I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get the
interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so simple watching
Roy on TV *g*.

How sharp do these need to be? Is the tool like most where super sharp is
better? How do I sharpen them? I've got a Worksharp 3000, but doubt it'll
be any good for this task.

What else do I need to know?

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

Puckdropper wrote:
I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get the
interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so simple
watching Roy on TV *g*.

How sharp do these need to be? Is the tool like most where super
sharp is better? How do I sharpen them? I've got a Worksharp 3000,
but doubt it'll be any good for this task.

What else do I need to know?


Oh come on Puckdropper - give it a whirl and see what you get. Pretend it
is a knife. Sharpen it some and try it out.

--

-Mike-

Yes they need to be sharp. Mine is razor sharp.

Flatten the back then holding the stone run it along the blade.. That's
the easiest way.

While learning to use it, wear a leather apron.. so you don't kill
yourself.. No joke. I picked up a welding apron from HF for 6.99 on
sale, I use it for that, and at the tablesaw (sometimes).. It's split
leather and heavy.

Once you learn to use it, you can do some serious work fast...
You can also debark a piece of wood real quick. I prefer just to peel
the bark, but sometimes that's not doable if it hasn't shrank enough..
So this comes to the rescue and I can quickly get it rough cut on the
bandsaw. Many uses...

On 7/9/2012 3:05 PM, Puckdropper wrote:
I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get the
interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so simple watching
Roy on TV *g*.

How sharp do these need to be? Is the tool like most where super sharp is
better? How do I sharpen them? I've got a Worksharp 3000, but doubt it'll
be any good for this task.

What else do I need to know?

Puckdropper

"Puckdropper" puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote in message
eb.com...
I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get the
interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so simple watching
Roy on TV *g*.

How sharp do these need to be? Is the tool like most where super sharp is
better? How do I sharpen them? I've got a Worksharp 3000, but doubt it'll
be any good for this task.

What else do I need to know?

Puckdropper

IIRC there are instructions in this book.
The complete guide to sharpening / Leonard Lee
Art

Mike Marlow wrote:
Puckdropper wrote:
I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get the
interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so simple
watching Roy on TV *g*.

How sharp do these need to be? Is the tool like most where super
sharp is better? How do I sharpen them? I've got a Worksharp 3000,
but doubt it'll be any good for this task.

What else do I need to know?


Oh come on Puckdropper - give it a whirl and see what you get. Pretend it
is a knife. Sharpen it some and try it out.


It will have a bigger bevel than a typical knife. But, I think when you
get right down to it, the ideal answer depends on what you intend the
knife for--like a plane iron or chisel edge, does. Sorry, I haven't got
around to sharpening my ($10) antique draw knife yet. I would be
interested in reading your followup post!

Bill

"Mike Marlow" wrote in
:

Puckdropper wrote:
I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get the
interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so simple
watching Roy on TV *g*.

How sharp do these need to be? Is the tool like most where super
sharp is better? How do I sharpen them? I've got a Worksharp 3000,
but doubt it'll be any good for this task.

What else do I need to know?


Oh come on Puckdropper - give it a whirl and see what you get.
Pretend it is a knife. Sharpen it some and try it out.


I'm not hiding behind questions, just out on the road for several days
and this is the easiest way to enjoy my new purchase.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

On Jul 9, 2:51*pm, Bill wrote:

It will have a bigger bevel than a typical knife. But, I think when you
get right down to it, the ideal answer depends on what you intend the
knife for--

Practice skew cuts, also, not just perpendicular cuts.

tiredofspam wrote:
Yes they need to be sharp. Mine is razor sharp.

Flatten the back then holding the stone run it along the blade..
That's the easiest way.

While learning to use it, wear a leather apron.. so you don't kill
yourself.. No joke. I picked up a welding apron from HF for 6.99 on
sale, I use it for that, and at the tablesaw (sometimes).. It's split
leather and heavy.

Once you learn to use it, you can do some serious work fast...
You can also debark a piece of wood real quick. I prefer just to peel
the bark, but sometimes that's not doable if it hasn't shrank enough..
So this comes to the rescue and I can quickly get it rough cut on the
bandsaw. Many uses...


Well.. if you are using it to debark wood, then it does not need to be too
sharp at all. A blunt edge will shave bark just fine. I know - I live in a
log home and I have debarked a lot more logs than most here. Now... if you
are looking to shape wood in a very fine way, then a sharp edge is called
for. As I replied earlier - think of it as a knife.

