Making Tsuka Pt. 1

[cleancactus]

lol "kids, its fine if you're messing around with your katanas, but have the sense to let someone else carve out your tsuka because its dangerous." in all seriousness though, nice vid :)

[MrUndeadMaker]

240p we meet again

[ReiMonCoH]

Good vid.. Obviously good prep and alot of good details

[lonrodo]

240p we met again

[KingdomHeartsFan20]

@lonrodo Not funny anymore kid.

[MrSalty953]

I'm making a Bokken for my school project, would oak be alright for the handle? And I'm probably going to use Pine for the saya, any suggestions?

[tubetoiletv2000]

and he just figures a kid has a razor sharp sword missing a handle

[croccostimpy]

you sound like mark crilly

[loyalxknight]

hey do you think maple wood,would work?

[robertpal9]

In english please. Because understand how to put blade in

[xxswemanxx1]

where can i found trhis wood ?!

[ScandinaviansAreCool]

@xxswemanxx1 Proably at any hardware store, or lumberyard. If you live in the U.S it should be easy to get because poplar is a pretty common wood.

[ZentetsukenVII]

i used a long block of poplar. should have gotten two flat pieces like you have, i had to cut it in half. Still, my tsuka core looks good, the measuring of the tsuba and seppa as to were the mekugi ana are going to be is tricky, im just looking forward to going to the bahamas and stingray hunting with my diving knife since samegawa is pretty expensive

[KaiNogard]

tell me the hardest wood, but the one that would be good for one tsuka. because i want make from hardest material, even if its hard to carve, ill make it with alot of effort. i want quality one, and for it to be toughly strong ^^

[brysonwilliams70]

Hey howd that scar get so high up on ur arm?

[tomdthree]

these are dangerous he says lol kids dont do this lol.

[MrModernNinja]

thank you for this :3

[Clonesniper225]

thanks for the vid i was just about to go and make that so now i know how to do it

[FLAREflare14]

i thoought the best wood was ply wood

[azreal289]

damn, thats one clean chisel job...none of my chiseling ever looks that good. Though I've little experience and my projects derive more out of necessity.

[someone6371]

nice vid. i really enjoyed this. where did you find the info to do this? or did you just figure it all out on your own?

[bwoodcracker]

how did the scar get so high up on your arm?

[NovaScotiaNewfie]

Could a rotarty tool be a safer option to the chissels? Not sure i f that would do a good job or not?

[ninjalikesweapons]

is maple good?

[azreal289]

@ninjalikesweapons maple is very good. its is fairly dry so potential rusting isnt so big of a deal. it is also tough enough for a handle but still fairly easy to work.

[siriusfan13]

Oh wow. That's really great. I'm going to check these all out. Thanks:)

[MonoxideChild1219]

How did it get so high up on your arm? lol.

[Elementecho]

why not just use wood glue

[RYUNOMI13TADEH]

sugoi!!! Honto ni sugoi!!!

[jhonc95]

amizing!! really amizing!!!

am i right?? the translation..

[RYUNOMI13TADEH]

uh

yep hehehehehe

[jhonc95]

haha...i was typing really fast and it was dark so i spelled it wrong haha...."amazing"

[RYUNOMI13TADEH]

:D

cool

[RYUNOMI13TADEH]

except for the spelling it should be amazing

[darkrathamantis]

Again, amazing videos. But, why did you quit the swg forum?

[bluzzzi]

bolehh la tu

[zune345]

how did thatr scar get so high up on your arm? XD

[Akirameerkat]

I'm making a Tsuka, but I have a sword blade, that doesn't have a tang, a cheap blade, , How many inches is the mekugi-ana from the mune-machi ?

[Creationsofmyown]

ditch it and start with a real carbon steel blade... some cheap ones are available i can think of the red shirasaya from musashi... cant remember the name...

check sword buyers guide... was real cheap... like 69$

razorblade ... and u dont pay for any of the fittings since its in shirasaya. hope this helps.

