Fall 2026
October 10-11

Class size: 10
Cost: $450
Materials: $50

Many are intrigued by the allure of Japanese woodworking, but it can be hard to get started or wade through the sea of information available today. Nothing beats hands-on practice along with gentle guidance when those questions start to pop up. Learn to set up and sharpen chisels, and try your hand at cutting joints with these traditional tools.

In this two-day class, there will be plenty of hands-on practice with tool setup, sharpening, and practice in laying out and cutting a simple mortise and tenon joint. We’ll start by truing up your water stone, and basic setup and sharpening techniques on your own chisel. We cover removing and resetting the handle, fitting the handle ring, preparing the back, dealing with the hollow ground, blade angle, and subtleties of honing with Japanese water stones. Sharpening is done by hand with no guides in the traditional manner. 

Next, we will spend time getting acquainted with some basic layout so that we can start working with Japanese handsaws. These saws have become ubiquitous in the past decade, even for many Western woodworkers. This speaks to their design, ease of use, and efficiency. This class will utilize common, replaceable blade-type saws that are widely available. Traditional Japanese saws are wonderful, but they are increasingly rare and costly. They require special sharpening ability and must be sent back to Japan for such service. Replaceable blade saws are far more accessible, and you don't have to worry so much if you break a tooth or kink a blade while you are still learning. 

With chisel and saw in hand, we will cut out a simple mortise and tenon joint to begin to understand how these tools work. Learn a few methods for chopping out a mortise by hand, and practice splitting a line with the pull stroke of a handsaw. Fit the joint by hand with your chisel and marvel and the simplicity and efficiency of these tools that have stood the test of time. Learning to work these tools is a lifelong practice. Start today and begin to embrace the subtleties of their setup and use.

Tools 

Required

Please read the Japanese Tool Guide from Raphael

• 12mm bench chisel (Please ensure that at least one of your chisels is a new Japanese-style in order to practice setting the handle ring )

• Metal hammer 

• Sharpening stones - 1000 grit and 8000 grit

• A bucket or bin for holding water stones 

• Notepad and writing implements

Suggested

The school will provide many of these tools, but if you already have any of the following tools, feel free to bring them along. 

• Japanese handsaws 

• Kannaban or lapping plate 

• 3000/4000 grit sharpening stone

• Any of your preferred layout tools, such as squares, straightedges, marking gauges, etc.

Prerequisites

Open to All - Open to beginners who are just getting started, as well as experienced woodworkers who are expanding their knowledge of Japanese hand tools. Most importantly, this class is heavily focused on handwork, building strength, awareness, and sensitivity. Patience and humility are valuable traits for success. This class is a prerequisite for Dale Brotherton’s Japanese Tansu Cabinet course, if taken in conjunction with the Intro to Japanese Planes course.

Class Information and Registration

Classes run 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Saturday through Sunday in Building 304 at Fort Worden. Map. Read our What to Expect page for general information about the school and our course Registration Policy. We highly encourage you to sign up for the waitlist if the course is full.