Japanese chisels from a reputable maker offer a unique chiselling experience and, provided they are used with care, hold their edges longer than all but the best Western equivalents. The feel is unique and the handles for those series fitted with rear striking ferrules will withstand blows from light steel hammers.

There are laminated chisels - the majority of the range - and high speed steel chisels which are solid HSS.

Laminated Japanese chisels are fabricated with a very hard cutting layer of steel along the underside of the chisel cushioned by a layer of softer steel along the top. The underneath edge holding steel is traditionally made from multiple layers where the steel is hammered out, folded over, and forged repeatedly. The back faces of these chisels are scooped out in one or more scallops which aids the initial fettling process where the back has to be flattened and polished. Given the hardness of the material, this would be well nigh impossible to achieve if the whole back face was left to polish flat. In service the back face is honed and polished at each sharpening to keep the scallop from encroaching into the cutting edge.

Sharpening is probably best done on a flat stone and honing a micro bevel is in order. Using a rotary grinder (wet or dry) on the bevel face of the chisel is not a good idea because the resulting hollow grind can unduly reduce the support of the soft backing steel on the cutting edge especially if a smaller diameter wheel is used. The steel in the business edges of these tools is typically 3 to 4 points harder on the Rockwell scale than typical Western equivalents and offers edges which are lethally sharp and durable although also, inevitably, because of this hardness, somewhat more brittle than Western equivalents. These tools are not for opening paint tins with!

There are few subjects which cause more debate in woodworking circles than sharpening methods, but in my opinion Japanese waterstones are most appropriate to these tools, especially the HSS versions. Synthetic Japanese waterstones have a couple of vices, relative softness and a tendency to cup being the most obvious, which I suggest are far outweighed by both the quality of the polish on the cutting edge they produce and the speed with which they achieve it.

Finally, buy with care because there are now numerous cheaper rip-offs of Japanese chisels available. It is also true that because of the mystique surrounding these tools in Western markets, a diminishing value for money rule applies at the stratospheric price end of this market where rarity and the reputation of the master smith become to mean more than they perhaps should assuming the tools will actually see use.

If you are interested in Damascus style steel, high end chisels, please email for price and availability but please be seated when you read the pricing, a set of 10 chisels will be in the vicinity of AUD$3,500.