The Japanese Paring Chisel
The Japanese paring chisel shown here was purchased from Japan Woodworker for me by my friend Matt Hayden, also a budding luthier. The chisels are extremely durable and very sharp. They are made one at a time, by hand, by a master forger in Japan, in much the same way as the revered Samurai Swords are made. The shaft has a gentle curve just before it turns to the blade prtion of the chisel. The laminated blade is hollow ground to allow effortless cutting through the hardest and densest of woods. Here is a brief description of the process:
"Best quality "white" steel is forge welded by hand to wrought iron, and after a period of curing, each blade is carefully tempered to Rockwell
c63 degrees to produce a hard cutting edge with a durable core."
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