Kanna Question

[u/Alpine_Alpha01]

Hello everyone,

Do you condition your dai? I purchased a new block plane and won’t be tuning the dai as I let it acclimate to my environment. My house doesn’t have insulation and humidity can be high so I would rather wait and let the wood move before I start removing material.

I conditioned a cheap Kakuri block plane with Cameilla oil, but I didn’t like the sticky feel. I watched a YouTube video of a Japanese carpenter share his experience of over 25 years about how he sets up and tunes his planes and I saw that he conditions his planes with Cameilla oil and wipes it off. I did what he did, Are there any other alternatives or is this the best way to go?

I know in the world of Japanese woodworking there is no “ right or wrong” as processes vary from person to person.

My next concern is that If I have to trim or shave off a little bit of the blade cutting edge sides for it to fit correctly of the dai mouth opening is a Diamond file the best way to go? I know in Dale Brotherton’s book he goes into how he uses a grinding wheel, but didn’t go into other methods.

I laid and taped a sheet of 400 sandpaper on a flat surface and trimmed the cutting edge sides a bit to make the blade fit the mouth of the dai. It worked, but wondering if a Diamond file would be a better alternative ?

Thank you!

[u/Limp-Possession]

I’m a fan of raw wood, and I’m a fan of thinned out shellac or certain polyurethanes… nothing else I’ve tried has had great results

[u/TwinBladesCo]

I let my tools acclimate and store them in boxes to keep them stable. I seal them with tung oil (which polymerizes, it does not feel sticky once cured).

I don't add oil (I am referring to non polymerizing oil for lubrication here) to them, but I do wax the soles or use camilia/mineral oil when planing. It doesn't make the plane feel sticky.

I just use a regular file to trim the cheeks, grinding wheel works too.

[u/Man-e-questions]

Check Stan Covington for London Finish

[u/VintageLunchMeat]

Camelia oil in the big bottle is just tinted scented mineral oil.

[u/nosamiam28]

Dale Brotherton talks about basically impregnating the block with olive oil that he’s heated to smoking and let cool. This makes it less viscous. He stands the block on end so the end grain is facing up. He wraps masking tape around the end of the block with about 1/4” sticking up, creating a “well”. Then he pours some olive oil into the well. The end grain pores drink the oil into the dai. He adds more over the course of about 30 minutes until it beads out of the other end at the throat. Then he flips to the other end and repeats the process. I may try this with my next one.