--

-Mike-

Bill wrote:
Mike Marlow wrote:
Puckdropper wrote:
I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get
the interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so
simple watching Roy on TV *g*.

How sharp do these need to be? Is the tool like most where super
sharp is better? How do I sharpen them? I've got a Worksharp 3000,
but doubt it'll be any good for this task.

What else do I need to know?


Oh come on Puckdropper - give it a whirl and see what you get. Pretend it
is a knife. Sharpen it some and try it out.


It will have a bigger bevel than a typical knife. But, I think when
you get right down to it, the ideal answer depends on what you intend
the knife for--like a plane iron or chisel edge, does. Sorry, I
haven't got around to sharpening my ($10) antique draw knife yet. I
would be interested in reading your followup post!


Well, of course the bevel is bigger. One has to apply some intuitive sense
to these things. That does not change the point I expressed. Think
scale...

It does depend upon the intended use. As I replied in a previous post - if
one hopes to simply debark logs, then a fairly blunt edge will do that just
fine. If one wants to detail cuts, then a much sharper edge is called for.
Same principle applies though - think of it as a knife. Sharpen it and try
it out.

--

-Mike-


--

-Mike-

Sonny wrote:
On Jul 9, 2:51 pm, Bill wrote:

It will have a bigger bevel than a typical knife. But, I think when
you get right down to it, the ideal answer depends on what you
intend the knife for--

Practice skew cuts, also, not just perpendicular cuts.

Skew cuts with a draw knife? That's odd...

--

-Mike-

Puckdropper wrote:
"Mike Marlow" wrote in
:

Puckdropper wrote:
I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get
the interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so
simple watching Roy on TV *g*.

How sharp do these need to be? Is the tool like most where super
sharp is better? How do I sharpen them? I've got a Worksharp 3000,
but doubt it'll be any good for this task.

What else do I need to know?


Oh come on Puckdropper - give it a whirl and see what you get.
Pretend it is a knife. Sharpen it some and try it out.


I'm not hiding behind questions, just out on the road for several days
and this is the easiest way to enjoy my new purchase.


Hiding behind questions? Where does that come from?

I have a couple of draw knives. Some are sharpened enough to feel the edge
with a finger, and some are less sharp. I do not try to use them to shape
wood, so I don't try to get them super sharp. For taking off bark, and
rough contouring, what you get from a couple of swipes with a file is good
enough. But - you will likely have to experiment on your own to determine
what edge you need for what you are doing. There really is a wide range of
edges that are appropriate for a draw knife - depending on what you're
doing. So - back to my point... sharpen it some and try it out. Repeat as
necessary.

--

-Mike-

"Puckdropper" wrote in message
eb.com...

I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get the
interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so simple watching
Roy on TV *g*.

How sharp do these need to be? Is the tool like most where super sharp is
better? How do I sharpen them? I've got a Worksharp 3000, but doubt it'll
be any good for this task.

What else do I need to know?

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.
================================================== ===========================
Sharpen like you would an axe. Put one handle on the bench. The other in
your left hand, assuming you are correct handed, so the blade is vertical
with the edge pointing away from you. With the stone in your right hand,
work it against the edge in a circular motion. It is nothing more than a
knife with handles on it. Get it as sharp as you would a knife used for
whatever use you put it to.

I agree if debarking only you don't need it sharp.
If you notice I said "ALSO DEBARK" not only...

I was just trying to relate all the uses aside from shaping.
There are many.



On 7/9/2012 4:47 PM, Mike Marlow wrote:
tiredofspam wrote:
Yes they need to be sharp. Mine is razor sharp.

Flatten the back then holding the stone run it along the blade..
That's the easiest way.

While learning to use it, wear a leather apron.. so you don't kill
yourself.. No joke. I picked up a welding apron from HF for 6.99 on
sale, I use it for that, and at the tablesaw (sometimes).. It's split
leather and heavy.

Once you learn to use it, you can do some serious work fast...
You can also debark a piece of wood real quick. I prefer just to peel
the bark, but sometimes that's not doable if it hasn't shrank enough..
So this comes to the rescue and I can quickly get it rough cut on the
bandsaw. Many uses...


Well.. if you are using it to debark wood, then it does not need to be too
sharp at all. A blunt edge will shave bark just fine. I know - I live in a
log home and I have debarked a lot more logs than most here. Now... if you
are looking to shape wood in a very fine way, then a sharp edge is called
for. As I replied earlier - think of it as a knife.

