Lilac Handled Kiri

A hand planed lilac handled traditional Japanese hand drill for woodworking operations requiring fine control.

Island Blacksmith: Hand forged ironwork.

This piece was the answer to a need for a woodworking project we were creating for our home. The agricultural steel came from my great grandfather’s tractor shop in northern Alberta and the handle is a hand planed lilac branch from the brush pile. A copper wire wrap serves as a ferrule to keep the wood from splitting apart.

A kiri is a very simple hand drill still used in many traditional Japanese crafts today. There are several different types of bit for various applications. Because this was made with materials at hand it is not high carbon steel as I would normally use but works fine for softwood. The bit is about 2.5″ long, handle about 12″ long, and drills about a 0.25″ diameter hole.

Material: Reclaimed agricultural steel, copper wire, lilac wood


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