Replies

1. 
   joinerswork | Jan 27, 2005 05:31am | #1

   Shane,

   Ideally, the back of your drawknife blade should be pretty well polished.  If it is badly rusted, it will take a lot of work to get it in shape.  Start with a coarse stone, and progress to fine.  Once it is polished, just use the fine stone on that side, to remove any burr from grinding the bevel.  Any pitting on the back side will translate to gaps in the edge, as you sharpen into them.

   I'm not sure what you mean by the arc of the blade.  Drawknives generally have a bit of curve forged into the blade, and this is not something you will want to change.  If you are talking about the shape of the edge, it came from the factory with the blade the same width from end to end.  Sometimes one section of the blade will get sharpened way back to get rid of a bad gap (from hitting a nail, for example).  This will put a wave into the blade's edge, not a good thing, but something you can work on to put right every time you sharpen it.

   I have a little "French pattern" drawknife that I use for light work only.  It has a fairly shallow angle to the bevel, maybe 15-20*.  One that I use mostly for working out Queen Anne legs has a steeper bevel, around 30-35*, because I'm hogging off stock, and also using it bevel down on tight curves on the tops of the feet.

   Instead of pulling the blade straight thru the stock, it will pull easier if you use a slicing motion, using more of the edge, from one end toward the other, as you pull.  Having one handle closer to you as you draw helps with this.

   Does your tool have a maker's mark?

   Regards,

   Ray

2. 
   BenM | Jan 27, 2005 09:37pm | #2

   I sharpen my drawknife with a small bevel on the back (the underside or the flat side).  The bevel has to be smooth with a mirror finish; the rest of the back is not sharpened.

   Some drawknives have arcs some are straight across.  Just follow the edge when sharpening.

   I have never checked the angle on any tool I own so I can't answer that question.  I adjust it till it works the way I want and that is the angle that tool has for the rest of its life.

   How do you sharpen the drawknife?  Some hold the drawknife like a violin and use a stone like a bow, more or less.  That has never worked for me.  I took a 2 x 8 about two feet long and cut a notch out from the 2 inch thick side.  The notch is a little longer than my sharpening stone (I use waterstones, but it doesn't matter what you use).  I wedge the stone in.  You can then put the 2 x 8 in a vise or sit it on the floor.  The 8 inch depth (actual 7.5 inch) allows the handles of the drawknife, which are below the level of the blade, to clear the table, floor, etc.  You can then bear down on the blade, sharpening it like a plane blade.

   A drawknife works best with a shavehorse.