[Akirameerkat]

could try, high carbon blades are hard to come by..they are expencive.

[Creationsofmyown]

you didnt read my post did you?

if 70 dollars is too expensive maybe you should find a new hobby...

[Akirameerkat]

I saw, I will look at them, although by Tsuka is taking a while, while I sand down the tips so the fuchi and kashira can fit on it

[Akirameerkat]

I will look at it, to see how good the blades look, however, It is taking a while, till I can sand down the tips so the fuchi and kashira fit

[tahtunka08]

Thank you for uploading this video! I am very interested in Japanese swords and how to make them. This video has helped me in my understanding how to make the tsuka. I hope to see more because you are very good in explaining of how to do this. Thanks again!

[onixdragon112189]

when in doubt...buy smaller wood lol

[bluzzzi]

endokk mu la

[ajininrisingson]

nice demo of process

thanks kevin

[rurouniyamabushi]

Good,you are very talented..and very informative.I kinda like it..thanks.

[RJL738]

Is this simply the hamdle to a swoard or something? That was very well done.

[shadow12952]

ive chosen oak for mine, is this ok?

[Hyoujinsama]

Hmm...I wouldn't use oak. There are things in it that will cause rust. Poplar is really the best readily available choice, from my point of understanding.

[shadow12952]

haaha ya i saw that at menards, im trying oak now and let me tell you that chiseling it out is amazingly hard

[azreal289]

@Hyoujinsama its that and oak is strong as a solid piece but hard and brittle to a fault when used in a piece thin enough to make a tsuka.

[Revan9729]

Do you by any chance know how to wrap rattan on the saya, what kind of lacquer,glue to use etc...

I was thinking of doing something similar like P.C. Tori Katana's saya, Thanks.

P.S. I loved this video series, i already made and wrapped my second tsuka, you can check it out on my latest video,perhaps tell my your opinion.

[Hyoujinsama]

Hmm...I've never done it before, but I do have a saya I was planning on using rattan on. I could give it a shot and let you know what worked for me.

[Revan9729]

Thanks mate,i would be much obliged.

P.S. i saw your tombo vid, excellent cutting considering you used a beach mat which are very light.

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks! Yours was better, though, I think. Deffinately gonna use a more substantial target for my next tombo vid. The single beachmat was really floppy.

[kissrdbc]

thank you i bow to you when you do iwill watch and learn

[Hyoujinsama]

Heh heh. Don't bow to me. Anyone could do better. I'm just recording my stuff on video. ^_^

[Godsninja4life]

lots of help i was going to make a new handle for my swords handle that i broke but i had no idea how to make one

[Hyoujinsama]

Be careful when you do it! The biggest key is the offset ha and mune. The rest is just making sure it's snug.

[bbillyk]

YEAH i tried to make a Tsuka after i saw this video...i EPIC failed....tried to swing it and wound up in the hospital with 2 fingers almost missing...im alright though, all limbs in place.......forgot to offset them, and..ouch

[kissrdbc]

i wounder if make shealth like that write me back on i love ur videos

[Hyoujinsama]

Sort of. I might show a how-to on saya, but I'll have to think about it. The thing about saya is that you don't want the sides or edge of the blade to touch the inside.

[ultimatedirtclod]

Hey, Hyourinsama, just a suggestion: Instead of using super glue (Crazy Glue) use Wood Glue instead from your nearest hardware store. I took a Shop class in high school and Wood Glue is MUCH better at holding 2 pieces of wood together (I found that out the hard way ^^).

[Hyoujinsama]

Well, both hold better than the traditional rice glue. ^_^ I'm just using the crazy glue as a quick and easy adhesive. Most of the holding together is done by the samegawa and the ito anyways.

Thanks for the suggestion, though!

[zerowildfire]

Hi mate. Really good video presentation.

Got a question for ya.

Would Hickory be good for Tsuka?

Its readily avaliable as handles in hardwear stores for tools. I have never used it but have seen it mentioned on the net somewhere.

