Woodworking Tools & Supplies
Tools for Learning and Life
Embarking on a journey in craft requires quality tools and the know-how to assess them. The Wabi Sabi School for Japanese Craft has partnered with Andrew Ren of Kanata Tools to offer premium tools that fulfil the requirements for our woodworking courses. They will not be the lowest cost options, but they are hand selected and tested by one of the most accomplished kanna masters in the world. I like to say “buy once, cry once.” These tools will deliver results and are sourced directly from highly reputable companies and blacksmiths in Japan.
Sharpening
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Diamond Flattening Plate Atoma
$84.37
The Atoma 140 Grit Diamond Flattening Plate is a coarse tool designed for aggressive material removal and precision stone maintenance. This Atoma Brand plate features precision-placed clusters of monocrystalline diamonds electro-bonded to a stainless steel sheet, which is mounted on a precision-flattened aluminum base. Its primary function is as a lapping plate, effectively and quickly flattening all types of whetstones (water stones) without wearing down or losing flatness over time. The geometric pattern of the diamond clusters is designed to prevent clogging and hydraulic lock while flattening stones, and the abrasive diamond sheets are replaceable. It is recommend you only use these flattening plates for surfacing your water stones and not for adjusting steel tools.
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$102.96
The Naniwa Hibiki 6000 Grit Sharpening Stone is a resinoid-bonded aluminum oxide stone made in Japan. This stone is known for its extreme hardness, durability, and resistance to wear, allowing it to maintain a flat surface for extended use. The 6000-grit classification places it in the fine-grit range, suitable for edge finishing to create a highly refined, smooth edge on blades. It is primarily recommended for sharpening woodworking tools, such as chisels and plane blades, and high-hardness single-bevel knives. The stone is a soaking type and must be immersed in water for 10 to 20 minutes before use. Water should be applied to the surface as needed during the sharpening process. For care, rinse the stone, wipe it dry, and allow it to air dry completely at room temperature; do not store it in water. Regular flattening is necessary to ensure optimal sharpening performance.
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$60.06
The Bester 1000 Grit Sharpening Stone is a medium-grit abrasive tool designated for general sharpening and edge maintenance. The 1000 grit level is used to refine the scratch pattern left by coarser stones, remove minor nicks, and establish a sharp working edge. This stone is typically employed as an intermediate step to transition the blade from a coarse grit (for fixing chips or severely blunt edges) to a finer finishing grit (for polishing the edge). It is suitable for regular touch-ups to maintain an existing sharp edge. This stone is a soaking type and benefits from a short soak before use.
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$77.22
The Chosera 400 Grit Sharpening Stone is a high-end, coarse-grit tool from the Naniwa Professional line. It is constructed with an aluminum oxide abrasive and a magnesia binder, resulting in a fast-cutting, hard, and highly wear-resistant stone. This 400 grit stone is purpose-built for aggressive material removal, making it ideal for repairing chips, removing nicks, fixing severely blunt edges, thinning blades, and rapidly establishing new bevels. It leaves a toothy edge and is known for producing a scratch pattern finer than typical 400-grit stones. The stone is a "splash-and-go" product and must be used with water as a lubricant. Prolonged soaking is not recommended; only a brief wetting or spraying is required before use.
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Chisels
Featured
from $341.77
The Wide tataki nomi Japanese timber chisel is a super premium quality tool made by the blacksmith Ouchi. This chisel is specifically used for both striking and pairing wood fibers, making it effective for cleaning up and refining joinery.
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from $127.27
The Soto Maru Nomi is a Japanese curved chisel (incannel gouge) with a convex, outward-curving cutting edge, designed for accurate shaping of curved and round work. The blade is traditionally laminated, with a hard high-carbon steel cutting layer forge-welded to a softer steel body to provide edge retention, support, and shock absorption.
This tool excels at cutting and refining curved surfaces, undercuts, and work executed at or near 90 degrees to the surface, and is commonly used in sukiya and teahouse construction traditions. It is particularly effective for dialing the final fit of scribe-fit joints, allowing precise adjustment where timber or frame members meet stone or other irregular surfaces.
The convex back of the Soto Maru Nomi makes it straightforward to sharpen, as the single-plane bevel can be honed directly on a flat sharpening stone, allowing for controlled edge maintenance and consistent cutting performance.
