Take two on the charcoal retort in an attempt to get the burn temperature higher and complete the process of charcoal formation. The first attempt was promising but seemed to take too long to get to operating temperature and did not stay there long enough. So rather than stand the drum on the ground, I…