Drawknife sharpening jig

[Hilton Ralphs]

This looks to me like a seriously cool jig for sharpening drawknives.

Those who are making chairs, perhaps this may help.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Ik-fE79RE&feature=em-uploademail

[Bob Glenn]

Saw the video, and I am a big fan of Peter Galbert's, however, it seems like a gadget that makes life a little easier if you don't want to learn to sharpen your draw knives with existing methods. I wish the best of luck to Peter with sales, as we need to keep guys like him in business. I bought one of his reamers and it works better than the one I made myself. I'll be seeing him at Woodworking in America later this week.

[Tony Shea]

I personally think it is going to be a big hit. I do think that learning to sharpen a drawknife without this gadget is beneficial but this is a tool that many people have struggled with getting right. I am also a big fan of Peter and his videos have been instrumental in my woodworking skill development and inspiration. I have only recently been introduced to him and his methods of work but have since really learned a ton from him. The biggest and most useful thing I've learned from Peter is his jig for grinding a new bevel on a drawknife. Very simple idea but works incredibly well. I will probably never buy one of these tools but I can imagine a ton of people will find it extremely useful. I personally have finally become very proficient at getting a razor edge on my drawknives thanks to the grinding jig. I have about four vintage models that I've collected over the years and never could get them sharp enough for my taste. I wish Peter the best of luck with this new tool and honestly don't think he really needs the luck, it'll sell just fine.

[Steve Voigt]

It looks cool, and I am also a huge fan of Peter. Most of what I know about chairs comes from reading his blog. I can't wait for his book, coming soon from LAP.

I'm a little embarrassed to show this, but I will anyway in case anyone is looking for a low budget solution to drawknife honing. I built this jig this summer when I was spending entire days drawknifing white oak chair parts. I figure it cost me $3 to make (half of a $6 package of rare earth magnets from the borg).

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Above, there are 3 magnets that hold the tool, and two pieces of 3/8 oak dowel that serve as stops. Since my drawknife is slightly concave, the middle magnet is set deeper into the base than the outer two magnets.This works well, but if I did it again, I'd replace that middle magnet with a flat head screw, so that the height could be dialed in perfectly.



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To sharpen, I just snap the knife down onto the magnets and push the back up against the dowels. The base is stable enough that it can just sit on my bench, doesn't need to be clamped down.



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My sharpening media are 3 "paddles" I made out of scrap plywood, just gluing sandpaper to the bottom half. The sandpaper, obviously, rubs against the blade, while the upper half of the paddle registers against the fence (that way I don't wear out the fence).



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The last pic shows how it works. I used 400, 1000, and 2000 grit sandpaper, rubbing each grit against the blade for about 20-30 seconds. Really fast and repeatable.
The edge of my knife is more or less straight, but the design would work with a curved blade too--just make the fence curved.

Anyway, this obviously is not in the same league as Galbert's super-cool jig, but if you don't want to spend money, it's a solution that works.

-Steve

P.S. the 4 extra holes in the jig? In the machine shop, we used to call those "lightening holes." :D

[Hilton Ralphs]

it seems like a gadget that makes life a little easier if you don't want to learn to sharpen your draw knives with existing methods.
I've never used a drawknife before so I'm not aware of any existing methods. Just thought this looked well thought out and practical.

[David Weaver]

I'm a little embarrassed to show this,

That's the best kind of stuff to show...it doesn't require the rest of us to find fine wood to copy it.

( I usually bring the draw knife to the stone, vs. bring the stone to the draw knife, though, and if the latter, sharpen from behind. Your gadget does make it hard to get some slicing cuts on finger tips, though, since the bevel is right up against the jig).

[Jim Matthews]

If you freehand sharpen - always move the stone such that your hand travels from the back of the blade toward the tip.

Otherwise, your fingertips will find the freshly sharpened edge.
DAMHIKT

[Bob Glenn]

To chime in again, I always clamp one end, right where the blade turns into the handle, in a vise, then use S/C paper wrapped around a piece of wood back and forth on the blade. With the blade at about a 45 degree angle, I can sight down the blade as I stroke the sandpaper across it to assure the angle.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I'm odd man out here. While I have a lot of respect for Peter, this seems to me to be a solution in search of a problem. I have never had any problem free hand sharpening a drawknife and I have 4 of them not counting a couple of scorps. Actually, I lied, the first time I ever sharpened a draw knife it was quite hard to get right. I guess that my main take is that the jig fits into the same category as every "factory" made store bought gee gaw that the woodworking stores sell for the woodworker to perform simple tasks. We have become overrun with $20-100 jigs to do things can can be done with $1 worth of hardware, some wood scrap, and 10-20 minutes of work. You can't purchase your way to becoming skilled.

End Rant

[Jack Curtis]

I'm odd man out here. While I have a lot of respect for Peter, this seems to me to be a solution in search of a problem. I have never had any problem free hand sharpening a drawknife and I have 4 of them not counting a couple of scorps. Actually, I lied, the first time I ever sharpened a draw knife it was quite hard to get right. I guess that my main take is that the jig fits into the same category as every "factory" made store bought gee gaw that the woodworking stores sell for the woodworker to perform simple tasks. We have become overrun with $20-100 jigs to do things can can be done with $1 worth of hardware, some wood scrap, and 10-20 minutes of work. You can't purchase your way to becoming skilled.