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$193.05
This is a standard 18mm Japanese bench chisel, or oire nomi, designed for versatility in general woodworking. The blade is constructed with laminated steel, utilizing a hard, high-carbon steel cutting edge forge-welded to a softer steel body. This composition provides excellent sharpness, edge retention, and resistance to impact while making the tool easier to maintain and sharpen. Its back (ura) is typically hollow ground to simplify the process of achieving a flat cutting edge. Equipped with a reinforced handle hoop (katsura), the chisel is designed to be struck with a hammer or mallet for waste removal and heavy chopping.
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$150.15
This is a standard 15mm Japanese bench chisel, or oire nomi, designed for versatility in general woodworking. The blade is constructed with laminated steel, utilizing a hard, high-carbon steel cutting edge forge-welded to a softer steel body. This composition provides excellent sharpness, edge retention, and resistance to impact while making the tool easier to maintain and sharpen. Its back (ura) is typically hollow ground to simplify the process of achieving a flat cutting edge. Equipped with a reinforced handle hoop (katsura), the chisel is designed to be struck with a hammer or mallet for waste removal and heavy chopping.
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$117.26
This is a standard 12mm Japanese bench chisel, or oire nomi, designed for versatility in general woodworking. The blade is constructed with laminated steel, utilizing a hard, high-carbon steel cutting edge forge-welded to a softer steel body. This composition provides excellent sharpness, edge retention, and resistance to impact while making the tool easier to maintain and sharpen. Its back (ura) is typically hollow ground to simplify the process of achieving a flat cutting edge. Equipped with a reinforced handle hoop (katsura), the chisel is designed to be struck with a hammer or mallet for waste removal and heavy chopping.
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$32.89
The Chisel Hoop Setter is a tool designed to adjust and permanently seat the metal katsura (hoop) onto the handle of a Japanese striking chisel. The primary purpose of the hoop is to reinforce the handle and prevent it from splitting when struck with a hammer. New chisels are shipped with a loose or barely fitted hoop, requiring the user to set it before use. The Setter is used with a mallet or hammer to distribute even pressure and drive the hoop down the handle, typically seating it typically 2–3mm (1/32"–1/16") below the wood. This process ensures a tight fit and prepares the wood fibers for the final step of mushrooming them outward over the hoop's edge to secure it in place.
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$125.84
The 15mm Tataki Nomi Japanese Timber Chisel is a professional-grade striking chisel designed for heavy-duty material removal and structural woodworking. This type of chisel is engineered to withstand repeated mallet or hammer strikes, making it an essential tool for cutting deep, square-sided mortises for mortise-and-tenon joinery, general joinery, and chopping tasks. It features a forge-welded blade, typically consisting of a hard steel cutting edge supported by a soft iron backing. Key design elements include a hollow-ground back (ura) to reduce friction during cutting and simplify honing, and a tapered blade profile for improved clearance during deep cuts. The handle, often constructed from Japanese oak, is reinforced with a steel hoop (ferrule) to prevent splitting from the impact of striking.
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$163.02
The 24mm Tataki Nomi Japanese Timber Chisel is a professional-grade striking chisel designed for heavy-duty material removal and structural woodworking. This type of chisel is engineered to withstand repeated mallet or hammer strikes, making it an essential tool for cutting deep, square-sided mortises for mortise-and-tenon joinery, general joinery, and chopping tasks. It features a forge-welded blade, typically consisting of a hard steel cutting edge supported by a soft iron backing. Key design elements include a hollow-ground back (ura) to reduce friction during cutting and simplify honing, and a tapered blade profile for improved clearance during deep cuts. The handle, often constructed from Japanese oak, is reinforced with a steel hoop (ferrule) to prevent splitting from the impact of striking.
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$127.27
The 18mm Tataki Nomi Japanese Timber Chisel is a professional-grade striking chisel designed for heavy-duty material removal and structural woodworking. This type of chisel is engineered to withstand repeated mallet or hammer strikes, making it an essential tool for cutting deep, square-sided mortises for mortise-and-tenon joinery, general joinery, and chopping tasks. It features a forge-welded blade, typically consisting of a hard steel cutting edge supported by a soft iron backing. Key design elements include a hollow-ground back (ura) to reduce friction during cutting and simplify honing, and a tapered blade profile for improved clearance during deep cuts. The handle, often constructed from Japanese oak, is reinforced with a steel hoop (ferrule) to prevent splitting from the impact of striking.
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Kanna
Featured
$28.00
A laser-cut stainless steel straight edge for tuning the dai (body) of a Japanese hand plane (kanna). A cutout near the mouth keeps the blade safe during use. A hole in the long end doubles as a hang point and removes weight to shift the balance point toward the back for a natural feel in hand.
A great starting point for beginners learning kanna setup.
