Bonsai Tools

Brian Van Fleet

Pretty Fly for a Bonsai Guy
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I started to use sphericals last year and I like the combination effect. I don't know how long they have been on the market, but I like them on smaller branches, although nothing will replace the knob cutter on larger stubs, well maybe a dremel ;)

Definitely, cut it off with the concaves, and clean up the cut with the knobs! Dremmel good; Roto zip with a flex shaft and some Dale Cochoy bits...SWEET! Only wish it had variable speed.
 
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Concave cutters are indispensable IMO. Concave cutters are much easier to perform a flush cut in one motion.

I like reading that I might be able to start using my concaves to cut wire! Recommend the standard black metal or stainless?

Learn how to use a die grinder before you reallocate their use. ;) It's not for everyone... One has to get over the desire for large flush cuts before they can let go of them... Some enthusiasts never do... and there isn't a thing wrong with that either. :D

I'd definitely go with black though... holds a better edge. :p

Kindest regards,

Victrinia
 

grouper52

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I guess I'm still posting here occasionally. I thought I left.

This is the extent of my currently in-use tool collection.

1. Cheapo wire cutters from Lowes.
2. Cheapo folding hand saw from Home Depot.
3. 6' San Angelo bar from local feed store :D (for pulverizing & prying rock when collecting, but also for general fantasies of mayhem and SHTF scenarios - don't mess with me!)
4. Dewalt die grinder (with deadman's paddle) - armed with a 3/8" core box router bit - from some on-line hardware store.
5. $8 Chinese jin/wiring/nose-hair pliers from Ebay.
6. Big bruiser root hook bought in some ancient eon in a galaxy far, far away.
7. Okatsune "heavy duty" gardening handsnips, 8.5", from Stone Lantern - my only Japanese tools, and these not even specific for bonsai, just gardening shears.
8. A pair, right and left, of Dan Robinson bonsai carving knives (no longer available, folks - sorry).
9. A little pair of tweezers.
10. A little hemp brush.
11. A few cheap paint brushes from HD.
12. One of those cheap little round sifters.
13. A little orange plastic tool box from HD or Lowes to store my tools in.

I actually do own some medium grade concave cutters of some sort, but haven't used them for years except sporadically, and not for their intended purposes. I think I may also be in possesion of a small knob cutter and a small trunk splitter, if by "in possesion" you mean, "I think I remember seeing them somewhere among my junk within the last decade".

FWIW. :)
 
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I started to use sphericals last year and I like the combination effect. I don't know how long they have been on the market, but I like them on smaller branches, although nothing will replace the knob cutter on larger stubs, well maybe a dremel ;)

Dear one... if your larger stubs only require a dremel, we gotta get you some bigger trees...lol

V
 
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g...

And you have some killer trees to boot.

(Welcome back... You missed a good time with jersanct, but I hope you had fun too.)

V
 

Rick Moquin

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LOL Miss Vic (as the late Mr Behr would say)

I have the Joshua Roth intermediate kit. I have used them all with the exception of their leaf trimmer. The kit came with a root rake that I do not use on roots but use to scar the soil surface as required, I guess I could use a fork ;) I do like the end of the rake which I use to depot my trees.

To that kit I have added: a set of sieves, an absolute necessity; a knob cutter which I like the way it hollows a wound. I use it even if I'll create a uro later. I just like the way it defines the wound; a small concave cutter which I absolutely adore for getting into tight spots; a set of very pointed shears for same reason (long reach), although I do use my fiskars for that job quite often; root pruners; spherical cutters which was a Bday present that I absolutely adore; trunk splitters same Bday; (hey what do you buy a man that has nearly everything ;) ); a set of nose hair scissors (Shoppers Drug Mart) for pruning the delicate foliage of my Hinokis, they do a fabulous job. The only stainless tool I own; a set of mechanical advantage loppers; and this year I have a large pair of concave cutters coming along with a large bender/squeezer (got bigger trees, with bigger branches) I was pretty close to the limit, no I am at the limit with my intermediate set.

A collection of chopsticks for root work, I like to feel the tensional flex of the chopstick when untangling roots. I made my own root pick years ago, single prong for the really stubborn ones. For some who are reading, once our trees grow in a good bonsai substrate and trees are repotted at recommended intervals, untangling roots becomes easier with subsequent repottings.

