JTA History and Reviews

Japanese Tools Australia was founded in 2009 by furniture maker Christian Timbs. Christian's experience training and working in England, Tasmania and Japan made him well acquainted with the virtues and traditions of Japanese tools. Initially Christian offered Australian woodworkers a small selection of Japanese saws, sharpening stones and chisels from his workshop in southern Sydney.

Japanese Tools Australia has since expanded with a knowledgeable team and stock more than 1000 unique, hand chosen products to be used by professionals and hobbyists in the pursuit of their creative vision, with more constantly being selected.

JTA stands behind the quality of every one of our products and know that we offer our customers the best woodworking tools possible, whether their application be for students, enthusiasts or tradespeople. Centuries of tradition and experience lay behind Japanese toolmaking and woodworking culture, and we are proud to bring these stories to Australia and the world.

Based on 2984 reviews
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Sunchild Dozuki - 240mm
Kerry P. (Sydney, New South Wales)
my first serious saw

the saw is very beautiful and sits nicely in my hand. i have only used it once so far. takes a while to get used to it. i expected it not to need so much push as in videos it always looks effortless....
a beautiful clean cut.
i am very pleased. i may need to get the rip saw one and a flush cut as well.
thank you for your friendly and helpful advice.
kerry

s
TOYO Bonded Leather Accessories
sharon c. (Adelaide, South Australia)
The perfect addition to all your Toyo Steel Toolboxes

These insole sheets and magnetic partitions are the perfect addition for your Toyo toolboxes. I have both the insole sheets and the magnetic partitions. Seriously good, excellent quality products.

J
Centre-Marking Rulers
John O. (Sydney, New South Wales)
Brilliant

A+++++++++ should have had one years ago.

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Centre-Marking Rulers
Mark W. (Sydney, New South Wales)
Zero contre mark

Talk about thinking outside the square!!
What a brilliant idea!!
This makes equidistant markups just so easy; I now use it every day
Mark Wilson

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Hangi To Woodblock Carving Knife
Andrew (Sydney, New South Wales)
Carving knife

Fantastic little tool, perfectly fits in your hand. Quality knife giving a perfect finish, couldn’t be happier.

A
Gouken Arata #5000
Andrew (Sydney, New South Wales)
Sharpening stone

Quality product, easy to use with an amazing finish to the tool

A
Sarae-nomi Woodblock Chisel - 18mm
Andrew (Sydney, New South Wales)
Woodblock chisel

With the great advice from the staff I bought this chisel and it’s fantastic. Great quality, fits perfectly in the palm of the hand. Totally recommend the tools from Japanese Tools!

Miracle Tool

Wouldn't be without this one, light to handle, sharp makes gardening MUCH easer

Very pleased!

Heavy/sturdy, lots of storage and looks great! Put some cardboard inside to reduce noise and it's a breeze.

Z
TOYO Cantilever Toolbox GL-350 B (Blue)
Zac (Melbourne, Victoria)
A work of art to store your tools

This is so incredibly well made I feel bad putting anything greasy, sharp, or dirty inside it, which is difficult because I bought it to store tool sharpening supplies. It securely holds all my stones in the bottom, then stone holder and strop safely in the tiered sections.
The smoothness of its action compared to my other, generic hardware store tiered toolbox is hard to describe.
The handle is ideal, the two full length bars that also open the toolbox, it's really smart design.

N
Japanese Joinery by Dorian Bracht
Neil H. (Brisbane, Queensland)
Japanese Joinery

I have finally purchased this book and glad i did. It has everything i wanted plus more to challenge my skills with my Japanese tools. Thank you JTA for having it in stock. I will send photos when i get to attempt some joints.

P
Shinto Saw Rasp E1201 Medium & Fine - 200mm
Peter, A. (Adelaide, South Australia)
Great wood file

Great product. Ideal for cleaning up dovetail extensions. Fine and medium is all you need. I ground the teeth smooth on the pointed ends and that eliminated scratching of the flat surface

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Craft Art Knife (Blue Wrapped Handle)
Magda K. (Hobart, Tasmania)
Beautiful art knife 💙

I ordered an art knife from JTA and absolutely love it. The blue-wrapped handle makes it really comfortable to use — but also gives it that special beauty that Japanese tools are known for. It cuts cleanly and feels like an extension of my hand. The whole experience was great: fast postage, no issues, and lovely service. I’ve always loved Japan, and somehow using this knife makes the act of making art feel a little more grounded and special. Very happy with my order.