$21.00
A hand-made, hand-ground scraper for fitting Japanese hand planes. One end has a broad tip for the blade bed; the other a narrow chisel tip for the sides of the blade groove. Grind a square edge, raise a burr, and scrape the dai (plane body) to seat the kanna (Japanese plane) blade correctly. Hardened 1095 steel.
Recommended but optional for students in our beginner kanna classes.
$29.00
Use this wooden mallet to maintain the proper setting of a Japanese hand plane (kanna). This mallet is specifically designed to adjust the kanna blade's position within the wooden plane body (dai). The tool is typically used by striking the back of the blade to advance it, or by lightly striking the end of the dai to retract the blade, ensuring precise control over the blade projection.
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$213.07
The Etsuoh Precision Straight Edge is a specialized tool for tuning a Japanese hand plane (kanna). It is designed to accurately check the bottom surface of your plane block (dai). Features include a small cutout, which ensures the kanna blade does not hit the straight edge during use, and an adjustable end stop for precise positioning. The tool is specifically intended for verifying the flatness of the kanna dai when tuning the plane.
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$170.17
The Yamamoto dai scraper is a specialized scraping blade, designed for the essential maintenance of wooden kanna bodies (dai). This specific model features a new design resulting from a collaboration between Kanata Tools and Yamamoto, utilizing a blade with a 6mm thickness. It removes minimal material, allowing the user to accurately adjust the contact points on the sole for optimal planing performance.
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$26.00
This Blade Fitting Scraper is a specialized woodworking tool constructed from hardened steel. By grinding a square edge a burr can be formed and used to carefully scrape away wood to fit the blade of a kanna (Japanese plane) to its seat within the plane dai (plane body). This fitting process ensures the blade is seated correctly for optimal plane operation.
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$283.14
The 64mm Yamamoto Kanna is a traditional Japanese hand plane designed for precision woodworking. This Kanna features a high-performance blade forged from Blue Paper #1 Steel, a premium high-carbon steel known for its exceptional hardness and superior edge retention. The Yamamoto name is associated with a multi-generational blacksmith family tradition.
The tool is typically used for the final smoothing phase of a wooden surface, capable of producing a glassy, polished finish superior to sanding. Unlike Western planes, the Kanna is operated by pulling it toward the user in a steady, controlled motion. The technique involves holding the plane with a light but firm grip and using a full-body movement to apply consistent downward pressure while pulling the plane, ensuring an even and accurate cut across the wood grain. When properly set and used, it produces ultra-thin shavings and an exceptionally clean, smooth, and water-resistant surface.
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$171.60
This is a 48mm Yamamoto Kanna (Japanese hand plane) featuring a blade crafted from Blue Paper #1 Steel. The Yamamoto blacksmith family is noted for their quality tools, and this Kanna is a recommended model for beginners to learn the essential setup and maintenance skills. The Kanna is a traditional woodworking tool designed for precision shaving to achieve exceptionally smooth surfaces. Unlike a Western plane, it is used with a pulling motion toward the user.
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Layout
Featured
from $50.05
This Sashigane is an L-shaped carpenter's square designed with metric (mm) markings on all edges. It features a stair step marking pattern to easily differentiate between the millimeter graduations. The Sashigane, or Japanese carpenter's square, is an indispensable tool used for measuring lengths, drawing layouts, and calculating angles. It is essential for accurately marking lines on material. This tool is often used with a sumitsubo (inkpot) or a sumisashi (marking pen) to scribe lines.
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$44.28
This scribing tool is a specialized instrument featuring welded stainless steel construction for durability. Its function is to accurately reproduce the contour of a surface onto a workpiece. The tool operates by positioning a pencil in a fixed relation to an adjustable point. This adjustable point traces the shape of a material, such as stones or timbers, while the pencil simultaneously marks the corresponding shape onto the material to be fitted against it, enabling precise scribe fitting and joint preparation.
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$71.50
This Sumitsubo Ink Pot is a traditional Japanese layout and marking tool, often referred to as an ink line or ink line reel, which functions similarly to a Western chalk line. This particular offering is a simple, compact plastic version, making it a good and affordable option for learning the technique, as opposed to the more elaborate hand-carved wooden equivalents. It comes supplied with cotton, ink, string, and a pin (karuko). The tool is used to mark perfectly straight lines over long distances on various surfaces, including wood and concrete. A thin line, spooled on a reel, is drawn through an inkwell filled with absorbent material (like cotton) soaked in sumi ink. To operate, the user secures the attached pin at the far end, stretches the inked line across the surface, pulls the line up, and releases it to snap a precise, indelible ink mark onto the material. The resulting ink line is significantly finer and less prone to smudging or blowing away than a typical chalk line.
