Best Lee Valley Japanese Dovetail Chisels

Known as umeki-nomi, these traditional tools are a versatile and effective choice for working into tight corners. Though they excel at removing the waste from between dovetails, their slim, triangular cross sections and narrow edges make them useful in other applications that involve working adjacent to a sloped surface.

The laminated blades combine a hard high-carbon Hitachi white steel face (Rc65-66) with a shock-absorbing softer steel back. Each is hand forged and finely finished by Takao Shibano, a third-generation master blacksmith with over 50 years of toolmaking experience.

Their slightly canted handles provide knuckle clearance when flush-trimming projections and paring recessed joints, and have pre-seated hand-forged hoops to help prevent the white oak handle from splitting when struck with a mallet.

Since these are hand made, they may vary in size by ±1mm. Available in widths ranging from 3mm (1/8″) to 24mm (1″) as well as a set of all six sizes in a cotton tool roll.