Purpose and Applications of a Drawknife
– A drawknife is commonly used to remove large slices of wood for flat faceted work.
– It can be used to debark trees.
– It is used to create roughly rounded or cylindrical billets for further work on a lathe.
– A drawknife can shave like a spokeshave plane, where rapid results are desired.
– The thin blade of a drawknife lends itself to creating complex concave or convex curves.
Operation of a Drawknife
– The drawknife is ideally used when the operator is in a seated position astride a traditional shaving horse.
– The working stock should have the grain of the wood running parallel to the shaving horse and perpendicular to the blade of the drawknife.
– The drawknife is pulled slightly upward in a skewed or slithering fashion to gradually shave the work.
– The depth of the cut is controlled by raising or lowering the handles as the drawknife is pulled towards the operator.
– Draw shaves are often used with shaving horses.
Straight Cuts with a Drawknife
– One works from the centre of the piece to the end, not the entire length all at once.
– The piece is reversed in the shaving horse or vise to trim the fatter end to match the centre and just finished original skinny end.
– Final work can be done by a spokeshave, sanding block, or lathe.
– When operated conventionally with the blade bevel-side upward, the drawknife takes deeper cuts.
– When operated bevel-side down, there is the advantage of removing less stock.
Using a Drawknife for Convex Curves
– The operator applies little leverage from the centre and most leverage as they approach the end grain.
– This allows the blade to bite deeper and remove more wood.
Using a Drawknife for Concave Curves
– The operator applies minimal, then most, then least force on the handles from the centre toward the end grain.
– The work stock is reversed, and the same method is repeated, starting a tiny distance away from the centre to leave a coarse raised section.
– The coarse raised section where the two concave curves meet can be finished with a rasp, file, spokeshave, or other tool. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drawknife
A drawknife (drawing knife, draw shave, shaving knife) is a traditional woodworking hand tool used to shape wood by removing shavings. It consists of a blade with a handle at each end. The blade is much longer (along the cutting edge) than it is deep (from cutting edge to back edge). It is pulled or "drawn" (hence the name) toward the user.
The drawknife in the illustration has a blade 23 cm (9.1 in) long, although much shorter drawknives are also made. The blade is sharpened to a chisel bevel. Traditionally, it is a rounded, smooth bevel. The handles can be below the level of the blade (as in the illustration) or at the same level.