Concave Cutter: What the hell is this?

[Random Usr]

Yeah it sometimes isnt easy and it takes some patience and practice....much like bonsai
Have a play with it. You might just surprise yourself.

I suppose that I have nothing to lose, eh?

 

[sorce]

I suppose that I have nothing to lose, eh?

On the contrary, you may fix them, which will give you the confidence to fix them again. Then one day, when you are working your best tree, you will snap them and ruin all your work.
A lot of work, because this will happen in twenty years.

Bronze em! Enjoy Kaneshin.

Sorce

 

[Random Usr]

On the contrary, you may fix them, which will give you the confidence to fix them again. Then one day, when you are working your best tree, you will snap them and ruin all your work.
A lot of work, because this will happen in twenty years.

Bronze em! Enjoy Kaneshin.

Sorce

Ain't you a lot of laughs!!!

BTW. Is Berwyn a large place? I knew a guy from Berwyn called Dennis Kotaska. He'd be about 68 now but I'm sure you never heard of him.

 

[Eric Group]

I have bought a lot of tools over the past... 15 years or so, primarily because I originally bought the cheapest ones I could, was on sent a very kind gift from a relative of a tool kit that was NOT high quality... and have had to systematically replace them with better stuff.

I have found quality affordable tool brands to be: Kaneshin, Yoshiaki and Kiku. Kiku "regulars" (with a gold stamp) are very high quality, made in Japan and cost about double what "Kiku Classic" costs- which Kiku classic are made in China, though supposedly to the same quality standards as their Japanese tools. So far, I have a Kiku classic curved blade concave cutter- a tool I love, only good for some things though- and a Kiku concave cutter with a straight blade I just bought this weekend because it was half price at Meco Bonsai who was a vendor at the Carolina Expo! Got them for less than $50 which is a good price for what I got. Only used them a few times so far to "test them out", but I have been very pleased with the feel, and how easily they carve right through even hard wood! I think the Kiku are just a little better quality than the Kiku Classic... Hard to point to one reason why... It is all about the feel and balance with a good tool.

Never owned Yoshiaki concave cutters, but I have a pair of basic shears from them and they are as sharp as the day I bought them two years ago- could not be more highly recommended and at about $20, you cannot beat that price. They are harder to find now as I believe the company went out of business or was bought out... But some people still have them in stock. The Bonsai learning center is where I got mine, and they had a good selection of Yoshiaki tools at the expo this weekend.

Kaneshin is extremely high quality, for a price that is hard to believe and their selection is impressive. All shapes and sizes! I think a guy named Q bonsai sells them and is a member here of you could check out the factory direct website if you want...

 

[sorce]

View attachment 83740

Ain't you a lot of laughs!!!

BTW. Is Berwyn a large place? I knew a guy from Berwyn called Dennis Kotaska. He'd be about 68 now but I'm sure you never heard of him.

Not always! That COUld happen!

I guess if I can find Dennis, you gotta get new ones!

Sorce

 

[fourteener]

Fixing it sounds like a nice frugal idea. How is anyone going to bend 1/4 piece of steel rod in the middle of the tool back in place? Seriously. Just chalk it up to experience, purchase a nicer one, be a little more reasonable about what you can cut with it. Like someone said I use my Home Depot wire cutters to cut off a lot of branches or the gardening tool made for cutting off branches. Who here hasn't ruined a tool because we tried to cut something that was to big for the tools ability.

It's a bummer when it happens, sorry. But it'll never be fixed. Buy a new one, move on!!

 

[armetisius]

So it seems the consensus is that the center pin is bent thereby throwing off the axis; correct?
Have the head of the center pin ground off; locate a good quality bolt and tap of an appropriate
size and replace the bent center pin. Piece of an hour with a grinder; a run to the hardware store;
a bucks worth of parts.
Worth a try.
[Perhaps your spouse may have shoes this winter.
But now you know what to ask for for Christmas.]

 

[Adair M]

So it seems the consensus is that the center pin is bent thereby throwing off the axis; correct?
Have the head of the center pin ground off; locate a good quality bolt and tap of an appropriate
size and replace the bent center pin. Piece of an hour with a grinder; a run to the hardware store;
a bucks worth of parts.
Worth a try.
[Perhaps your spouse may have shoes this winter.
But now you know what to ask for for Christmas.]

I doubt it was the center pin. Maybe. It may have been the tips of the blades bent out by trying to cut something too big or too hard. Especially if the user twisted the tool while trying to cut through something tough.

 

[fourteener]

I doubt it was the center pin. Maybe. It may have been the tips of the blades bent out by trying to cut something too big or too hard. Especially if the user twisted the tool while trying to cut through something tough.

Regardless of what got twisted, any thought that you are going to twist it back is an extravagant misunderstanding of forces required to make that happen.

 

[Adair M]

Regardless of what got twisted, any thought that you are going to twist it back is an extravagant misunderstanding of forces required to make that happen.

I agree!

 

[johnegert]

Good god!! Adair and I agree on something!! Is the Big Asteroid coming?? He is exactly right about that evil twisting move that wrecks more inexpensive tools than Steel Syphillis. And, to push my oddball analogy a bit farther, my ex, at least once, paid about $40 to fix her $60 vacuum, which did its lame thing for another few weeks, and died again. Fixing a cheap tool is false economy. If you want to become a metallurgical whiz, use your RAM to learn sharpening, and your new Kaneshin will last forever.
Listen to 14er! He clearly spends his winters up there forging viking swords and puking mead.......
john

 

[fredman]

I fixed my cheap knob cutter on the weekend. Was bent, blunt and out of line from about 3 years of misuse. Little bit of commonsensical concentration together with a vise, hammer, various "bending" tools and some sharpening tools. Like new again and can take another few years punishment. One day when I'm big i'll get me a Kaneshin, but for now I don't know the difference between the two...

 

[Jase]

It can still happen to Kaneshin if they are abused - my Kaneshin branch cutters ended up the exact same way after a workshop where I lent them to a friend. I didn’t realise until I got home and tried to unsuccessfully cut a branch! Luckily I managed to wrangle them back into useable shape with some judicial hammering and bending.