The "best" marking knife?

[Jim Barrett]

Since I have been concentrating on my DT's I have been experimenting with marking knives. I have a LV marking knife that I purchased many years ago and I find it is just too sharp plus it is a bit too thick. hmmmm....I remember Rob Cosman saying to use a swiss army knife....well I was looking around in my desk the other night and came upon a real small one that heavens knows where I got it from...anyway I have been using it on my dt's and it works great. Not too sharp and not too dull....just right! The lines are great and I can usually split the line in half with my saw...believe me I am not the one that would skimp out on a nice tool...marking knife or whatever...but so far this knife is really making my marking duties a whole lot easier.

Jim

[Robert LaPlaca]

Well I also have the Veritas marking knife, which I don't fine very useful for dovetails either, kind of too big and bulky.. So I bought a really 'fancy pants' marking knife, which I really dislike more than the Vertias. My favorite tool is still a $7 X-Acto handle with a #11 blade. Never tried the Swiss army knife, hum..

[Roy Wall]

Since I have been concentrating on my DT's I have been experimenting with marking knives. I have a LV marking knife that I purchased many years ago and I find it is just too sharp plus it is a bit too thick. hmmmm....I remember Rob Cosman saying to use a swiss army knife....well I was looking around in my desk the other night and came upon a real small one that heavens knows where I got it from...anyway I have been using it on my dt's and it works great. Not too sharp and not too dull....just right! The lines are great and I can usually split the line in half with my saw...believe me I am not the one that would skimp out on a nice tool...marking knife or whatever...but so far this knife is really making my marking duties a whole lot easier.

Jim

I hear you Jim. I've been using a $3 paring knife that I dulled the blade on a bit..left a good clean edge for me to see. I think I have a little swiss around here somewhere too to check out.

Nice DT Joint!

[Rick Erickson]

You are spot on Jim. It works great - I just wish the handel was a little longer. RC is suppose to be coming out with his own but until he does I'll stick with the trusty swiss army knife.

BTW - very nice dovetails.

[John Keeton]

Jim, looks like another marketing promo ad pic!! You need to send that one to Victorinox so they can market one more use for their knives!:D

Very nice DT, too.

I use the thin BS marking knife, dulled, and it seems to be just flexible enough for me to get a good close line.

[Jim Barrett]

John maybe I should tell them I used the knife to cut out the dovetails :D

Jim

[Rick Erickson]

I use the thin BS marking knife, dulled, and it seems to be just flexible enough for me to get a good close line.

John, I have a blue spruce as well as use it for really skinny pins because of the thin blade. It is a very nice marking knife but I find it a bit to sharp for most dovetail operations. I just can't bring myself to dulling it. That is where the swiss army comes to the rescue.

[Jon Toebbe]

You guys prefer your marking knives to be a bit dull? :confused: I use the Pfeil spear-point marking knife they carry at Woodcraft for most marking chores. I can see it being too fat to sneak into really skinny pins, but I don't generally go for the London-pattern dovetails. Plus, my dovetails stink, but that's a topic for a different thread. :p

What's the advantage of a dull knife? It seems like it would tend to follow the grain. What am I missing?

[glenn bradley]

X-Acto knife works great. I lost my SAK oh, so many years ago or I'd give it a try ;-)

[gary Zimmel]

Most times I use my BS marking knife that has a ultra thin blade.
But thats not why I'm chiming in.

That is one great looking joint Jim....

[Jim Barrett]

Gary thanks...was cutting some 1:4 dovetails today...

Jim

[Callan Campbell]

I gave up on a really bad Crown knife, and bought a Chester Toolworks Knife last year. Much smaller, more useable handle than the Crown. And, being made of wood, the handle stays warmer to my touch than a metal X-acto knive would in my basement shop.

[Jim Koepke]

Darn, here I have at least three of the small size Swiss Army Knives and never tried them. Instead I made a marking knife from an old plane blade and another from a piece of saw blade. Oh well, those both work well and I don't have to dig through all the junk in my pocket to find them.

jim

[Van Huskey]

Well I also have the Veritas marking knife, which I don't fine very useful for dovetails either, kind of too big and bulky.. So I bought a really 'fancy pants' marking knife, which I really dislike more than the Vertias. My favorite tool is still a $7 X-Acto handle with a #11 blade. Never tried the Swiss army knife, hum..

I agree on the #11, cheap and I just replace the blade so no time sharpening.

[Eric Brown]

I like to use Glen Drakes kerf starter instead of making knife lines. Using a knife just seems like extra work. You align your guide, make your mark, and then you have to try to keep your saw aligned with the mark. The kerf starter uses the guide but then cuts a kerf the same width as your saw. When you go to cut, the saw literally falls into the kerf with near perfect alignment.
I seem to be one of the few who actually like the Glen Drake method.

Eric

[Rob Luter]

I have an older Veritas Striking knife as well as a Czech Edge Kerf Cadet. The striking knife is quite robust and works well for most layout needs. With its narrower blade, the Kerf Kadet is my go-to when laying out dovetails. I saw the Glen Drake system in action at the Lie-Nielsen event in Cincinnati last year and it looked pretty effective.

http://www.leevalley.com/images/item/woodworking/markmeasure/05u0701s2.jpg



http://www.czeckedge.com/images/product_photos/kadet_upgr.jpg

[george wilson]

You could easily make your own . Just use a piece of old hacksaw blade ground like the Veritas and turn a handle..

[Pam Niedermayer]

Yeah, how about just a "good enough" marking knife. There's no way you'll be able to choose an absolute best, but you can choose your best for your uses.

Pam

[Gary Benson]

Man Jim, you are going to be named the "King of Neanderthal Haven" with all your recent activity. I also have a Blue Spruce thin knife since I do like the thin pins, but what ever works the best for you is the "best". It is sharp and flexible, but after a little practice, I like the way it works. It really is a matter of knowing your set up, then practice for consistency.

Keep up the good work. Try a few boxes for practice, they are really cool projects and take the dovetails up to the next level.

Gary

[Jim Barrett]

well when you don't work....what else ya going to do? Boxes, yes...my wife thinks the dt cutoffs would work for door stops :)

Jim

[paul cottingham]

The veritas knife is nice for those of us with hands too large fro an xacto knife.

[John Sanford]

I use a Blue Spruce, although I'm not using it for dovetails yet. One huge improvement for any marking knife would be flats on the handle. My BS took a rollllll off the bench onto the concrete. I wasn't quite quick enough to get it. (Went off the far side, so no toes were harmed in the process).

[John Keeton]

What's the advantage of a dull knife? It seems like it would tend to follow the grain. What am I missing?Jon, I think it is actually the other way. With a somewhat flexible blade, a slightly dull knife will press down the wood fibers on end grain, and leave an indentation that is a little more visible to those of us "long in the tooth." That wouldn't include Jim, of course!;)

[Rob Luter]

You could easily make your own . Just use a piece of old hacksaw blade ground like the Veritas and turn a handle..

True story. I made one prior to buying. The blade portion was simple, but lacking a lathe I sandwiched the blade between two sticks of rosewood that I glued together and then carved to make the handle. It's not as pretty as the others but it works very well. Here's a group shot for comparison:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4045/4378209549_e19d8b994e_b.jpg