Drawknife info?

[Larry Laffer]

Hello all- This is my first post here, so forgive my ignorance if I break any rules! Yesterday, I picked up a few tools for $30. It was a nice little haul, including a Lufkin red end folding rule, an old wooden mallet (classic shape head with a round handle), a Bedrock 604 1/2, and the above mentioned drawknife. I don't have a working camera, but it looks much like this one being sold on that auction site... ebay. I haven't started to clean it yet, so I couldn't make out the markings on the blade too well, but it appears to say Wilkinson & CC, Mass Are these things worth any money? Three doesn't seem to be too much interest in them on e***.

[harry strasil]

notice the ding marks on the top (back) side of the blade, in the absence of a froe draw knives were often used to rive wood. evindently an iron hammer was used to start it instead of a club. I think its Lee Valley that has come out with a pair of gauges/guides for use with a drawknife, as they were non existant, I made my own out of brass, they make quick work of chamfering a long edge, and I have one of the AMT chamfering spokeshaves to finish with.

[Dave Anderson NH]

Hi Larry, Drawknives are common tools and are not particularly expensive when found in the wild or purchased from old tool dealers. Wilkinson is an excellent brand, I have one, and they give good service. Depending on size, condition, and the state of the market, they will sell anywhere from $10-30. $20 is about average for a 8" drawknife.

[Mark Stutz]

What! Nobody else notice the 4 1/2 in there! 30$! That's a stealth gloat if I ever saw one!

[harry strasil]

LOL, Mark, I have gotten lots of old iron planes in stuff I have bought at auctions, they all go in the junk box in the corner. gonna have to get rid of them soon. I know, I am a commie or something cause I have no interest in iron planes.

I have considered, cutting the front off one of the iron planes and also a block plane to make bull nose glue scrapers out of.

[David Weaver]

What! Nobody else notice the 4 1/2 in there! 30$! That's a stealth gloat if I ever saw one!

You're not kidding. And a rotten one without pictures, too.

[Larry Laffer]

You're not kidding. And a rotten one without pictures, too.

Yes, too true. Alas, I am a neophyte at the computer. I can turn it on, surf, use google, cut&paste, and play games . Pictures are eluding me. I have a cheapie 1 megapixel camera, but I messed up the software installation, and haven't been able to fix it. Yup, it was indeed a stealth gloat. But I'm entitled, since it's my first Bedrock, and I've been looking for a 4 1/2 BR or Bailey for quite a while. This one, circa 1923-24, has quite a few small dings on the wings, and a very small chip at the side of the mouth. There is/was a heavy accumulation of fine sawdust and something else from the air that made it cling tenaciously. I had to scrape that off, as mineral spirits and a scotchbrite pad had almost no effect. The business end of the frog has a couple of chips, making it uneven. I believe everything will machine out nicely. I'm sending it to a pro for that service, plus bead blasting, re-japanning, and tuning. I'll replace the tote and knob, as they are in bad shape. Probably with Cocobolo. I do have pics, and once I get it all finished I'll take more, and post before and after shots. With a bit of luck, I'll figure out how to do that by then.

[Bill Houghton]

YOu may be able to find some prior threads on this; I'll offer some quick thoughts on using a drawknife.

1. Some people sharpen with both a front (the already beveled side) and back (the flat side) bevel; others don't. I'm of the "don't" camp, but have never tried the two-bevel approach out of lack of time and/or laziness.

2. Leonard Lee's sharpening book, which everyone who works with hand tools should own, discusses how to sharpen them.

3. Drawknives can be used for rough shaping and, with a light touch, for surprisingly smooth edge finishing, considering they're nothing but a really large edge with two handles. The body mechanics are totally different between the two modes. I do rough shaping in short, choppy strokes, almost with karate grunts at each stroke. Watch the grain carefully in this mode, so you don't break out wood past your layout line (he said, based on extensive judgment-forming experience). You'll be amazed, at least in softwoods and mild hardwoods, how much wood you can remove quickly in this mode. Smoothing work is done with slower, longer, shaving strokes, often skewing the knife. When I'm at my best, about 1% of the time, I can shave right to the line. If I were good enough, I might not need a spokeshave. Of course, that would mean I wouldn't own any spokeshaves, and I love spokeshaves - so I think I've just created an incentive not to polish my skills with the drawknife.