Kiridashi

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Kohai999

Kohai999

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Pronounced Ki di-dashi.

Here is a Japanese made Double-Beveled 3/4˝ Laminated Blue Steel Western Pattern woodworking Knife forge laminated by blacksmith Mr. Ikeuchi. Following in the time honored tradition, he hammer forges together soft low-carbon steel and "blue" high-carbon steel. Each blade is then individually tempered to RockwellC64 to guarantee a long lasting edge. Average blade length is 6¼. Generally speaking, a serious woodworker or carver will have a variety of blades in several sizes.

This is the general-purpose utility knife of many in Japan.

Here are two by Murray Carter, his Muteki line laminated steel, and the one on the bottom is forged from a piece of very high carbon steel, and is tempered extremely hard by Ed Schempp. The top one was purchased from a fellow Forumite and handled by me in mortised wenge wood, with a right handed Shining Wave mokume gane' overlay....this was a bitch because I had to drill through the tang for the pins and tap for the screws. The second one is a simple wrap of epoxied nylon paracord. The Schempp piece was handled by me in Rock Maple.



Thought you fellas might appreciate what real kiridashi look like....not the sliver of steel with a simple chisel edge that so many seem to be calling kiridashi lately. These are all very affordable, the Japanese version is about $30.00, and the Muteki's and Shempp would be less than $150.00. The Japanese do generally leave them without handles, tho.

Here is a Jason Knight picked up last year at Blade.....wasn't going to include it as it is so comparatively upscale, but is is too nice not to share. Great damascus with an amber stag handle....a great value in the mid $300.00 region:


Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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i always wanted a kiridashi from murray....thanks for sharing....they are great little knives....ryan
 
Very interesting thread. As a woodworker myself (my day job) I can see many uses for a small kiridashi. What is the usual manner in which a Japanese woodworker would store or carry one of these? Or is it less a do-all type blade and used for specific purposes?
Is the Schempp piece hollow ground?

Nice pieces.
 
SBranson said:
Very interesting thread. As a woodworker myself (my day job) I can see many uses for a small kiridashi. What is the usual manner in which a Japanese woodworker would store or carry one of these? Or is it less a do-all type blade and used for specific purposes?
Is the Schempp piece hollow ground?

Nice pieces.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

The use them as marking knives(to scribe lines and patterns), chip carving, figural carving, cut off a little bit of this or that.

Sometimes they do this:


But I imagine usually just carry them in a leather or more likely canvas carry sheath. Murray makes a nice tooled leather belt sheath for his, but as I use mine as desk/bench knives, sent them back to him for re-use with another customer.

The Shempp piece is flat ground, to a zero bevel originally, I'm just a crappy photographer.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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Good post STeven - and cool little knives. I don't do any woodwork / carving to speak of, but I have owned a couple knives in this genre and always appreciated them from an aesthetic / design point of view. They also represent an affordable way to own a custom forged blade, as your examples illustrate.

Stuart - if you feel inspired to make one, give me a shout.

Roger
 
Good education on this style of knife (including how to pronounce it).

Murray's blades look great and I like what you did with the handle on the first one. Thanks for the thread, STeven.
 
I'd like to see more of your handiwork some day Mr. Garsson
 
Lorien said:
I'd like to see more of your handiwork some day Mr. Garsson
Click to expand...

Thanks Lorien, I seem to remember you asking that same thing a while back.

Just happen to have completed this Maori Fishook this week, It is left over from a piece of stainless Devin Thomas ladder pattern damascus that Tom Krein used to build me a chef's knife. It is the second piece of jewelry that I have ever made, and I'm not too happy about the etch. There are three just-under 1/16" inlaid pins of 14k rose gold at the bottom. It took about 6 hours to make this.



If you have never used a kiridashi, it is an excellent tool, and with your interest in hand-work on tight budgets you might really like to use one. The Japan Woodworker's Store carries a number of excellent and affordable versions, and I can recommend them.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
that's a nice piece Steven, you seem to have a knack for it. Good eye for flow, bro:thumbup:.

And thanks for the tip, I'll check out that store. There's probably tons of cool stuff in there.
I don't know why I haven't caught on to this design exactly, seems right up my alley. Will Leavitt made a knife for me awhile back that was kiridashi-esque in spirit if not in form. Looks like a great knife design for leather work as well as wood. Especially the first one you pictured, but that Knight piece is schweet.
I think I'll make one when I get a chance, (got a few chunks of steel in a pretty good size for it)- great jumping off point for that, this thread. Thanks!
 
Thanks for the post about these little gems. I've always admired these but never owned one. The fist time I saw one it was from Jimmy Fikes but I never got one for my collection. That fishhook is really neat, impressive effort. Now about your photography....

Win
 
Thanks for showing the Knight piece and your Maori fishhook. Like Lorien said, you really got the flow there.

To Lorien, don't look at Japanwoodworker's site.. it's designed to take your money, lots of it. :p:p

There are many many tools there I would dearly love to purchase. :D
 
Thanks for sharing these with us Steven.
Nothing like having the right tool for the task at hand.
 
Steven, I have no real education in the world of Japanese knives,
but I know one thing for sure: their pure functional beauty and the
amazing art and tradition that lies behind these knives, make my
pulse quicken every time I lay my eyes on one...

Thanks for the short lesson!

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)
 
I love making dashis... I love that first laminated one. Simple and elegant.. The epitomy of 'wabi sabi'. I've always wanted to make a wrought laminated one and I just did the other day. Lovely tools...
 
I generally dont refer to my, or other makers work as "pieces", but what you got going on here, I might slide on in to that category
 
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