Fall 2026
October 17-18

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 Japanese hand planes, and marvel at the miraculously thin shavings and unmatchable surface finish left by these traditional tools.

In this two-day class, there will be plenty of hands-on practice with tool setup, sharpening, and practice in pulling shavings. We’ll start by truing up your water stones, and basic setup and sharpening techniques on your own hand plane iron. We will cover preparing the back using the uradashi technique, tapping out the steel with hammer and anvil, refining the back using a steel kanaban, and the subtleties of honing and polishing with Japanese water stones. Sharpening is done by hand with no guides in the traditional manner. 

Next, we will solidify our understanding by repeating a similar process with the chip breaker. This often misunderstood component is very helpful at almost eliminating tearout. After fitting the chipbreaker to the main blade, we will learn to assess and fit our sharpened blades into the wooden plane body. Optimal performance is reached with careful paring or scraping of the bed. The Japanese hand plane is deceptively simple, and we will help to dissect and address the finer points to get your plane working. 

With our blades sharp and well-fitted, we will turn our attention to the block itself. Unlike most Western planes, the bottom of the Japanese handplane requires multiple reliefs to function optimally. We will cover a few different methods for removing material, including a specialized scraper plane and simple card scrapers. These planes require regular adjusting over time, but once they are in the proper condition, you will be amazed at how they perform. 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

• New Japanese hand plane - 48mm minimum width

• Metal hammer - octagonal head is best

• Sharpening stones - 1000 grit and 8000 grit

• A bucket or bin for holding water stones 

• Notepad and writing implements

Recommended

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

• Tachi-ba ganna (Japanese scraper plane) or card scraper

• Chisels - 12mm to 36mm will be most useful (3mm might also be helpful)

• 3000/4000 grit sharpening stone

• Kannaban or lapping plate 

• Precision straight edge

• Square

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 Chisels and 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.