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Conan the Librarian
 
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Default How do you sharpen a drawknife?

(GBsCards) wrote in message ...

Sorry if this seems novice. I use sandpaper on plate glass to sharpen my plane
irons and chisels. Obviuosly the handles of the drawknife would be in the way.
Do you have to buy stones and drag it across them? How do you keep a
consistent edge?


My first thought on readinh the subject line: Vewwy cawefuwwy.

I use a stone and a wooden paddle with PSA-backed wet-dry paper on
it. I hold the drawknife resting on my right forearm (I'm a lefty),
with one handle resting in the crook of my elbow and the other in my
right hand. This steadies it nicely. I then take the stone to the
blade's edge, drawing it at a slight angle across and away from the
edge.

I don't worry so much about keeping a perfectly consistent edge;
what I do is feel for when I've raised an even burr, and then flip the
drawknife over and remove that burr. I also like to put a bit of a
back-bevel on the thing, so I just go back and forth until I can just
barely feel a burr (I use fine wet-dry paper for this step).

For safety's sake, I sometimes use a leather batting glove to hold
the stone. But you should be OK if you are careful and always make
your sharpening stroke away from the edge.