+1, except that I'd bet BC will try to sell it for more than $100, just looks like an expensive piece of metal working.

[John Coloccia]

I guess that makes us the odd men out, Dave. LOL :)

Out of all the types of blades to sharpen free hand, a draw knife is about the easiest because it's very wide and very short. In other words, it's extremely easy to stay flat on the bevel even if you've never done it before. That's probably the first blade I got good at honing free hand, and I've since learned to do everything freehand.

[David Weaver]

You can't purchase your way to becoming skilled.

End Rant

I wonder if he teaches a lot of classes. It seems like the majority of stuff being newly made and marketed is devised as something to work quickly for beginners, whether it's methods or gizmos.... and a lot of it is peddled at classes.

[Norb Schmidt]

I see it both ways. Firstly, it is interesting that only recently has the drawknife garnered any attention (outside of windsor chairmakers). I don't even think we can blame this on the Schwarz/Popular Woodworking market effect - it seems as if more people are looking to use this tool. As such, people are looking for good ways to sharpen this very useful, but often poorly used tool. Freehand is good - but you have to be aware you could easily loose a finger (or tip...). So, anything that gets them sharp enough to use is good. And, while I agree expensive jigs aren't fully necessary, if enough people want them and are willing to spend their money on it - well who am I to judge their capabilities, skill levels, and time towards this task.

Dave's comment "You can't purchase your way to becoming skilled" - is unfortunately very true. That is also a reason why woodworking as a hobby is on the decline, and why more and more "gizmos" are being brought to the market to try and combat those issues. People are less and less forced to be good with their hands. And many older folks have lost some strength and dexterity needed to "freehand" everything.

[Chris Griggs]

Steve. I love your jig. I've never used a drawknife in my woodworking, but I have an old beater around that I would like to get tuned up. The edge is pretty bad and needs so serious regrinding. Your jig and some 80 grit PSA may be just the ticket. How could you be embarrassed to show that? It's fantastic and dirt cheap. So glad you posted it.

[Steve Voigt]

Thanks Chris, glad you like that jig!

I forgot to mention that I use the jig to put a secondary bevel on my drawknife. If yours is really beat up, I recommend hollow grinding first. I grind to almost a feather edge before I hone. Peter Galbert (again) has a really good homemade dry grinder jig for doing this. He has several versions: Here is the quick and dirty version (http://chairnotes.blogspot.com/2010/01/half-ass-in-all-of-us.html), which takes about 5 minutes to put together. Chris, I know you love your dry grinder, so this should be a natural. Here is a much fancier version (http://chairnotes.blogspot.com/2011/04/micro-adjustable-grinding-jig.html) that I've never tried, and here is a video (http://chairnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/drawknife-grinding-video.html) of that version.

A number of people have mentioned that a drawknife is really easy to hone freehand, once you've hollow ground. It totally is. I made the jig because I think it's faster, easier, and safer, and if you are drawknifing for 5 hours and stopping every 30 minutes to hone, speed and repeatability is an issue, and not having to think about cutting your fingers is nice too. But to each his own, of course.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Technique will prevent you from cutting yourself while sharpening a drawknife. I clamp the knife in place and move the stone DOWNHILL only on the bevel at a slightly skewed angle as if I was drawfiling. I also wear a pair of thin leather gloves. Personally, I'm of the school that puts a small back side bevel on the drawknife which allows climbing out of a cut.

[Chris Griggs]

Thanks Chris, glad you like that jig!

I forgot to mention that I use the jig to put a secondary bevel on my drawknife. If yours is really beat up, I recommend hollow grinding first. I grind to almost a feather edge before I hone. Peter Galbert (again) has a really good homemade dry grinder jig for doing this. He has several versions: Here is the quick and dirty version (http://chairnotes.blogspot.com/2010/01/half-ass-in-all-of-us.html), which takes about 5 minutes to put together. Chris, I know you love your dry grinder, so this should be a natural. Here is a much fancier version (http://chairnotes.blogspot.com/2011/04/micro-adjustable-grinding-jig.html) that I've never tried, and here is a video (http://chairnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/drawknife-grinding-video.html) of that version.

A number of people have mentioned that a drawknife is really easy to hone freehand, once you've hollow ground. It totally is. I made the jig because I think it's faster, easier, and safer, and if you are drawknifing for 5 hours and stopping every 30 minutes to hone, speed and repeatability is an issue, and not having to think about cutting your fingers is nice too. But to each his own, of course.

Thanks Steve. This is super helpful! I do love my dry grinder. I actually tried freehand grinding it once but couldn't figure out how to do it well. I like the quick and dirty version. I will definitely give this a try. If it works well I likely will just try freehand honing it. IIRC there is a video of Brian Boggs showing how he hones them on the LN site. Though given how prone to cutting myself I am I do like the safety aspect of the jig.

Thanks again Steve. Really, super helpful.