[Hyoujinsama]

Hickory is okay. The upside is that it is super strong and most likely won't break on you. The downsides are that it is a pain to work with, and, being so hard, it doesn't absorb shock. The vibration from cutting goes straight into your hand.

[ChosonNinja]

Great video Kevin!!!

I love all your sword tutorials.

5 shuriken stars!

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks, Master Park! I think you'll like the handle wrapping segment I'm planning. ^_^

[kenshin715]

Great video!5*

[Hyoujinsama]

Thank you. ^_^

[bbillyk]

WHOOOO GO KENSHIN

[Hyoujinsama]

Who, what?

[bbillyk]

guys name 3 up lol...its an manga

[Hyoujinsama]

XD Anime, too. Rouroni Kenshin/Samurai X. Based off of a fellow Kawakami, Kawakami Gensai.

[isvorsesdansa]

great vid. tnx for the info.

cant wait to see the rest...

[Hyoujinsama]

Coming soon. ^_^

[confires]

how did u get the scar on your arm... lol just kiddin

[samurailenyaca]

Great !!

Will you film a video about making mekugis ?

Would be nice :)

[Hyoujinsama]

Sure!

[theuglyninja]

good vid thanks

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks!

[SoraNoKunai]

Ive never seen a video of someone making a tsuka. this was a great and very informative video. 5 starz! You keep putn out great videos

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks! Keep an eye out for more on this tsuka. I'll be applying samegawa shortly.

[katana8891]

Hey this is great! Best wishes!

[Hyoujinsama]

Thank you. ^_^

[kenpachi316]

great video!

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks!

[Morrighna]

Thank you so much for the visual explanation. I really liked learning about the grain. A video can be worth more than thousand words. Eagerly awiaitng other installments...

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks for watching! Have another coming soon...as soon as I get better shears. Samegawa is a pain in the you-know-what to cut, even when it's been soaked.

[Morrighna]

Yes, I have read that it is a pain to cut, and even harder to cut to the right size. At least according to Keith Larman, who has given detailed descriptions of tsukamaki elsewhere. This video is a great supplement to his and other's descriptions, Thanks again.

[NinjaStudent1]

Great video my friend, thanks for sharing! 5 Stars.

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks for watching, my friend. ^_^

[OrigamiBasics]

oh man that is so cool!!!!!! i just wish i could get the handle off my sword. :(

[Hyoujinsama]

I'm glad you like it. ^_^

[OrigamiBasics]

how could i not! its so awesome i might just buy a sword for that reason!

[orhanc1]

Thank you very much! As soon as you complete your series, I'll be making one!

Good luck.

[Hyoujinsama]

Thank you! I'll do my best, and I'm sure you will do even better than I do. ^_^

[cava002]

Great video sensei, I think I have a theory about ow you cut your arm, i think that when you were carving down with the chisel you were appling force, then the chisel go up and cut your arm, its just a theory,not what really happened, another thing where i can get a blade like the one of the tsuka?

Thanks

[Hyoujinsama]

O_O Wow...that's actually just about what happened. Haha! Good guess.

As for the blade, do you mean the tanto?

[cava002]

Well, I guess it meditating about how to do it cause when you are carving is much common to take the wood in your hand and the chisel in the other. And yeah I mean the tanto, I just say the blade cause in japanese weapons all have much names to remember, haha well my guess have demostrated the power of meditation.

[Hyoujinsama]

Go to UBC in my groups and search out a guy named wiwingti. He sells this exact blade. ^_^

Otherwise, you can find them all over the place...but I would personally go to wiwingti first, because he's a friend and he's eager to help.

[csthundercat]

excellent.

[Hyoujinsama]

Glad you like.

[bokim09]

You da man!

[Hyoujinsama]

Nah. I'm just a guy who likes swords. Thanks, my friend. ^_^

[npearson100]

Dude! It's ANYWAY, not anyways, lol O'well who cares! I just made my own sword, and I really needed this video!! Thanks so much!

