Japanese Hand Tools & Joinery

The Art & Artistry of Japanese Woodworking

Learn to understand and use woodworking tools with a lineage that leads back to the Samurai warrior.

East Meets West
This video is about the ubiquitous human activity of building with wood, and highlights common concerns faced by all woodworkers. By contrasting age-old Japanese tools, technology and techniques with the more common approaches in Western methodologies, the challenges, insights and options modern woodworkers face come into clearer resolution. Japanese woodworking expert Jay van Arsdale leads you through the history of Japanese pull saws, planes, chisels and more, and shows you the proper setup and techniques for these still-valid pre-industrial woodworking tools. Jay also shares information on a variety of unique woodworking joints, and shows you the tools in action.

• Discover the history & development of traditional Japanese tools
• Learn about traditional sharpening techniques & tools
• Follow along with the layout and cutting of Japanese joinery

Jay van Arsdale is a long-time California daiku. He is the author of Shoji: How to Design, Build and Install Japanese Screens, and is a contributing editor on The Complete Japanese Joinery. Jay is the founder of Daiku Dojo-a community service volunteer organization (www.daikudojo.org), and is a graduate of Centre College, Danville, Ky. and Mills College, in Oakland, California where he lives with his wife and daughter.