This slick comes from the Fujikawa forge in Miki City, Hyogo, a region that has produced fine edge tools for centuries. The blade is traditional Japanese lamination: a thin layer of very hard Shirogami No. 2 white paper steel forge-welded to a softer body. The hard steel takes an edge plain steel cannot, the soft steel absorbs shock, and together they hold that edge through long paring sessions better than a Western framing chisel will.
Choose the 1-7/8-in (48 mm) or the 1-in (24 mm). Most American framers pick the wider one, since most joints are 2 in or narrower and the 48 mm lets you slick the end grain of a mortise in one pass. The handle is red oak on a tang with a steel ferrule; a hairline gap between ferrule and blade is normal and leaves room for the wood to move. This steel is hard enough to chip if it is pried or dropped, so it is not the slick we recommend for beginners or heavy hands. Like all slicks, it is pushed, never struck.
Specifications:
- Options: 1-7/8 in (48 mm); 1 in (24 mm)
- Blade length: approx. 115 mm (4-1/2 in)
- Overall length: approx. 580 mm (22-3/4 in)
- Steel: Shirogami No. 2 white paper steel laminated to a softer body, forge-welded
- Handle: red oak, tang with steel ferrule (a hairline gap at the ferrule is normal)
- Use: pushed, never struck; never pry; not for beginners or heavy hands
- Made in: Miki City, Hyogo, Japan by Fujikawa