[Hyoujinsama]

Haha! It could be "potato" for all I care. Congrats on the sword! ^_^

[npearson100]

Lol, thanks mate. BTW when is the next part of the video coming out?

[Hyoujinsama]

Soon...but I'm not sure on an exact date. I'm just working on this tsuka when I get time to, and I have a little more profiling to do before I wrap the samegawa on.

[Splogity]

thank you for sharing this. i made my first tsuka for katana 6 years and everyone thought i was crazy until they saw it finished and held it. it is very rewarding to be able to maintain your owne sword. i much enjoy your videos in teaching this.

-Joi

[Hyoujinsama]

Thank you, Joi! There really is a sense of acomplishment in finishing something like this.

[guardianwolf01]

you explained the process very well nice job looks like it will hold up to many years service

[Hyoujinsama]

Thank you. That's the plan. ^_^

[Shandanik]

Great stuff. I have to say the image quality of your vids isn't all that though. Do you precompress it? Do you have to precompress it?

Anyways, great tutorials. I wonder where you learned all this. Doesn't seem like a part of the everyday American swordsman student curriculum.

[Hyoujinsama]

I pick these things up from wherever I can, really. No one place.

As for quality, yeah. It's sub-par. I keep it low to reduce my already horrible upload time, but I may up the res some.

[Ale7Returns]

amazing skill and precision you have. what you showed at the end was very nice.

[Hyoujinsama]

Thank you! I made a lot of mistakes to get to this point. ^_^

[MOUNTAINOUS]

super cool and i cant wait to see it. good luck and truly amazing. i dont know if i would try that yet. keep us informed. you rock on the japanese sword my brother. take care 5 stars

[Hyoujinsama]

Hey, bro. ^_^ I just like swords, so I try to know as much as I can. Haha. Next will be same` application and wrapping, I think.

[brutus0199]

Very nice. Thank you and have a bless day.

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks! You, too.

[defensiveempowerment]

Kevin even if someone did make the same type of video it would not matter you are an amazing instructor. I love watching your videos . You explain things with such detail. 5+stars . I am glad Greg picked you as an assistant instructor of Nintaijutsu he could not have picked a better person.

[Hyoujinsama]

Hey, Rick! I'm not all that great. I just like talking. ^_^ So long as I can contribute something and help someone out, then I'm happy.

[Jeimuzu]

As always Kevin you out did yourself with this video. THis is indeed the only one Ive seen on youtube and I look forward to this series of videos about this. Domo Arigato!

Pvt. James Dundorf

[Hyoujinsama]

Hey, Jei. Thanks for watching!

Did you enlist?

[Jeimuzu]

Yes Im pleased you watch your video's. Yeah Im in the US Army as Airborne Infantry

[Hyoujinsama]

Go Army! ^_^ My dad was army. Tons of respect, bro.

[Jeimuzu]

Yeah, Im proud of my choice and I have alot of respect from people from doing this. But me, I have alot of respect for you. You know what your doing and how it goes down. You share your knowledge with everyone. You sir, deserve more than what you get.

[hyubgaek]

Hey Mr. Kevin, people like you makes me love youtube so much! Broadcast yourself!!! Great vid! Can't wait to see more! Thx!

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks, my friend!

[JishinShugyosha]

This looks to be a great video serries. It will be nice to have the whole thing in my favorits when your done. I would cirtainly attemp this on my own with the help of your videos. Thanks :)

[Hyoujinsama]

Remember to be careful! ^_^

[JishinShugyosha]

Chicks dig scars :)

[crazycolerogers]

great job, cant wait to try this. it seems like the same principle can be applied to making a sheath

[Master293]

You are right, however, the saya doesn't need to be as tight.

[Hyoujinsama]

It is similar. The biggest differences are the size, and the fact that only the mune touches the inside of the saya. I'm not yet good enough to do a full saya from scratch.

[suirllinddracus]

don't screw it up... lol

[Hyoujinsama]

Haha! Thanks. I'll do my best, but knowing me... XD

[darkslyde504]

it would be really helpful if u could add a peice where you show how to carve out the cavity

[Hyoujinsama]

I'll see what I can do...but it's really tedious, boring, and takes a long time since I'm not using honoki. I do not think it would make a very interesting video.

