About IBC Tools — Canadian-Made Woodworking Tools Since 1997
Same steel. Same craftsmen. Same commitment to the cutting edge.
IBC Tools began in Toronto in 1997 as Industrial Blade Company. Founded by Brian Rabinovitch, the company was built around a straightforward idea: the performance of a woodworking tool begins with the blade.
Today, IBC Tools is a Canadian, family-owned manufacturer specializing in premium woodworking chisels, replacement hand plane blades and chip breakers. From raw steel to the finished cutting edge, IBC blades are manufactured in our Toronto facility.
The Blade Is the Tool
Whether it is a chisel or a hand plane, the cutting edge is where the tool meets the work.
IBC blades are made from AISI high-vanadium A2 tool steel and heat treated through a process that includes full stress relief, triple tempering and cryogenic treatment. Finished blades are hardened to 60–62 Rc for the balance of edge retention and durability demanded by serious woodworking tools.
It is the same focus on blade performance that has guided IBC since 1997.
Woodworking Chisels Designed Differently
IBC manufactures bench, mortise, paring, butt and skew chisels for applications ranging from everyday joinery and chopping to controlled fine paring.
IBC's patented chisel construction combines characteristics of traditional tang and socket designs. A rigid steel connection provides control at the cutting edge while allowing the wood handle to remain interchangeable across compatible IBC chisels.
The result is a chisel designed around the blade first: precise in the hand, rigid under load and built for work at the bench.
Replacement Hand Plane Blades & Chip Breakers
IBC's blade-making experience extends beyond chisels.
We manufacture premium replacement hand plane blades and matched blade-and-chip-breaker sets for a range of traditional and modern bench planes, including compatible models from Stanley, Record, Lie-Nielsen, WoodRiver and Qiangsheng.
IBC replacement blades are designed for woodworkers who want to improve the cutting performance of a plane they already own; from restoring a vintage Stanley or Record to upgrading the blade in a modern bench plane.
Made in Canada
IBC Tools remains closely connected to where it started.
Our blades are manufactured in Toronto, Canada, where we control the processes that determine the performance of the finished cutting edge; from machining and heat treatment through grinding and finishing.
That direct approach to manufacturing gives us control over the steel, geometry and tolerances of the tools carrying the IBC name.
Made in Canada. Built around the blade.
Independently Reviewed at the Workbench
Over the years, IBC woodworking tools have been independently evaluated by respected woodworking publications and craftspeople.
Fine Woodworking reviewed IBC bench chisels in Issue #261 and IBC skew chisels in Issue #272. IBC tools have also appeared in Good Woodworking and Woodcraft Magazine, including coverage of IBC's chisels and matched plane blade and chip breaker system.
These independent reviews have put IBC tools into the hands of experienced woodworkers who evaluate tools where their performance matters: at the workbench.
Read More About IBC Tool Design →
Nearly Three Decades of Blade Making
IBC has been manufacturing woodworking blades since 1997.
Tools and product designs have evolved over that time, but the principle behind the company has remained remarkably simple:
The blade is the tool.
Start with the steel. Control the heat treatment. Get the geometry right. Finish the cutting edge properly. Build everything else around it.
That is how Industrial Blade Company began, and it is how IBC Tools continues to make woodworking tools today.