Drawknives needed a bit of work

[steven c newman]

While working on GrandBRAT's loft bed, tried out a drawknife to flatten the bottoms of a few dados.
Did not go very well, as the knife was.....dull.. When back to a couple wide, but sharp chisels.

Got home, unloaded the tote. Took the one drawknife to the shop. Later, brought it up to the stones station.
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The edge is now straighter, no big dips along the edge. Back is flattter, as well. This one is an "Easy Cut 8" straight edge knife. Might do.

There is another knife in the shop...also in need of some work
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"Ya think?" 10" Curved edge knife. Yep, it is curved
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Plan was to even the curve out a bit, as there was a couple spots worn back badly. More shop time, and then the stones, and a file, and some sandpapers...
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Looks a bit better? Edge no longer has them dippity-dos along it's length.
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almost Katana-like? Shop time was spent with a beltsander in the vise. Letting the belt run away from me, and just getting the edges evened up. Then, holding the knives like a fiddle using the crook of the elbow hold, a file was used like the fiddle's bow. Then, up to the stones to finish the edges. Hmm...NOW I need to cobble a couple guards for the new edges.

Well, when I picked the two at a sale for maybe a $1 each..
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I even had to add a handle to the 8" one. I think these two just might work out, now.

[lowell holmes]

I'm trying to envision leveling dado bottoms with a draw knife.

I tend to reach for one of my Narex cranked neck chisels.:)

[Tony Shea]

I'm trying to envision leveling dado bottoms with a draw knife.

I tend to reach for one of my Narex cranked neck chisels.:)

Me too Lowell, not sure I would reach for a drawknife for this task ever. I would reach for my router plane or shoulder plane if the dado couldn't be cleaned up enough by my chisels.

[steven c newman]

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These cut outs in a 4x4 I am calling dados. They need to be flat so the 2x6 cross members will sit flush with the outside
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Needed to be a bit sturdy, as a 6 yr old GrandBRAT will be climb up and down. Drawknife actually did pretty good.

[steven c newman]

I really doubt a router plane with reach down 1-1/2" deep. And, at the width of a 2x6, might be a little rough to span with the old #71.

Used a couple wide chisels.....got in a hurry, and used the knife. left a surface like it had been planed. Had a 1-1/2" skewed rebate plate back at the shop.....Wouldn't quite fit if I laid it on it's side.

Wide chisels..
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Both are 1-1/2" wide.

[Bob Glenn]

I use a draw knife a lot, actualy, two draw knives when I make windsor chairs. One is a straight, bevel up draw knife, the other a curved, bevel down draw knife. I always thought I got them really sharp using silicon carbide wet dry sand paper wrapped around a one by two, with the knife clamped at the end in a vise. That is until, after a year of deliberation, I bought a Draw Sharp. I'm not a gadget guy, but this works. It basically uses a small patch of silicon carbide paper or diamond paper in a jig which maintains the desired bevel angle. It's a little pricey at around 90 USD, however, worth it if you use a draw knife a lot. Disclaimer... not paid or related to the designer or manufacturer. Bob

[lowell holmes]

Don't get me wrong, I have a draw knife and it is handy in chair making, but I would probably use my rabbet block plane and a timber framers chisel I have. (undisguised gloat)

Actually, using a draw knife like you did is clever. I'll remember it.

I have two timber framers chisels from my father-in-law's collection (RIP). I re-handled them and they are razor sharp. They would pare those dado bottoms in a hurry. (another undisguised gloat).

Your draw knives are definitely gloat worthy. Mine is an ugly rather crude looking thing, but it does work.

[steven c newman]

My Timber Framer's Chisels...
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The Van Camp is a 1-3/8" wide, laminated steel. The PS&W is a 7/8" corner chisel. I had the van camp down there. It hogged most of the waste off. Drawknife to "finesse" it flat.

[lowell holmes]

That is nice chisel. When properly sharpened they will make a lot of paper thin shavings. Your chisel is cosmetically superior to mine.

My chisels came from a stair builder in Hoboken N.J. from the turn of the 20th century. He was my wife's grand father.

[Mike Cherry]

I'm surprised everyone glossed right over "grandbrat" lol. Looks nice and sturdy dados Steven!

[lowell holmes]

We were fascinated with dados made with a draw knife. I just blew right by Grandbrats.
And I have Grandbrats as well as Great Grandbrats. They all get rocked in chairs I made as well.

[Pat Barry]

The kid must be a brat if you are willing to build him / her a bedframe out of old pallets :)

Seriously thouugh, why not just chop them out with a chisel. A drawknife isn't really suited for this purpose

[steven c newman]

The "design" was by his mom. It WAS to have been all out of pallets, but I re-designed the ends. Two pallets, cut down a bit, were made to fit a normal twin sized mattress and box springs. Added a 2x6 along each outside to tie the pallets together. Lag screws to attach the 2xs. Left enough on the ends of the 2x6s to go past the new 4x4s for corner posts. I needed a dao for the 2x6 to attach to the 4x4. Then I could add a pair of lags through the 2x6 and into the 4x4. The rest of the dados were to attach 2x6s at the ends. Both to stabilize the posts, and add a way for the boy to climb into bed. Spaced about a foot apart. Needed tight dados to get rid of any wiggle room. Needed them cut well enough that the 2x6s would sit flush with the outside. Long screws to go through the 2x6s and into the 4x4s.

Tried several wide chisels to pare the bottoms of the dados flat and smooth.....wound up using the drawknife as it was quicker ( Football was on TV...)and could get into the corners better than my block plane could. 6-8 crosscuts to help make the dado. Framer chisel to loosen the waste, and start to flatten the bottoms. Grain directions didn't help a whole lot. I also had a LARGE rasp to knock down some of the knots and tougher ridges. It felt more like sword...

Added a "keeper rail" once the three of us got the bed into his room, and assembled. The rail is to keep the grandBRAT from rooling off the side onto the floor. His brother's bed was slid under the new loftbed. makes a nice bunk bed set-up. GrandBRAT scaled up the end a few times, and helped make the bed. The box spring and mattress fit nicely. It will be up to them how they want to finish it......usually painted for them. I just build it, I let others do the painting.

The chisel work was going a bit too slow, is why the drawknife came out.