a small keyhole saw is easily modified to become the effective ice carving tool known as the “Junichi saw.” And sorry, it doesn’t seem like I was paying much attention to the camera focus in this post. Maybe I should shelve my dreams of becoming a product photographer 😬
updated 8/4/23 with seo and minor additions when it was added to the new site
the amazing little Junichi saw
I find the Junichi saw to be one of the most useful hand tools for ice sculpting. Fortunately, the tool you make them from, the keyhole saw, is fairly inexpensive too ($12.75 USD right now), at least for an ice sculpting tool. That’s because I have a habit of losing them 🤦♂️ (Better that than a chisel!)
I learned about this tool and how to use it when I was a part of Junichi Nakamura’s team at the 2004 World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks. Once we started carving, one of the first things Junichi did was show me how to adapt the small keyhole saw into an effective carving tool. We made a right-handed version and a left-handed version. Then he showed me how to use the tool, demonstrating how the small saw is a highly effective and adaptive tool for shaping, smoothing, and texturing ice.
My first task with my new Junichi saws was to work on the back side of a giant eagle’s wing, using both left and right-handed saws simultaneously to quickly texture the large surface. The texturing would be very important later, acting to scatter backlighting to greatly enhance the visual and photographic presentation of the huge sculpture.
When I’m working on a face or some other sort delicate detail, I almost always use a Junichi saw at some point, especially when I’m working around the eyes or nose. It’s also great for fine tuning interior curves (or exterior curves, for that matter) and I often use it to draw on the ice as well.
To make your own Junichi saw, first you purchase a small keyhole saw from Icecrafters. Then, you break the tip of the saw off with a pair of pliers. After that, gently bend the entire length of the saw as shown. Use gloves because, not surprisingly, the saw teeth are sharp! (I regularly knick myself during setups with either this tool or another keyhole saw 🤦♂️) For a right-handed saw, you give it a bend to the left and for a left-handed saw, you give it a bend to the right (see the photos). Exactly how you bend the saw can be up to you, if you wish.
One of the things I noticed in Alaska was that Junichi had several different saws bent in different ways, according to what he needed. After you try the basic model, feel free to experiment. I’ve been told that you might need to heat the saw a bit if you’re going to bend it a lot, otherwise it’ll probably break.
break off only the very tip of the keyhole saw. You’re trying to create a sharp cutting edge at the tip that you can use to draw on ice with.
this photo shows the bend in a right-handed saw; a left-handed saw would be bent in the other direction. The small broken tip is at the upper right.
To use the Junichi saw, place the saw teeth on the ice and scrape towards yourself. You’ll find, with a bit of practice, that you’re able to do a lot of shaping with the little saw. The broken tip allows you to draw on the ice pretty easily as well.
I keep buying small keyhole saws and converting them to Junichi saws because I REALLY find this to be a useful tool. I almost always take one to set-ups because I can use it to fix little problems, match up weld edges, or even make a little coarse snow if I need to. Someday, I’ll go back and figure out how many of the little things I lost; I’m sure it’s a bunch…Anyway, thanks Junichi!
links and stuff
This post is listed on the ice sculpting techniques page, and you could also find photos and info from this entry on the ice sculpting secrets Instagram account or the facebook page. You can comment there as well as below. And if it won’t LET you comment below, then definitely comment on fb and/or IG. Thanks!
