Low buck drawknife I

[HUCKLEBERRY]

I thought since I had to make a couple of drawknives for a project I've got coming up I'd try and post the fabrication steps I use. It's pretty simple and there may be a few of you out there that could use one and would rather scrounge/barter for the items and make it than spend $100-$300 to buy one.

For these two I'm using 3/4" solid round stock and new 12"x3"x3/8" chipper blades. All new because I didn't have time to go a cheaper route. After cutting the stock to @ 3' each I drilled holes about 1/4" in from each end for use later. After that I made marks @ 10" in each direction from center and tacked the bar to the table.

Using a simple template of bent flat stock that matched the angle of another drawknife I heated and bent the bar on both ends.

I then center the chipper blade, bevel down (it has a 30 degree bevel I had done at a shop), end to end and up and down. Then I tip the cutting edge up a little, maybe 3/16" higher than the back, and tack.

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

Low buck drawknife II

After a pass on the front side I put the bottom third of the blade in water until the weld cools. It's not to cool anything but too keep the heat from the cooling weld from changing the temper of the cutting edge. Maybe overkill but it works for me. After the weld cools I repeat the process on the backside.

Welded, cleaned up and ready for some paint and grips.

Final product with paint and genuine Schwinn bicycle handlebar grips. The cost should be really low with the friends/connections many of you have. Even if everything is new the chipper blade is @ $50-$60 once the bevel has been reground and the round stock is @ $8. Not a bad deal for a very useful tool.

 

[BobL]

Here's mine.
12" file, de-tempered to RC 58
Jarrah handles, brass plumbing end caps.
I also made the leather holster.

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

Here's mine.
12" file, de-tempered to RC 58
Jarrah handles, brass plumbing end caps.
I also made the leather holster.

That is a handsome tool. I'd like to have one like that in my kit for fine carpentry/detail work. I've done a good bit of fabrication but have had no experience with tempering steel. It's a skill I'd like to add because there is another project I'd like to tackle that requires it. I've seen plans for a timber framing slick that was made from a truck leaf spring that requires some tempering. I'll have to study up on the basics. Thanks for the pic.

 

[Ted J]

Here's mine. Although I didn't make it... got it off of the "bay".
it's about 20 1/2" long including the handles, and the blade is 2 1/2" wide.

I prefer the straight handles instead ot the angled ones. The straight is more comfortable on my wrists, no twisting.

Ted

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

Here's mine. Although I didn't make it... got it off of the "bay".
it's about 20 1/2" long including the handles, and the blade is 2 1/2" wide.

I prefer the straight handles instead ot the angled ones. The straight is more comfortable on my wrists, no twisting.

Ted

]

Most of the straight handle designs I've seen were for finer work than I use a drawknife for. The one's I made above are mainly for peeling logs and hand carving tenons for handrail. On my upcoming project we will be using all beetle-kill pine so there will be knots a plenty. It takes a stout tool to survive. Some of the best drawknives I've seen are Barr's. I have a few of his chisels and would love to have one of everything he makes.

Thanks for the picture.

 

[jimdad07]

Some more fine work Huck. You keep going, you may give BobL a run for his money.

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

Some more fine work Huck. You keep going, you may give BobL a run for his money.

Thanks man. I take that as a huge compliment.

After a tough Winter it sure is nice to share some time with kindred souls.

 

[WesternSaw]

Tool Forum

Hi Fellas
HUCKLEBERRY,that's some heavy duty tool you have fabricated up there!BobL was kind enough to post his draw knife on the Tool Forum thread, wondering if you would consider doing the same? Ted J would you consider doing the same with your picture as well,not trying to tell you what to do just a suggestion.
Thanks
Lawrence

 

[HUCKLEBERRY]

Hi Fellas
HUCKLEBERRY,that's some heavy duty tool you have fabricated up there!BobL was kind enough to post his draw knife on the Tool Forum thread, wondering if you would consider doing the same? Ted J would you consider doing the same with your picture as well,not trying to tell you what to do just a suggestion.
Thanks
Lawrence

I'll give it a shot when I get a chance. I'm still a posting novice at best.

 

[820wards]

HUCKLEBERRY,

Nice simple design. Cool!

jerry=

 

[TraditionalTool]

http://www.arboristsite.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=137591&stc=1&d=1274238015[/IMG[/QUOTE]
That looks good. There's a guy in Montana that makes drawknifes that look almost exactly like yours. He also puts rubber handles in them. I have used one on some logs last year.

