Japanese Carving Tools - Set of 5

This set of five carving tools offers the ideal introduction to Japanese carving tools and is suitable for use by carvers of all abilities. Very different in form to the familiar Western style carving tools, these tools are hand driven rather than mallet driven. The short blades are made from laminated steel. The back and cutting edge is blue paper steel, a durable high carbon steel alloy which is both hard and capable of taking a razor like edge. The top of the blade is formed using a softer, tougher steel that protects the blue steel layer. Each blade is mounted on a long, magnolia wood handle which is soft in the hand and very comfortable to hold.

Comprising Hirato, Into, Maruto, Asamaru and Sankaku profiles each carving tool measures 205mm in overall length and has 26mm long blades and the five tools are supplied in a kirkwood case.

The Hirato profile is very similar to that of a bevel edge carpentry chisel. This profile is most commonly used for smoothing and flattening rough surfaces. It has a blade width of 6mm.

The Into profile is a right handed skew and, like a skew chisel is used for cleaning out corners and hard to reach areas as well as making fine shearing cuts. It has a blade width of 9mm.

The Maruto is a gouge that features the deepest profile of all of the gouges offered and is used for cutting channels and flutes. It has a blade width of 4.5mm.

The Asamaru is a shallow gouge and is used for gentle hollowing as well as creating concave and convex surfaces. It has a blade width of 9mm.

The Sankaku is a V tool and is used for making deep, straight sided cuts and channels and can also be used for out lining and adding very fine details. It has a blade width of 4.5mm. ©