Best way to sharpen a drawknife

I use a grinder or file, depending on the blade's form, to set the bevel, then follow up with a contoured sanding block papered with increasingly finer grits. Sorta "scary sharp" Be careful to keep your mind on your work, and you won't get cut. DAMHIKT. Tom>

Work at your leisure!

Yes, indeed. I simply make a Scary_Sharp(tm) Slip and CAREFULLY work the edge as you would a traditional slip.

I'm curious... having done a good amount of work with a draw knife, I have to wonder why anyone would want an edge like scary sharp can put on a blade. Draw knives need not be any sharper than what a file will do for you. Think about what you're doing with it - shaving bark. Super sharp edges are not the right edge for every tool. Think also about where you're pulling that damned thing to... as you sit astride the log you're shaving...

Who's "shaving logs"? I've watched the folks at the Martin Guitar factory carve a blank into a guitar neck with a draw knife. That's a far cry from a log.

"Mike Marlow" wrote

Drawknives arent '_just_ for scraping bark. you can with a sharp draw-kife do some incredibly itricate and delecate work.

You pretty much can't gore yourself without becoming double jointed at both the elbows and shoulders. take a dull knife and see just how far back you need to pull your arms to even get close.

Really?!? Didn't know that. Pretty cool. Just goes to show ya learn something new every day... and that ya shouldn't go assuming things.

Actually, I was trying to be a little funny.

I would fix the "stone" and move the knife. Safer, as both hands will be on the handles.

Bark knives are adequately sharpened with scythe stones, which offer a bit of distance for the hands.

If the knife isn't sharp and you try to pull it through a sticky spot you can hurt yourself pretty good when it pops free. There's a reason all those guys were wearing a plank on a rope. Dave in Fairfax

Yeah, to keep you from bruising your belly/sternum and wearing holes in your shirts from stabilizing the workpeice with your chest.

-- John in Memphis

Yep. People look at me strangely when I put on my 1/4" thick leather bib before straddling the horse, but it's that or bruises in the xiphoid from using the body clamp.

That's why you skew it a bit and slide lengthwise through those kinds of spots. Cuts like butter. You as a turner should know the value of sliding past the fibers as you cut forward.

Of course, there are those who dig in bevel up and yank like hell. They could probably use body armor.

I was thinking of the comment about it not being necessary to sharpen drawknives because they're only used for debarking. Mine are nice and sharp and are no probelm at all to use. When trying to work through a knot with a dull knife and yanking, I could see hari-kari as an outcome. Dave in Fairfax

Yep. That's what happened to my half-brother...

You are Roy Underhill, and I claim my videotape copy of his 10th anniversary show.

Dave "Or, wasn't this 'spot the reference'?" Hinz

Huh? Dave in fairfax

Some years back I was a trainer in a pack'n house. We used a variety of draw knives. Sharpening was basically the same for the various types. The grind was at about 25deg. After that two stones were used. A medium grit stone and a white arkansas stone. The medium grit was used in a circular motion flat on the ground bevel to smooth it out. The arkasas was used on the bevel side at a slight angle sliding it over the curve of the blade and back again, done in sections so as to maintain a constant angle. Then the same was done on the back of the blade but flat against the blade, much like a chisel. This pushed the wire edge back and forth till it was gone. To maintain the edge a good quality steel was used by holding it vertically and sliding it across the blade which is held horizontally. First across the bevel side at the stoned angle, flip knife, then across the back at like 1 degree above flat. Finish the steel on the bevel side. #80 grit emery is stroked the length of the steel to put vertical grooving in it. This works just fine to bring a rolled edge up. Also, we used soapy water for a lube. With care, a razor of a blade can be had.

I'd guess that woodworking draw knives can be sharpened the same way. I'm yet to try but when I do I'll try this pack'n house method first.

Lawrence

He made that same joke on his 20th (just checked) anniversary show in the year 2000, explaining how care was needed with the drawknife, etc, down to the "that's what happened to my half-brother".

Maybe it's an older joke than I thought?

Dave Hinz

I see, or rather I didn't. Reminds me of the bandsaw suicide picture. Dave in Fairfax