I will say that both the drawknife and the adz are some brutal tools...some of the most back breaking work I've done at least...the adz is the worst, but the drawknife is not very friendly either...:(

The key is to use your legs and body and NOT your arms on the drawknife. Easier said than done...after a day of that my arms felt as if they were gonna fall off. After a day of adzin' it felt as if my arms, legs, and back were all gonna fall off...

 

[fluffysaw]

cool shaver

I love it...utilizing materials at hand.... I like the handles thats gotta beat the wooden ones.....for what is worth I have about a 1/2 dozen draw knifes from flea markets and fleabay most of them work ok or suck. I have antique one i bought for 5.00 that was hand made I had little hopes for and works unbelivably well for me. It's just the perfect angle.
theres alot to be said about the proper angle.....funny the black smith figured it out, mass produced ones never did.
I see in the post above adze and draw knife work wore you out... The old timers who used the tools every day forget to mention a billion different adze designs handles grinds and bends.
Probably 1 or 2 that are a realy a joy to use....when you find the right tool and technique, pace yourself and its easy.
I've made a couple of good bark spuds I reproduced from a leaf spring from an old tool I seen at a show...if anyone is interested. I could post some pics...they work very well because of the bends and grind.....
anyone else have a good way to debark trees?

 

[TraditionalTool]

I love it...utilizing materials at hand.... I like the handles thats gotta beat the wooden ones.....for what is worth I have about a 1/2 dozen draw knifes from flea markets and fleabay most of them work ok or suck. I have antique one i bought for 5.00 that was hand made I had little hopes for and works unbelivably well for me. It's just the perfect angle.
theres alot to be said about the proper angle.....funny the black smith figured it out, mass produced ones never did.
I see in the post above adze and draw knife work wore you out... The old timers who used the tools every day forget to mention a billion different adze designs handles grinds and bends.
Probably 1 or 2 that are a realy a joy to use....when you find the right tool and technique, pace yourself and its easy.
I've made a couple of good bark spuds I reproduced from a leaf spring from an old tool I seen at a show...if anyone is interested. I could post some pics...they work very well because of the bends and grind.....
anyone else have a good way to debark trees?

On the older drawknives, the handles can be bent so that you can use them with bevel up or bevel down. Got that tip from Brian Bogg's video.

Some knives are bevel up and some are bevel down, the main difference being the angle as you point out. Tweaking the handles will allow you to use them either way, so the cast ones wtih softer steel are preferred for that. I have a "Perfect Handle" drawknife I got which I will bend the handles on, but it works pretty good bevel up as it was designed.

 

[fluffysaw]

tweaking handles

Thats a good idea...I was always worried about screwing up the draw knife.

 

[flushcut]

Here's mine. Although I didn't make it... got it off of the "bay".
it's about 20 1/2" long including the handles, and the blade is 2 1/2" wide.

I prefer the straight handles instead ot the angled ones. The straight is more comfortable on my wrists, no twisting.

Ted

That is a fleshing knife for skinning animals not wood

 

[TraditionalTool]

Thats a good idea...I was always worried about screwing up the draw knife.

Nah, be pretty hard to do that...

And don't forget you can push just as well as pull, as-is the case with spokeshaves also. When pushing you can sneak up on the edge by rocking the blade.

 

[WesternSaw]

Fleshing/Skinning

That is a fleshing knife for skinning animals not wood

When you say fleshing, that must be a whole different procedure than skinning.Not to be pompous,but I worked as a knifeman for 30 years in the meat industry and these are the knives they use for skinning beef,lambs,etc.Mind you in large scale slaughter houses these are also becoming obsolete as machines and different techniques are being used.
Lawrence
http://www.swissarmy.com/Forschner/Pages/Product.aspx?category=forschnerbutcher&product=40532&
http://www.swissarmy.com/Forschner/Pages/Product.aspx?category=forschnerbutcher&product=40535&

 

[1harlowr]

When he said they are fleshing knives used for skinning, I think he meant to say fleshing knives used for fleshing Fleshing is scraping the hide to remove meat, fat and tissue.

 

[flushcut]

When he said they are fleshing knives used for skinning, I think he meant to say fleshing knives used for fleshing Fleshing is scraping the hide to remove meat, fat and tissue.

Okay I miss spoke but know what I mean. My buddy uses a winch with a foot pedal to pull the hide off and then to the fleshing board with a fleshing knife to remove the flesh. His name is Trapper Dan for a reason.