Best Lee Valley Japanese Woodworking Knife

Known as kiridashi, meaning “pointed knife,” this versatile tool was traditionally used as a general-purpose woodworking knife. Practical for use in hand-cut joinery, it excels at marking, carving, whittling and fitting joints. Its single-bevel design lets you accurately scribe workpieces to one another, and the narrow tip works well for a range of tasks from chamfering pegs to scribing between dovetails.

The 21mm wide blade has a white steel #2 core hardened to Rc62-63 for good edge retention, and is laminated to a layer of softer carbon steel. This construction, combined with a hollow-ground back and wide bevel, makes it relatively easy to sharpen.

It’s available in left- and right-bevelled versions to accommodate handedness; however, having one of each lets you incise either side of a workpiece and carve both inside and outside curves without having to turn the project around.

Nearly 7 1/2″ long overall with a hand-polished finish, it comes already sharpened (although we recommend honing before use). An effective utility knife that’s sure to become a favorite. Made in Japan.