Being a carpenter means that you have to master the tools you are using or the tools that will help your work in the future.
There are many tools in the woodworking industry, and every single one of them has its different and unique use.
Although our topic for today’s article is a unique tool that will help us peal thing layers from timbers and large-scaled wood pieces.
The Draw Knife.
This tool comes in so many forms for different conditions, and today we will be offering you everything all about the draw knives.
Let’s get started.
What is a Draw Knife?
First of all, let’s start with an example.
You have a flat piece of wood and plan to turn that wood into a nightstand.
If the surface of this wood has uneven spots and lumps, you need a device to peal several layers of the wood.
Chisels won’t work in this case because they are too small, so the best option is to learn how to use a Draw Knife.
This tool is a complex structure with easy use.
Most common Draw Knives are made from reinforced titanium or steel, which is essential because you have to apply pressure for using this tool, so it has to be durable enough to take the strain.
A Drawknife consists of three parts:
- The blade, which can be curved or flat.
- Two handles for you to grab while using the knife.
But sometimes, the wood that you are working on doesn’t have a flat surface. Instead, it is curved. Once more, the Drawknife can handle it.
The only thing you have to do is get the curved blade to draw knives.
Now that you have a general idea of what a draw Knife is let’s get to the instructions on using this tool at its best.
How to use a Drawknife? (Tips & Tricks with the example)
This part of the article will help you use your Draw knife properly.
Keep in mind that using a Drawknife depends on the end product you are expecting. Therefore we will lead the instructions with an example.
Read until the end to better understand the tips and tricks on using Draw Knives.
Let’s get started with the instructions.
In this example, we will be building a nightstand.
- The first step is to identify the surface that you are trying to work on; after selecting your wood, you have to use a gripper to keep the wood in its place.
- After securing your wood, you have to get sandpaper (mechanical or hand used. It doesn’t matter) and sand the surface of your wood to remove anything that can be removed with sandpaper.
- Get some water or oil and coat the whole wood surface inside it.
- You can use a stain brush to apply the coating evenly on the surface of the wood. After doing the last act, you have to wait for the wood to get soaked.
- Choose the right Draw Knife and make sure that the blades are sharp enough to cut through the wood.
- Position your wood vertically, mark the layer thickness you wish to remove and place the blade on the marking. Slowly but constantly apply pressure and increase the pressure level.
- If the soaking process is successful, you will have no trouble cutting the wood.
- And done!!!
By this point of the article, you know how to use a Draw Knife in the best way possible. Next, we will offer you some techniques that will help you use less energy when working with a Draw Knife.
Draw Knife applying techniques (+ 4 practical methods)
After this chapter of the article, you will be aware of everything you need to know about Draw Knife, so we advise you to keep reading.
You can use some techniques to make better use of your Draw Knife.
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Depth of the cut
The angle of cutting is essential.
When using a Draw Knife, you have to observe the wood and see what the best angle for you to start cutting is.
If your angle selection is correct, it will take significantly less energy, and your cuts will be much cleaner.
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Whittling
This technique is riskier, making your cutting process much more manageable.
Warning: make sure to use protective gear when applying this technique.
In this technique, you apply the pressure backward; in other words, instead of pushing the blade down, you are pulling it up to the bottom of the wood.
This method has a better grip for a Draw Knife, but as we said, it has its risks, so be careful.
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Upside down
This technique is much like the last one with a slight difference; it is less risky. We don’t mean that you have to flip the wood upside down when saying upside down.
Like the last technique, you have to lay down the wood piece and apply the pressure. However, this method is less risky, but you are using sharp tools, so remember to use protection.
These three were some of the most used methods by skilled carpenters, and you can use them to get a better result in your final craftsmanship.
The next chapter will be the sharpening process of a Draw Knife, which is critical to do correctly, so come with us.
Edge Sharpening for Draw Knife
Sharpening a draw knife is one of the most delicate and sensitive jobs. The blade, while firm, can bend out of shape easily.
Like any devices and tools that use blades, a Draw Knife has no good use if it’s not sharp.
There are a couple of reasons for you to keep your blade sharp, otherwise:
- It takes much more time to cut.
- It is hazardous.
- If you don’t have a spare blade.
In order to sharpening the draw knife:
- You can use sandpaper or other sharpening tools to sharpen your Drawknife, but it takes many skills and experience.
- If you are confident that you can do it, then go ahead and do it good luck.
- If you are not sure that you can handle sharpening your tool, we recommend you seek help from a professional.
- Take your blade to sharpening stations to get it done professionally and without any worries.
Performance of Draw Knife on wet wood & dry wood
Before we end the article, we have to compare the performance of the draw Knife on wet and dry wood:
| Wet wood | Dry wood |
| Hard to carve and peal | Easier to peal |
| Can crack easily | It is more sturdy |
| You cannot apply water or oil | Easy to soak |
By this part of the article, you know all about Draw Knives and how to use and maintain them.
Now let’s conclude this article.
Conclusion
Using a draw Knife is sometimes essential t your work as a carpenter.
But the critical factor of a Drawknife is using it and its maintenance; you have to value the tips and instructions that we offered you in this article, and using them, you will keep your Draw Knife and use it as long as possible.
We are glad that you stayed with us until the end of this article, and we hope that the information that we gave you was helpful.
If you have any questions regarding “all about Draw Knife,” we will be glad to answer your concerns; the only thing you have to do is contact us via the comment section below.