[John Powers]

it's funny. we obsess about plane irons and chisels but a drawknife, heck, swipe it over a stone and Bobs your uncle. planes and chisels you use everyday. how often do you use a drawknife? if you used a drawknife a lot maybe you'd be more inclined to obsess. maybe what most of us consider a sharp drawknife would be laughed off the stage by a daily drawknife user.

[Kees Heiden]

Thanks Chris, glad you like that jig!

I forgot to mention that I use the jig to put a secondary bevel on my drawknife. If yours is really beat up, I recommend hollow grinding first. I grind to almost a feather edge before I hone. Peter Galbert (again) has a really good homemade dry grinder jig for doing this. He has several versions: Here is the quick and dirty version (http://chairnotes.blogspot.com/2010/01/half-ass-in-all-of-us.html), which takes about 5 minutes to put together. Chris, I know you love your dry grinder, so this should be a natural. Here is a much fancier version (http://chairnotes.blogspot.com/2011/04/micro-adjustable-grinding-jig.html) that I've never tried, and here is a video (http://chairnotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/drawknife-grinding-video.html) of that version.



Watch out with this method when you have a very friable grinding wheel, like the blue Norton 3X. I was very quickly removing material from the corner of the wheel, had to do and extensive job with the diamond dresser to make it flat enough for chisel and plane work again.

[Patrick Tipton]

I have taken classes with Peter and he is both a first class craftsman and a great teacher. He is also a super generous guy, as evidenced by the wealth of information he shares in his blog and the wonderful videos which he produces and gives away for free.

If you watch the video of the DrawSharp, you will see him cut pine end grain at the end of the video. Although the video doesn't give a super clear shot, the surface of the pine is waxy, without any tear out. For those confident in your drawknife sharpening skills, take a two inch thick piece of pine and try to cut the end grain. You should be able to take a pretty heavy cut, without undo force and end up with a nice, tear-out free and waxy feeling surface.

As John Powers said, anyone who regularly uses a drawknife for fine work quickly learns to demand a razor sharp blade. The handles make them very difficult to grind consistently on a grinder without building a jig. Freehanding is possible, but also risky given the geometry involved and unless you own a very large wheel, you can't get all the way to the end of each side of the blade.

A drawknife can be one of the most useful woodworking tools in a shop, but most woodworkers will never understand its speed, accuracy and capabilities because they will never use a sharp one.

Patrick

[Chris Griggs]

Watch out with this method when you have a very friable grinding wheel, like the blue Norton 3X. I was very quickly removing material from the corner of the wheel, had to do and extensive job with the diamond dresser to make it flat enough for chisel and plane work again.

Thanks for the warning Kees. Actually I prefer to keep my grinding wheel crowned anyway, so this shouldn't be an issue for me, unless its REALLY extreme.

[Chris Griggs]

A drawknife can be one of the most useful woodworking tools in a shop, but most woodworkers will never understand its speed, accuracy and capabilities because they will never use a sharp one.


Yeah, I'm personally not a fan of using any tool that isn't sharpened properly. You often see this implied with tools that tend to be used for removing large amounts of material. I've seen many folks say that a scrub plane, for instance, works well straight of the grinders...I disagree. Now, my coarse planes may not always have as refined an edge as say a finish smoother where I take a moment to be a little extra obsessive, but they are still honed up to 8k or 10k or whatever fine stone/medium I am using at the moment. A sharp tool regardless of whether it is being used for coarse work or fine work is always easier, safer, and more precise to use than one that hasn't been made sharp. Of course, it goes without saying that everyone is free to setup there tools as they please, but when I get around to setting up my drawknife, be it freehand or with a jig I certainly won't settle for anything less than what Peter's does in that video. Less than sharp enough tools only lead to frustration and a tendency not to want to use that tool again.

Anyway, all that is to say despite the fact that I've barely used a drawknife yet, I fully agree with John and Patrick

[Kees Heiden]

Thanks for the warning Kees. Actually I prefer to keep my grinding wheel crowned anyway, so this shouldn't be an issue for me, unless its REALLY extreme.

Well, yes, I thought it was pretty extreme. I now grind my drawknife (when neccessary!) on an upsidedown bandsander in the vise.

[Chris Griggs]

Well, yes, I thought it was pretty extreme. I now grind my drawknife (when neccessary!) on an upsidedown bandsander in the vise.

Ok, good to know. Thanks Kees!

[Steve Voigt]

I've not had any problem with the drawknife crowning my wheel. I don't see why this would happen, unless you are really rocking the knife as you move it back and forth. With a minimal effort to keep the knife square to the wheel, there should be no problem. I also have to say, I'd never use one of those friable wheels for something as straightforward as grinding a drawknife. The hard grey wheels cost 1/6 as much, and once you've trued them, they will stay true for a lot longer.

[Kees Heiden]

It didn't crown the wheel. It ate up the corner at alarming speed. Just warning...

And I used the blue wheel because that is what I have.

[Bob Jones]

I'm an intermediate drawknife user. I use it for natrual edge furniture. Anyway, I freehand grind and use a lanskey knife sharpener for honing. It's not a perfect solution but it does the job.