The ubiquitous symbol of the craft, but also the impenetrable riddle: the Japanese hand plane, the kanna. Deceptively simple in design but requiring of the user a life long study. The reward is manifold: extreme smoothness, sheen and glow of the wood, and translucent shavings.
Join Andrew Hunter for four days of deep kanna skill building. Whether you are a brand new woodworker or have worked on several kanna you’ll leave this workshop with an increased ability, and thinner shavings. Students will focus on sharpening, adjusting the blade and fitting it to the dai, and adjusting the block to improve performance. Planing techniques, body position, diagnosing problems in the context of different materials, grain direction, and material size will all be covered. Advanced students may wish to get feedback on cutting a new dai for their blade, or repairing an old, chipped or dull blade with “tapping out.”
Guest Instructor: Andrew Hunter
Andrew Hunter
Andrew is a custom furniture maker based in New York’s Hudson Valley, specializing in traditional Japanese hand tools. A self-taught woodworker with over 20 years of experience, he teaches workshops across the Northeast and writes for Fine Woodworking magazine, sharing insights into Eastern woodworking principles and techniques.
Topics Covered
Blade adjustment and fitting
Blade sharpening
Block conditioning
Block to blade fitting
Planing techniques
Grain direction
Planing wide boards
Planing less-than-ideal boards
Fixing problems with kanna or blade performance
Tapping out the blade
Dai cutting
Included with Tuition
Meals Included - This workshop includes breakfast, lunch and dinner on each day with the exception of the last day, where only breakfast and lunch are served. Meals are typically brought in or cooked family style.
Prerequisites
None, come at any skill level.
Required Tools
The following tools are required to get the most out of your experience. A loner may be available but not guaranteed. During checkout you’ll have the option to purchase tools for this workshop, additionally, your confirmation will have a link to purchase them before the workshop, subject to a cutoff date.
A Japanese hand plane
Your sharpening system or:
1000 Grit water stone
6000 Grit water stone
Diamond or similar flattening plate
Optional Tools
Wooden mallet
Scraper plane
Dai Scraper
Bed Scraper
Straight edge
Chamfer plane
18mm Chisel
Small tapping out hammer
Register Below
Begin your registration process below. You’ll have the option to purchase required and optional tools for pickup at the workshop. Your confirmation email will also provide a link to purchase these tools before the workshop.
Reminder that this workshop occurs at the same time as the Fall Japanese Woodworking Bootcamp and just prior to the Fall Timber Frame Workshop, which has bundle deals available at it’s event page.
If you do not see a registration box below, refresh the page.
Please kindly review our class and workshop policies at the link below:
For events lasting more than day we offer limited guest rooms and rustic camping:
For recommended tools for this class and your woodworking career: