Our courses take place in our workshop in Halnaker and will be based on the following course schedule.

Students arrive at 8.00am and we have a brief chat with a tea or coffee before starting the course at 8.30.

There will be an introduction to the basics of a Japanese plane showing how they are constructed and what we will be aiming to do over the course of the day. It is a day that will require effort and elbow grease as there is no short cut to getting a beautifully working Japanese plane. It is considered a very important part of the craftsman’s working life in Japan and effort is a prerequisite to a good result.

During the first morning session the blades will be fitted into the wooden plane bodies, adjusting the fit of the blade and how it sits in the mouth of the oak body. Care and time is required to make sure that the plane and its accompanying chip breaker are perfectly matched to the plane so that the blade is firmly held but not too tight.

This will take us through to lunch which is supplied and you can in advance choose from a selection of Japanese or non Japanese options along with a selection of drinks.

In the afternoon we will be sharpening the actual blade and the chipbreaker to try and achieve the best possible edge for taking tissue like shavings. Blades need to be flat to a very high tolerance as we will be aiming to take shavings that are microns in thickness so any deviation from flat means the plane will not be cutting uneven shavings. Once the back of the blade if flat and the chipbreaker tuned and matched to it then we will start to work on the front edge of the laminated blade.