A piece of high carbon agricultural steel turned into a specialized Japanese wood chisel for carving the interior of a scabbard.
A saya nomi is a special type of wood chisel for carving out the inside of a wooden scabbard and handle. It has a longer shaft with an offset and curved corners for cutting smooth inside radii. This one was hand forged and finished with hand filing and differential tempering. Instead of the traditional steel band for use with a hammer, I made the handle larger and rounded the end so I can use it as a push chisel.
Though I have made several cold and hot chisels for the shop, this is my first wood chisel. Sharpened to #4000 on a Japanese water stone, I am pleased that it cuts well and has greatly improved my workflow in making saya. The high carbon steel blade is a reclaimed harrow tooth that was unsuitable for a knife, the ferrule is a scrap of pipe, and the handle is a piece of alder driftwood. The blade is about just under 11mm (7/16″) wide and the overall length is about 9.75″.
Material: Reclaimed harrow tooth steel, steel pipe, alder driftwood
This tool is currently in use in the workshop, order a similar saya-nomi here.
