Japanese Carpentry Workshop

The Basics

• Safety glasses
• Hearing protection (it can get loud with many people hammering at the same time)
• Several no. 2 pencils or mechanical pencil
• Tool box or tool bag
• Battery-powered work light (optional, see example here)

Required Carpentry Tools

 

1.) Ryoba saw, 210mm

210mm saw blade length is our recommendation. A ryoba has crosscut teeth and rip teeth on opposite sides of the blade.

• Ryoba saws on Hida Tool
• Ryoba saws on Kurashige
• Bessho Jiro brand ryoba saw (recommended brand, but usually difficult to find) on eBay

2.) Bench chisels: 6mm, 9mm, 15mm (oire nomi)

The 4 most useful widths for our class will be 6mm, 9mm, and 15mm. Chisels are divided into different categories, depending on their intended use. Bench chisels (oire nomi) are shorter in length, useful for smaller dimension material and general woodworking. Tataki are stouter, have a longer length and are made for heavier use. Because we will be using relatively smaller dimension material, smaller chisels (oire nomi) will be much easier to use and more precise. Prices can vary widely. Comb through these choices and choose based on your budget and preferences. Prices vary widely, but the bar for quality is generally high across the board. Avoid high speed steel (HSS) tools.

• Chisels on Covington & Sons
• Chisels on Suzuki-ya
• Chisels on Kurashige Tools
• Chisels on Hida Tool

3.) Hammer (genno)

Hammers are available in a variety of weights. Somewhere between 350-575 grams is preferable. Don’t forget to buy a handle. If possible, please try to fit your handle in advance — you can ask Ziggy for advice. You can also wait until you arrive. We’ll have tools available to help with handle fitting.

• Osho hammer from Suzuki-ya
• Touroku Round Hammer on Kurashige (this was our 2023 recommended genno head)
• Touroku Octagon Hammers on Kurashige
• Oak hammer handles on Kurashige (any size will work, they all need to be reduced to fit)

4.) Square (sashigane) — 50cm x 25cm and 10cm sizes

Essential for layout. Please get one with a mm/cm scale in both 50cm x 25cm size and 10cm size. We have a few extra 50cm sashigane available here.

• Shinwa 50cm x 25cm ($47 version) on Suzuki-ya
• Shinwa Chohou Stainless Steel Carpenter Sashigane 50cm 10373 (Kurashige), or Shinwa Chohou Stainless Steel Carpenter Sashigane 50cm 10370 (Kurashige)
• Niigata Seiki SK CM-10KD — 10cm sashigane, please make sure you are selecting the 10cm version

5.) Sharpening stones

At minimum, students should bring 1x 1000 grit, 1x 8000 grit waterstone, and 1x 400 grit diamond plate. We will be teaching a special “3 stone” method of sharpening. If you want to learn this “3 stone method”, please bring 3x 1000 grit water stones.

• 1000 grit King Stones on Kurashige (best price around, good choice if you want to learn the 3 stone method)
• 1000 grit King Stones on Woodcraft
• 8000 grit King Stones on Kurashige
• 8000 grit King Stones on Highland Woodworking
• 400 grit Atoma Diamond Plate on Kurashige or ChefKnives2Go (alternate flattening method)

Optional Tools

 

1.) Dozuki crosscut saw

210mm saw blade length is our recommendation. A dozuki is a type of backsaw used for precise cuts. Buy one saw with crosscut teeth.

• Dozuki saws on Kurashige
• Dozuki crosscut saws on Suzuki Tool
• Dozuki crosscut saws on Hida Tool

2.) Additional bench chisel sizes

Example: 18mm, 24mm, 30mm

3.) Kanna (plane)

If you already have a kanna and would like some setup and sharpening advice, please bring it along. It will not be necessary for any of the joinery, but Jon and Yama-san will be able to offer setup assistance.

4.) Chouna (adze)

5.) Broad axe