Buying a Drawknife

by Todd Hughes and John Aniano

Todd Hughes:   I can't imagine buying a new drawknife when good old ones are so common and cheap. Next to braces and saws they are probably the old tool I see the most of. Names to watch for are Witherby and Swann, though older Fultons, Greenlee, and IJ White are probably just about as good.

When I look at buying a draw knife the first thing I check is the handles, if loose it gets tossed back.You also want ones that have dome shaped iron caps on the end with the tangs peened over holding everything together. Solid wood handles with tangs just bent over are cheap and not as good. If handles are solid, no wiggle or cracks, check the blade - it should be all sharpened up and no pitting. Also make sure that it hasn't been incorrectly sharpened. Some are supposed to be sharpened like a knife (double bevel), but ones like a chisel (single bevel) work much better in my experience. I have a big belt sander I sharpen them on so some minor nicks are no big deal to me but might be to you if you have to take them out by hand.

Last thing - check to make sure there are no bends in the handle or the blade. I think that an 8 or 10 in. one is probably the most handy, but there is no need to just have one size. This is one of those tools that there is no reason to buy one if it is not "Right", or to have one just because they are so common and cheap. Most I see are priced at $10 or so. I just bought a nice 8 in. Witherby today for $5 and didn't even try to talk the guy down.

John Aniano:   When looking for your drawknife, my suggestion is to go with an older one that has a curved blade, not the straight varieties one can sometimes find. I have both and much prefer the curved (along its length) blade to the straight blade drawknives. I'd also put in my $0.02 and recommend sharpening it with the flat back and a single bevel. I don't especially like the double bevel or "knife" approach to the setup. You can make the single bevel slightly rounded for greater control if you like.