Tachibana 65mm Hikohki-Ganna

Translatable as "aeroplane plane", the Hikohki-ganna earns it's name from it's wings - but there are a number of things that make it special.

This is a specialised plane used in the preparation of stock to repeatable and specific thicknesses. To do so, the sides if the plane block are rebated, and a wing is added on each side that extends beyond the base of the plane. These wings can be slid forward or backward to adjust the height that the blade is held above the bench, and locked off with the large phillips-head screws.

Two more noteworthy features live on the base of the block. The most important is the spring-loaded bamboo bar in front of the mouth. This helps when working thin pieces of timber that are prone to bending while being worked. The prevents them from lifting up as the plane is pulled through the cut, helping to prevent undersized pieces.

The second feature on the bottom of the plane is the insert in the mouth, which presents end grain to the cutting surface and will make the mouth very hardwearing. 

Of course, the blade itself is a hand-forged blue paper #1 by Takeo Nakano-san, the very same smith behind our beautiful Kamiwaza kanna.

We hope to have the time to tune one of these kanna and put it through its paces on a project, however, we have a couple of observations to begin;

• This plane will require a flat surface to work on.
• With the wings in their lowest position, the smallest timber this plane is capable of working is about 4.5mm thick. We plan to shim underneath the material to produce thinner sections.
• The largest section the plane will be able to work without shimming the wings is about 15mm. 
• The bamboo bar and spring can be removed in order to tune the sole of the plane. This seems a sound move before first use.
• We have had a specimen on display in our shop, and observed that there has been movement in one wing. Re-truing the wings will also be required through this plane's life.

Our plane with out-of-true wings is now our demo model and has been removed from stock. We suggest you let your kanna acclimate to your shop slowly, far away from an air conditioner (unlike ours). 

Dimensions:
Block Length: 273mm, 321 inc wings
Block Width: 88mm, 100mm inc. wings
Block Thickness: 37mm
Mouth Width: 60mm
Blade Length: 110mm
Blade Bedding Angle: ~38 degrees