Excellent rasp

Best tool I have bought for years.
I used this rasp for finishing shaping the Huon Pine transom on my Somes Sound 12 1/2 clinker wooden sail boat.
Used firmly it removes timber very quickly but then used lightly allows very accurate finishing to the awled pin prick marked from the pattern to a flat finish.
Peter.

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TOYO Trunk Shape Toolbox T-190 P0 (Living coral)
Mike V.D.Z. (Canberra, Australian Capital Territory)
Nice TOYO steel tool box

These tool boxes come wrapped in cardboard which is much nicer than plastic. You can cut down the cardboard to make a nice liner inside the box. It is a great gift for kids first tool box, artist tool box, bike kit, keepsakes etc. Much more sustainable and beautiful than plastic boxes. It will last sooo much longer too.

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TOYO Camber-top Toolbox Y-350 BK (Black)
Mike V.D.Z. (Canberra, Australian Capital Territory)
Awesome TOYO toolbox

These tool boxes are awesome. Can take a small padlock. Built to last a longtime. Packaged well in cardboard only. I cut the cardboard down to make a liner for the inside of the box. The camber top does not tip over as easily as the flat top which is great. Makes a great present for kids first tool box, keepsakes, petty cash tin or toolbox. It's great to buy a tool box not made of plastic and not from the Big box store ;-)

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KATANABOY Folding Saw - 500mm
Wayne R. (Sydney, New South Wales)
Incredible Saw

I use this saw out 4x4 camping when it is required either for fire wood or clearing tracks etc

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Charged Camellia Oil Applicator
Zac (Melbourne, Victoria)
Incredibly useful

This is a clear step up from using a cloth and an oil bottle, it being all in one is just neater to keep in the kitchen. I'd love to find one that isn't plastic, a nice metal bottle with this kind of wick setup would be even better, but this 100% does what it's designed to do.

K
Ryuzo Bronze Hakkaku Hammer 375g
Kane-o (Sydney, New South Wales)
Sturdy and beautiful.

I work as a heavy diesel mechanic. This come in handy when I need to bash stuff without causing too much damage to sensitive parts. From hub seals to hand brakes. Hammers the fellas in the workshop always want to borrow.

Hopefully my treatment of these beauties is not to egregious :)

Beautiful finish, excellent craftsmanship

Beautiful finish, excellent craftsmanship. Holds a good amount thanks to the lid shape.
I recommend adding the liner so tools don't clang on the base.

Awesome little box

These are so well made. Simple, but impressive. A piece of its own packaging cardboard cut to size makes a good liner for the bottom. The outer coating is perfectly applied and seems durable.

M
Kamiwaza Smoothing Plane - Aogami #1, 70mm
Matt T. (Adelaide, South Australia)
Go for it!

Will do everything you would want a kanna at this price point to do. Glassy finish and translucent shavings. A pleasure to use.

p
Vintage Tool Roll
paul s. (Sydney, New South Wales)
Perfect garden tool bag

The vintage tool roll is now my. Est gardening companion. I can fit all my various hand tools neatly into their own sections. The rolling makes it compact and easy to carry to my garden plot - love it!

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KATANABOY Folding Saw - 500mm
Greg (Perth, Western Australia)
Excellent Service, Excellent Saw.

Very happy with service provided by JTA, quickly responded to initial enquiry, attractive pricing, quick delivery to regional Western Australia. Have only used once so far, tested out on a large 35cm Jarrah Log. Bit over the top, but it got the job done, will be perfect for its intended use on jobs under half this size.

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Gardening Sickle
Dianne D. (Melbourne, Victoria)
Useful + 100

I couldn’t do without this tool, perfect for scraping weeds and digging out the deeper ones. It and the hori hori are my go to tools for nearly every garden job.
Having the right tool for the job makes everything so much easier.
JTA is the best and has nearly every tool for every job. Great quality and value every time.
Now I just need to convince you to make a deep metal soil scoop to use when repotting!