The JTA Blog

  • Silky Saw User Guide

    Silky Saw User Guide

    Did you know that cutting on the pull stroke requires less energy than pushing and gives you more control over the action of the saw? The Japanese have always used...

  • Using the Shinwa NEXT Saw guides - Japanese Tools Australia

    Using the Shinwa NEXT Saw guides

    Shinwa's Next Saw Guides are the table saw you can fold up and take with you. Unlike a track saw, they need no extra attachments to register square on sheet...

  • About Star-M Precision Tools - Japanese Tools Australia

    About Star-M Precision Tools

    Established over 100 years ago in Miki city, Japan, STAR-M specialise in the production of drill bits and are the preferred brand amongst Japanese woodworkers. Chronology 1923 Motoji Kobayashi started...

  • Why use a Ryoba saw? - Japanese Tools Australia

    Why use a Ryoba saw?

    The ObviousAs with all Japanese saws, Ryoba saws cut on the pull stroke. This means that the blade is under tension as it cuts, and is pulled straight as it...

  • The World's Best - Japanese Tools Australia

    The World's Best

    What could you achieve if you spent your career focused on one task? If you worked ten hours a day, six days a week, on one craft and one job,...

  • Japanese Coaster DIY Project - Japanese Tools Australia

    Japanese Coaster DIY Project

    Making this set of 4 Japanese drinks coasters is a great simple introductory project. Perfect for kids and first-time woodworkers. Made from cypress and handcrafted with the traditional Japanese technique...

  • Build a Traditional Japanese Wooden Toolbox - Japanese Tools Australia

    Build a Traditional Japanese Wooden Toolbox

    Watch the instruction video in Fullscreen mode here. At JTA we are keenly aware that there are many barriers to woodworking - fundamentally, the limitations of time, money and space will...

  • Sanjo Blacksmith Dojo - Japanese Tools Australia

    Sanjo Blacksmith Dojo

    Dear Christian-san,We are sorry to inform you that we can no longer supply <one of your most beautifully crafted tools> due to the retirement of the smith. So goes the...

  • Echigofuruzai Iguchi Lumber Co - Japanese Tools Australia

    Echigofuruzai Iguchi Lumber Co

    This would have to be one of the most amazing and biggest collections of reclaimed building materials from houses, shrines and Kura that we have ever seen. Definitely worth the...

  • Carving Spoon Blanks - Japanese Tools Australia

    Carving Spoon Blanks

    We have been lucky enough to come into possession of offcuts of Huon Pine. Those familiar with this precious golden timber will know that it is amongst the most slow-growing...

  • Marking and Measuring - Bonus Facet - Japanese Tools Australia

    Marking and Measuring - Bonus Facet

    The kiridashi is a beautiful tool. This year Hiroshi Yamaguchi, while running his box making class, showed us a little trick for making these amazingly accurate tools even more versatile....

  • An Apprentice Boat Builder in Japan - Japanese Tools Australia

    An Apprentice Boat Builder in Japan

    Japan's hand-crafted wooden boats, admired for their timeless beauty and precise construction, have a rich history in the island nation. Fearing that the techniques, designs and secrets of this trade...

  • Goto Island Bucket Making - Japanese Tools Australia

    Goto Island Bucket Making

    Traditional crafts in Japan are a beautiful but delicate thing. Our business relies on skills that, once plentiful, are increasingly the domain of a group of people that grows smaller...

  • Flattening Waterstones

    Waterstones are our preferred way of sharpening all of our tool and knife edges, however, there is a need to maintain waterstones during and after use in order to get...

  • Understanding the Japanese Saw - Japanese Tools Australia

    Understanding the Japanese Saw

      Japanese saws are distinctive from western hand saws in a few crucial ways, most of which rely on the fact that they cut on the pull-stroke. Since the blade...

  • Making the Most of Our Complete Sharpening Kit - Japanese Tools Australia

    Making the Most of Our Complete Sharpening Kit

    If you have recently purchased our Complete Sharpening Kit as an introduction to the world of hand-, jig- or waterstone-sharpening, congratulations! With a high quality ceramic Japanese waterstone and the...

  • Using Waterstones - The Essentials - Japanese Tools Australia

    Using Waterstones - The Essentials

    It is essential to follow a few basic principles to get the best out of any waterstone. Keep your stone flat by dressing its surface with a flat, coarse abrasive. Adhesive-backed sandpaper...

  • THE TSUBAME-SANJO FACTORY FESTIVAL - Japanese Tools Australia

    THE TSUBAME-SANJO FACTORY FESTIVAL

    You will find exciting new tools at the Timber shows next year Below you will find some pictures from this year’s festival.  Waterstones at Sanjo City Blacksmith Centre. Annealing copper...