Zen-Wu Tool Steels

Literally and figuratively, cutting edge technology.

We currently offer three types of tool steels for our plane blades, all of which are at the forefront of modern metallurgy.

ZW-V1 steel

Edge retention several times higher than A2 steel, exceeds all common PM-steel edges.

• No micro chipping on ultra-hard woods
• Uniform steel crystal, can be sharpened to an ultra high degree
• Mirror finish on both hard and soft woods
• Our experiments (on European beech) detect sharpness decrease starting at at least 0.62 miles of continuous planing, with best experimental results reaching 1.55 miles depending on the board.

ZW-V2 steel

Edge retention nearly double that of ZW-V1.

• Minimal micro chipping on ultra-hard woods
• Uniform steel crystal, can be sharpened to a very high degree
• Mirror finish on both hard and soft woods
• Edge retention is even superior to ZW-V1, while still having hardness at HRC 61-62.
• Our experiments (on European beech) detect sharpness decrease starting at at least 1.24 miles of continuous planing, with best experimental results reaching 2.8 miles.

ZW-V3 steel

Planing experiments pending, initial tests show even higher edge retention and hardness than ZW-V2. Stay tuned.

Cheers,

Luke