David Charlesworth's Chisel Hammers

[JoeS]

Hello all,

Did a few courses with DC back in the day, and was wracking my mind earlier. Did he use some kind of special rounded Japanese hammer to strike wooden handled chisels with?

I can't remember why it came to mind, but putting together a new travelling tool kit and thought I'd get myself one to remember the man himself!

Any ideas?
Joe

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

David used a gennou in the Daruma style, which is a broad head useful for chisels. This is the upper hammer/gennou, and weighs 375 gm. The lower, smaller head, weighing 225 gm, is also made by Tenryuu. I use that one mostly.



Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[MikeK]

Derek beat me to the answer, but David used this very hammer from Dictum:

https://www.dictum.com/en/hammers-bafa/nomi-genno-714011

One face is flat and the other is slightly rounded.

 

[JoeS]

Super thanks so much to you both.

 

[Blackswanwood]

Genuine question - what’s the point of a rounded face if it’s for hitting a chisel?

 

[paulrbarnard]

Genuine question - what’s the point of a rounded face if it’s for hitting a chisel?

The force always goes straight in to the chisel. A flat face can cause a deflection of the chisel

 

[Orraloon]

Beat me to it. That said I have always used a flat faced mallet for chisels but I guess wood on wood is a bit kinder and less likely to deflect when the contacting faces are not contacting dead on parallel.
Regards
John

 

[paulrbarnard]

Beat me to it. That said I have always used a flat faced mallet for chisels but I guess wood on wood is a bit kinder and less likely to deflect when the contacting faces are not contacting dead on parallel.
Regards
John

Ironicy the same for me

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Genuine question - what’s the point of a rounded face if it’s for hitting a chisel?

It is for hammering nails. Keeps the edges of the face away from the surface, and avoiding indentations cause by the edge of the hammer's head.

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Of coures if you choose to use a carver's mallet very rounded surfaces will strike the chisel.

 

[woodbloke52]

The rounded face on a Japanese geno hammer is also used for compressing the fibres if your joint, say a mortice n'tenon is too tight. Give both sides of the tenon a few taps and you'll find that it will then fit - Rob

 

[pgrbff]

Genuine question - what’s the point of a rounded face if it’s for hitting a chisel?

striking a nail without denting the surface of the wood

 

[Jacob]

striking a nail without denting the surface of the wood

Normal hammer slightly rounded that is, as distinct from a ball pein hammer for metal work.
I use round wooden mallets for chisels. Several sizes. Hammer is too small and would wreck the chisel handles.

 

[pgrbff]

Normal hammer slightly rounded that is, as distinct from a ball pein hammer for metal work.
I use round wooden mallets for chisels. Several sizes. Hammer is too small and would wreck the chisel handles.

I should have been clearer. All of the genno, or Japanese hammers, usualy have a concave and a convex head. There are more types than the 2 shown above. Neither of those shown are specificaly for striking a chisel.

 

[pgrbff]

Normal hammer slightly rounded that is, as distinct from a ball pein hammer for metal work.
I use round wooden mallets for chisels. Several sizes. Hammer is too small and would wreck the chisel handles.

I should have been clearer.
All of the genno, or Japanese hammers, that I have seen have a concave and a convex face. There are more types than the 2 shown above. Neither of those shown are specificaly for striking a chisel. I guess it is a matter of personal choice which you use.
I have always been told that the convex face is for striking a NAIL below the surface without denting the surrounding wood.

 

[pgrbff]

For anyone who has the time and can put up with Stans Particular style, here you will find too much info on Japanese hammers.