Watch a Japanese Hand Plane Shave Wood Into Translucent Strips

By Michele Debczak |

Japanese artists have a way with wood: They can use it to make thick, fibrous paper called washi for origami, or, on the other end of the spectrum, they can shave it into filmy strips thinner than a human hair.

In the video above, spotted over at Sploid, you can watch as Japanese woodworkers use a hand plane, or kanna, to shave layers of wood as thin as possible. The result is a delicate, gauzy material only 8 microns thick. For comparison, the average sheet of paper measures in at about 100 microns [PDF].

Creating strips of fibrous filo dough out of wood isn’t the end goal of the shaving process. Rather, it’s meant to leave a smooth finish on wood products without distorting the natural patterns like sandpaper does. The bizarre leftovers are an added bonus. Take a look above.

[h/t Sploid]

All images: I Am Stankoff/YouTube

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