On Jul 9, 3:52*pm, "Mike Marlow" wrote:
Sonny wrote:
On Jul 9, 2:51 pm, Bill wrote:

Skew cuts with a draw knife? *That's odd...

-Mike-


Roy Underhill had a guest on, demonstrating chair making. He skewed
much of his cutting for spindles. I've used the skew cut for making
chair and bench legs.

Sonny

Sonny wrote:
On Jul 9, 3:52 pm, "Mike Marlow" wrote:
Sonny wrote:
On Jul 9, 2:51 pm, Bill wrote:

Skew cuts with a draw knife? That's odd...

-Mike-


Roy Underhill had a guest on, demonstrating chair making. He skewed
much of his cutting for spindles. I've used the skew cut for making
chair and bench legs.


Most unusual - but cool, all the same.

--

-Mike-

On 09 Jul 2012 19:53:38 GMT, Puckdropper
I'm not hiding behind questions, just out on the road for several days
and this is the easiest way to enjoy my new purchase.

Try shaving with them?

(Well, you wanted ideas didn't you? You didn't say they had to be good
ideas.)

On 09 Jul 2012 19:05:07 GMT, Puckdropper
puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote:

I picked up a coupla draw knives at an antique store, and now get the
interesting task of learning how to use them. It looks so simple watching
Roy on TV *g*.

It is. The trick is to use them enough to find the correct angle.
Then learn watch your grain, just as you do with a handplane. After
that, it's simple.


How sharp do these need to be?

Scary.


Is the tool like most where super sharp is better?

Yes.


How do I sharpen them?

Carefully. Sharp blades are dangerous.


I've got a Worksharp 3000, but doubt it'll be any good for this task.

Probably not. I prop my 2x6" DMT 600 grit diamond plate on a 4x4 in
the vise so I have handle clearance. Then I move to 1000grit paper
and strop on green crayons from LVT.


What else do I need to know?

Use it bevel-down, like a high-angle plane, for most cutting.
They stay pretty sharp for quite awhile since they're not used a whole
lot.

--
It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails,
admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

On Mon, 9 Jul 2012 13:37:23 -0700 (PDT), Sonny
wrote:

On Jul 9, 2:51*pm, Bill wrote:

It will have a bigger bevel than a typical knife. But, I think when you
get right down to it, the ideal answer depends on what you intend the
knife for--

Practice skew cuts, also, not just perpendicular cuts.

Yes! That works particularly well on really hard woods, or when your
blade needs honing.

--
It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails,
admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

tiredofspam nospam.nospam.com wrote in
:

I agree if debarking only you don't need it sharp.
If you notice I said "ALSO DEBARK" not only...

I was just trying to relate all the uses aside from shaping.
There are many.


Debarking would be one place where it would seem that a slightly dull draw
knife would be an advantage. A sharp knife could grab into the wood, while
the duller one would tend to skate over the top. Am I on solid ground with
this guess?

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

Puckdropper wrote:
tiredofspam nospam.nospam.com wrote in
:

I agree if debarking only you don't need it sharp.
If you notice I said "ALSO DEBARK" not only...

I was just trying to relate all the uses aside from shaping.
There are many.


Debarking would be one place where it would seem that a slightly dull draw
knife would be an advantage. A sharp knife could grab into the wood, while
the duller one would tend to skate over the top. Am I on solid ground with
this guess?

I think the advantage of cutting lighter materials is that you could use
a smaller bevel, because you would have less concern of damaging it.
I like to think a nice sharp edge like this would make debarking a
little like peeling potatos--but I haven't tried it! I would think you
could help control "grab" with the angle that you hold the tool. I would
also expect holding it skewed to help. If your wood is rough you might
damage that fine bevel!

Bill


Puckdropper

Roy Underhill had a guest on, demonstrating chair making. *He skewed
much of his cutting for spindles. *I've used the skew cut for making
chair and bench legs.

Most unusual - but cool, all the same.


Draw knife for roughing, spoke shave for finer finishing.

Sonny wrote:
Roy Underhill had a guest on, demonstrating chair making. He skewed
much of his cutting for spindles. I've used the skew cut for making
chair and bench legs.

Most unusual - but cool, all the same.


Draw knife for roughing, spoke shave for finer finishing.

D'OH!!! I get it now! Sorry - had not considered this earlier. Somehow
got stuck in my own head and was trying to imagine you doing something else
with the draw knife. Once you mentioned the spoke shave, a light went on.
I'm with ya now... thanks for waiting...

--

-Mike-