[kfkonrad]

Excellent vid Kevin.

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks, Kris! The tsukamaki is going to be the real fun part.

[ironfisteagleclaw]

Very nice video my friend! Peace:)

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks, Lara Sensei! More to come.

[wizzbangtg]

Great video Kevin. It gave me some information that I was not aware of. I look forward to the entire series.

Thank you.

[Hyoujinsama]

Thank you, my friend. I'm glad I can contribute.

[karateninja56]

good video

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks!

[choopdewoot]

as always good very imformative video.the video picture quality isnt the best but it sure as hell aint the worst. if i paide you the money would you send one of those handles to me

[Hyoujinsama]

Sorry about the vid quality. I have it set on low to try to keep my upload time under...ten hours or something.

I could do a tsuka, but I would need to have the whole sword here to make sure it fit.

[XHolyPuffX]

Pretty good!

So..where did that upper scar come from?

Lol just kidding.

[Hyoujinsama]

Haha. Let's just say I had a stupid moment.

[masterchijuan]

i wish you luck, very interesting, i have been wanting to make my own parts for my swords and now i think i can. thank you. _/|\_

[Hyoujinsama]

Thank you. ^_^ Remember. Be careful!

[hentajus]

heh you rock bro! can't wait for part 2

[Hyoujinsama]

Nah. I just like messing around with stuff. Seriously, I wasted a lot of wood trying to get the techniques down.

[Xavnorris]

Great Video once again. :P

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks. :P

[erniesbudolab]

Great tutorial! Impressed with all your pre-planning to keep the pace moving. 5 stars.

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks, Ernie! This was partially enspired by your nunchaku tutorials. I'll be showing more of the actual hands-on work in the following vids. I didn't show much this time because...well...poplar is hard, and I'm sure no-one wanted to sit there for hours watching me scrape at the wood...and cuss...and hurt myself. Man, I need to break down and get some good tools like you.

[erniesbudolab]

I actually like working with hand tools. I feel I have more control. And, with power tools "whoops" usually means you've removed too much. I've had lots of whoops moments. While in Massachusetts, I picked up some old shipwrights tools. So, I'll be making use of them pretty soon.

[Hyoujinsama]

Ooh...yeah. I know the "whoops". When using power tools, that's too common, I guess...and usually, it's akin to a heart surgeon "whoops"ing. For the piece of wood, at least.

[bhc123456]

excellent vid... Keep it up...

5/5

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks. ^_^

[BroMatthias]

Hey Bro! I really love your videos, and now you are going to show, how to make a tsuka? That's really awesome! With me being a carpenter, i even have quality tools, and some experience at hand. Now all i need is a blade, LOL!

5 shuriken!

[Hyoujinsama]

Nice! You should give it a shot...being super careful, of course. ^_^ And yes! You must have a blade! XD

[smilingmatthias]

Have you been using a wooden hammer to carve out the wood with the "sharp tool" (I don't know, how it's called in english), did you pushed it? Also i would'nt advice you to work with the sharp side to your body ;)

[Hyoujinsama]

The sharp tool is "chisel". ^_^ And I have been pushing it away from me. I just manage to hurt myself by accident, anyways.

[TaeIeon]

This video is really great ;)

[Hyoujinsama]

Thank you. ^_^

[taehapgum]

You make learning very easy kev & this is a skill i really need to learn & perfect doing to one day customize my dream blade, also handling a sword i really need to be able to do repairs for myself. A huge thank you friend.

[Hyoujinsama]

Thanks, Mark! I'm glad you like it. I'll be showing samegawa application and tsukamaki next in this series. ^_^

[taehapgum]

Kev what can i say but WOW that will be unreal.

[Hyoujinsama]

WOAH!! WE STILL OWE YOU A VID!! O_o

Sorry...off topic. Haha.