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$35.75
A handy auto-retracting string line to be used in timber frame construction and general layout tasks. It is recommended to use a pair of these lines to effectively establish a flat reference plane when establishing centerlines on curved timbers.
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$71.50
The Twin Blade Kebiki Marking Gauge is a traditional Japanese woodworking tool designed for precision scribing and layout. This type of gauge utilizes dual single-bevel cutting blades to score clean, accurate lines parallel to the edge of the workpiece. The dual blades allow for marking two lines simultaneously, or one line if a single blade is retracted, and they are engineered to cut the wood fibers cleanly to prevent tear-out. The tool is commonly used to layout precise joinery, including dovetails, mortise and tenons, grooves, and rabbets. The scored line provides a sharp, visible reference that aids in the accurate positioning of hand-saws and chisels for subsequent cuts. The gauge features two adjustable sliding beams that are held securely in place with a thumbscrew to set the required width of cut.
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Saws
Featured
$78.65
The Hishika 240mm Ryoba Saw is a versatile, double-edged Japanese pull saw. The term Ryoba signifies the dual-edge design, featuring a crosscut blade on one side and a rip cut blade on the opposite side, making it a general-purpose saw suitable for a wide range of woodworking tasks, including deeper cuts, dimensioning wood, and joinery. The 240mm size is a standard, popular length for general work. This Hishika saw is noted for its quality at its price point, as the blade is hand tensioned and scraped by artisans, which results in a thinner, stiffer, and more accurate cutting instrument than a typical replaceable blade saw. This precision tool is also considered a good saw for beginners to learn the Japanese pull-stroke technique, where the saw cuts as it is drawn toward the user.
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$84.37
The Hishika 270mm Ryoba Saw is a versatile, double-edged Japanese pull saw, featuring separate teeth for rip cuts (along the grain) and crosscuts (across the grain). As a workhorse saw, it is ideal for general carpentry, dimensioning lumber, and making deep cuts, and the 270mm size is well-suited for larger projects or timber-frame joinery. This Hishika brand saw is hand tensioned and scraped, offering a quality upgrade over a replaceable blade saw and making it an excellent tool for beginners.
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Hewing, Hammers and Accessories
Featured
from $18.59
The Star-M Auger Wood Drill Bit is a Japanese-manufactured tool designed for clean and efficient wood boring. This specific design features a spur blade that severs the wood fibers before the scoop extracts the waste material. This mechanism ensures minimal blowout, which is a common issue with most auger bits available in the West. It is typically used for quickly and effectively removing bulk waste from deep holes or mortises, preparing the hole for final shaping and smoothing with a sharp chisel.
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$26.57
This centerline marking jig is a clear plastic instrument, precision laser cut and equipped with location marks. This tool is designed to assist in joinery layout on lumber, including both standard square and irregular timbers. It is typically used by quickly aligning its marks onto a desired centerline on the wood, which allows for efficient and accurate creation of joinery layout lines.
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$304.59
This is the chouna cutting head, a traditional, hand-forged carpentry tool used for surfacing and texturing wood. It features a sharp, cupped blade fixed to a flexible, often curved, wooden handle. The tool is designed to remove scoops or divots of wood from the surface in a single stroke, historically serving to flatten beams and boards after rough hewing with an axe. In modern practice, the adze is primarily employed to create a distinctive, decorative texture on timber and furniture, leaving behind patterns of repeating scallops or round scoops depending on the blade style. The handle's flexibility is key to its operation, allowing for rapid strokes where the blade enters the wood and then bounces out of the cut. Different blade shapes, such as straight-edge and various round-edge styles, are available to achieve specific finishes. Handles may be made from bent laminations, or specifically trained wood such as enjyu or rattan.
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$318.89
This general purpose carpenters hewing axe features a 140mm cutting face. This lighter weight version of the larger hewing axes make it suitable for users learning the hewing form. Handle included.
$70.07
The Genno Japanese Hammer has a head size of 150 Monme, which is equivalent to approximately 560 grams. This weight places it in the medium-heavy range, making it suitable for both general carpentry and heavier striking tasks, such as cutting deep mortises or working on timber framing. The Genno is a specialist double-faced Japanese hammer. One face is flat and is used for striking Japanese chisels (Nomi). The opposing face has a slightly convex or domed shape. This domed face is used for fine adjustments and setting nails, allowing them to be driven flush or below the surface of the wood without leaving marks on the surrounding material. It is also employed for "kigoroshi," a technique of temporarily compressing wood fibers for tight joinery.
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