A dremel and die grinder. Edit: From the woodwork shop.

Why do I use bonsai tools? Well, as Brian stated above I like the angle of attack of the tool on any given bonsai. I also have a small set of side cutters (read mini) for 1 and 1.5mm wire. I also have a few Japanese woodworking tools for the workshop, why? Once again their functionality in comparison with the functionality of "normal" tools, makes the task easier.

Mis Vic you will also be pleased to learn that I have a set of carving hooks coming. The noise of the dremel drowns out my Japanese tunes which I play when working on my trees :p I like to loose myself in my surroundings when working on my trees.

This may seem like extravagance but it is not, those who know me think I am quite frugal, always finding ways to find more than one use from something. If the proper tool for the proper job is used, regardless of the application, included but not limited to bonsai, work becomes effortless.

Some folks hate mowing their lawn and buy a ride-on, I look at it as a walk around the yard, or the glass is half full. The only time I hate mowing my lawn is after a period of rain (read more than 3 days, as the lawn requires mowing every three days) because the rain normally interfered with the mowing schedule and hence what is/was on my agenda.
 
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My only lament is when someone will give up the opportunity to have something like this...

boxwoodcarving.jpg


...by using tools which create what I preceive as predictable results in a tree. But then again my friend... it's always about one's goals... mine have been different than the main for some time. I get completely charged up by deadwood and old to ancient gnarly forms. I am the product of my education. Others who have learned to create juvenile and moderately mature forms, would not see the vaule of what that photo represents.

(That tree is not mine btw... but rather one of the one's I work on that belong to Daniel.)

But I totally respect that people enjoy what they do... even if I wince a little at what I see as missed opportunities. (Which is by no means a commentary on any of your work, it is a general statement.)

I too have long shears for getting into tight places... Daniel gives me hell about them all the time. lol His tool roll has a lot of unused things as well... the things he does use is limited because there is nothing he wants to do they can't accomplish... jin pliers, his custom carving knives, garden shears, die grinder, dremel, and occasionally a saw. That's it. (I'd list the concave cutter for the wire, but as often as not both he and I just skip that and use our shears for that.) It all boils down to the one of the things he believes quite fervently... that tools are but a means to an end, not the end. So whatever gets it done the way you want, so be it. Just enjoy the end result. :D



Kindest regards as ever,

Victrinia
 

grouper52

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g...

And you have some killer trees to boot.

(Welcome back... You missed a good time with jersanct, but I hope you had fun too.)

V

Hey Vic!

Is jersanct your friend? If so, I assume you made it by, and I assume Zenah was not here. Hope your friend enjoyed the visit.

Actually, BTW, my trees haven't formally trained as killers, but they do have good instincts. :D

Will
 

Smoke

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My only lament is when someone will give up the opportunity to have something like this...

boxwoodcarving.jpg


...by using tools which create what I preceive as predictable results in a tree. But then again my friend... it's always about one's goals... mine have been different than the main for some time. I get completely charged up by deadwood and old to ancient gnarly forms. I am the product of my education. Others who have learned to create juvenile and moderately mature forms, would not see the vaule of what that photo represents.

(That tree is not mine btw... but rather one of the one's I work on that belong to Daniel.)

But I totally respect that people enjoy what they do... even if I wince a little at what I see as missed opportunities. (Which is by no means a commentary on any of your work, it is a general statement.)

I too have long shears for getting into tight places... Daniel gives me hell about them all the time. lol His tool roll has a lot of unused things as well... the things he does use is limited because there is nothing he wants to do they can't accomplish... jin pliers, his custom carving knives, garden shears, die grinder, dremel, and occasionally a saw. That's it. (I'd list the concave cutter for the wire, but as often as not both he and I just skip that and use our shears for that.) It all boils down to the one of the things he believes quite fervently... that tools are but a means to an end, not the end. So whatever gets it done the way you want, so be it. Just enjoy the end result. :D



Kindest regards as ever,

Victrinia

While I respect this photo and all you guys are doing up there we must talk about the tree for a moment.

When I look at the picture the first thing that struck me was that I was looking at a boxwood. The second thing that struck me was that there are no parrallel lines in that photo. For most people that is something not easily had. Most box when taken from urban settings will not have the curvey almost gnarly look even before carving as this tree represents.

