Draw knives

[demographic]

The first job I had when I left school was for an architectural salvage company, as well as removing slates from buildings and then cutting the bad bits off them and making them the biggest size we could and removing old fireplaces then sandblasting them we used to get old oak beams and clean them up with a drawknife.

I spent many hours sitting on old oak beams cleaning the woodworm off them with a couple of drawknives, other than the fact that there was 10 bee hives right beside me chocka with bees that seemed slightly pi***d off at their path being obstructed by me it was quite a relaxing task.

Considering the fact that draw knives are a traditional chair bodgers tool and dead handy for removing bark/rough shaping of wood I am quite surprised that a search turned up very little on this site about them.

Anyone else used one?
Top bit of kit IMO.

The closest pics I can find on't internerd were these.

 

[baggins]

Hi Demo, i use one quite a bit in my work (i seem do alot of renovation of old timberframed buildings (not bad for a tree surgeon ))
I use a cheap one that i bought from an army surplas shop. They are really great tools and i find them really versatile. Great for shaping timbers when there is little room for an axe.
What did you want to know about them, or are you just curious to see what other folk do?
Baggins

 

[swyn]

I used to sell tipi poles to people who made tipis. A draw knife is the best tool for skinning the bark off the trees along with my hook-less bill-hook to neatly sned the branch stubs. These were 21', 23' or 27' depending on the tipi size. Now the trees are much bigger I sell them to boat builders as masts at 30'+. The same draw knife is still used to do the skinning. If it is a really big mast I use a sharpened chad to do this job assisted by the logging blade on the tractor. 53' is the longest length I can send, this should take a morning to skin using all three tools.... Tractor,chad,draw knife. Lots of sweat too!! As I have got older I do the job in thirds over three days. This way is much kinder on my body. The shipwrights then saw and plane and sand this to make a beautiful piece of timber. Each one is unique to the vessel it is fitted to.
Swyn.

 

[Snufkin]

I use one for fast reduction of wood when I build a bow, excellent tool and very controllable. I prefer the french pattern where the grips are lower than the blade.

 

[bent-stick]

I use a shave horse and draw knife for fast removal of wood too but only on clean wood. For knobbly wood I still like my axe. I've got 2 draw knives an old 12" one that I bought second hand and a new 4" frosts.

Haven't come to terms with the Frosts yet. It's got a bevel on both sides so you can't flip it over for a planing cut. And I find it a bit too flexible. And I find it hasn't fot enough weight behind it.I suppose it's what you are used to.

There are loads of them going second hand.

 

[Tengu]

Ive got a draw knife.

Havent used it in ages sadly, but its there should I need it.

They are a pain to find. if I saw one at a car boot id snap it up dead quick, (and car boots are the best place for offbeat tools) because im sure one of you lot would like it.

 

[OldJimbo]

The Frosts can be very useful for small jobs if sharpened carefully enough. It lacks the blade length for real slicing cuts, and so has to be really sharp to work at all well with straight pull cuts.
There are still quite a few decent draw knives on ebay for reasonable prices.

 

[demographic]

The Frosts can be very useful for small jobs if sharpened carefully enough. It lacks the blade length for real slicing cuts, and so has to be really sharp to work at all well with straight pull cuts.
There are still quite a few decent draw knives on ebay for reasonable prices.

The one I now own isn't that big either but they turn up at auctions in boxes of tools every once in a while.
I got the box of tools containing it for £3 so was fairly chuffed.

The ones we used to clear up the oak beams were larger and like you said could be used on the skew and had more of a slicing action.

The ones we had also had a large bevel on one side and a far lesser bevel on the other so were very versatile.

Dunno if they came like that or had just been sharpened that way by cack handed farmers sons but it worked anyway.

 

[warthog1981]

ive got a robert sorby draw knife english pattern one of my most used tools axminster tools still stock draw knifes

 

[Eric_Methven]

I have a box of them. I pick them up wherever I can. I have a couple that have been sharpened to death and the edges are completely knackered for working wood - but they are just perfect on the fleshing beam for scraping hides of blood, fat and meat.

Eric

 

[OldJimbo]

We can still get the Iltis bark removers (which have the bevel on the bottom) for $35, but new draw knives for real woodwork go out of sight for price. I shall have to pick some up off ebay!

 

[Tengu]

If I see one at a reasonable price, Ill snap it up.

(Tengu is sulking because she can never seem to find any beveled chisels at car boots, and if she does, they are always wrong size or overpriced.)

 

[bent-stick]

Here's my big one. I bought it from a chap called John at St Martins in the Fields market...I thini it cost me 30 quid, which I thought was quite steep at the time.

 

[Tengu]

That is big!

Id say £30 was about right....I doubt there are many around that size.

(found two beveled chisels today....Will get to work cleaning and fettling them...also making leather sheaths like my normal chisel set)

 

[fred gordon]

I have one of these in my loft. haven't used it for ages, so if anyone is looking for one let me know. It's quite a large one but in good nick.

 

[demographic]

I am just fairly chuffed that theres as many of you that knew what I was on about
Was beginning to think that nobody else had used em.

 

[Tadpole]

I am just fairly chuffed that theres as many of you that knew what I was on about
Was beginning to think that nobody else had used em.

if you look on the BTCV website they sell them for about £22 (look in the Forestry Tools section)

 

[weaver]

I use mine for carving spoons and other woodwork. I still find them in junk stores sometimes. I buy the great ones and leave the rest. Never pay more than $12 USD.

 

[OldJimbo]

Was beginning to think that nobody else had used em.

Actually I love it when things go out of fashion or general use. Then you can get really good stuff off ebay for a great price! I'm cheap I guess!

 

[Tengu]

Me too.

In a conversation last night I found my dad has a draw knife.

He cant find it. (like the rest of his tools.)

(Im as bad as you know, and his wife is no better. The difference is I live by myself in a bigger house...)