Make a Japanese Toolbox

Make a Japanese toolbox in this class, which is designed for both beginning and intermediate-level students of Japanese woodworking techniques. Beginners will learn some of the  basics of Japanese tools and ways of working wood, which are very different from those that evolved in the West. Intermediate students will brush up on techniques and learn more complex joinery to incorporate in their boxes.

The toolbox  is designed to safely store and transport hand planes, hammers and chisels. But you can use yours for any number of purposes. The box will be made of yellow cedar and will be pproximately 10 inches wide, 20 inches long and 6 inches tall. It will have a sliding lid that locks into place without hardware. To hold the parts together, beginners will use copper nails — but with a clever twist developed by Japanese carpenters that keeps them from popping out. More advanced students will make mortise and tenon joints.

You will learn:

• how to sharpen the chisels and plane blades, by hand on water stones.
• how to dress the wooden plane bodies with a scraper plane and set the blades with an octagon hammer.
• how to flatten and square the wood with a hand plane.
• how to lay out the pieces and cut them accurately to size, using Japanese squares and saws.

Materials

Prerequisites

Class Policies

Instructors or Guides