If we were to apply that type carving on a very straight and boring box, we might not have the effect shown here with so much drama. I agree about the carving though.The patina of age is nearly the most imnportant aspect of bonsai and not nearly enough emphasis is given to this evdeavor.
 
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My friend...

Then we have come full circle to another thing which I know we agree on... Work on good, and when able exceptional, material.

All this conversation about tools is pretty moot without that. And you are correct on many scores... it's a 100+ yo box collected from NYC in the 80s I think... so about 30 years of training off a stump... and all of those non-parallel gnarly branches were grown that way... and yes putting interesting dead wood on a humdrum box would be rediculous indeed.

You should come to my convention in September... I'm coming to yours in October... (already bought the plane tickets)... then we could talk about non-parallel branches on a massive scale, you won't love all of it, but there are trees there which will make you giddy as a school girl... err.... boy.

Just turned out the club newsletter... time for bed... nighty night... :)


V
 

Rick Moquin

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My only lament is when someone will give up the opportunity to have something like this...

boxwoodcarving.jpg


...by using tools which create what I preceive as predictable results in a tree. But then again my friend... it's always about one's goals... mine have been different than the main for some time. I get completely charged up by deadwood and old to ancient gnarly forms. I am the product of my education. Others who have learned to create juvenile and moderately mature forms, would not see the vaule of what that photo represents.

That is an interesting photograph for a point you are trying you convey. My lament if any, is perhaps anyone who conforms or pursues one style. I am not one that can clearly express himself at times but I'll try my best here.

As Al pointed out the knarliness of the branches in the photo is quite evident (which they are). The patina on the deadwood evident as well (in some areas, and that I like), the tool marks are also evident, and that is something I am not fond of. Is there a plan at a future date to refine the area? If so then that would be fine. I have seen many of Dan's trees (not in person mind you) some I like and some I don't. This should not be considered a put down, but merely an observation as I think the same way of many artists: Walter, Kimura, Lenz, etc... including but not limited to Robert Steven to name a few.

So what style will I have down the road? My own, and that is going to be a good or bad thing. I have pretty much found my direction now it's a matter of refining it. The style I am developing if you can call it that is, taking the positives from the various artists and combining them while leaving behind the negatives. I hope this makes sense.

But I totally respect that people enjoy what they do... even if I wince a little at what I see as missed opportunities. (Which is by no means a commentary on any of your work, it is a general statement.)
I know what you mean Vic and knew it was a generalization. On the other hand the opposite can become quite true.

What I would like to see and would find terribly exciting and would welcome the opportunity (it will never happen) is to see an identical tree, I mean the same tree photocopied and replicated, and then have that stock developed by let's say 10 different artists and see the outcome. That would be absolutely fascinating. As each artists have their individual brush strokes it would be interesting to see the similarities if any in the final results.

The patina of age is nearly the most important aspect of bonsai and not nearly enough emphasis is given to this endeavor.

... absolutely no argument here.
 

grouper52

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You should come to my convention in September... there are trees there which will make you giddy as a school girl... err.... boy.

And buy the book while you're there, Al! :) Over seventy such masterpieces by Dan, presented in large, often huge, photos - both formal and macros - that show off his genius.

Will
 
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One can not have a style without pursuing it. :)

When you see a tree by a particular artist, the way you know it's theirs without even seeing a name is because elements are consistent no matter the tree they work on. So to lament the pursuit of a style is to choose not to have a unique one. Deciding what elements to include in one's work is usually more the trick than anything, but only the pursuit brings about something which eventually becomes a hallmark that can be named to them. It is the evolution of the artist... so as you define yourself, you too will create things which someone in the future may borrow or discard, but at least you had the opportunity to be an influence. :)

Daniel's methods are not entirely mine, which makes for some interesting exchanges when he challenges my vision. He would tell you have I an over fondness for foliage which belies the age of the tree. I choose to pursue a different vision than the spartan virtue of a tree hanging on to life by mere threads, but still honoring that which is venerable and ancient within it. So while we don't always agree, I am profoundly grateful for that influence.

As to the carving on the boxwood, yes, it still needs refining... I expected it would be noted, as Eric and I remarked on that very fact when I posted the comment. I know you are well aware of my intention with it though, so I was not concerned that the point would be lost displaying it.

I agree with you about the 10 artists comment... that would truly be fascinating.


Kindest regards,

Victrinia
 
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