Info on making draw knives

[running bird]

I’ve been slowly narrowing down the types of blade I like to make and want to try making a draw knife or two. Does anyone have some good sources (open to books of making woodworking blades if anyone has some suggestions) on or experience making them? I have lots of 26c3 I’ve used it for a bunch of kiridashi and a few micro chisels, so I figure that’s a good steel to use. I also use 15n20 and 1075 a good bit, if those are better suited for a draw knife.

I’ve used a couple of old draw knives my dad collected for shaping axe handles and such before but I have very little knowledge of types of draw knives or what makes a good draw knife. I’d use one of the ones my dad has as a reference but I’ve moved out and halfway across the country so that’s not an option lol.

Thanks
Kevin

 

[A.McPherson]

I'd just go with what you have on hand and know well. Most old draw knives were made of something akin to 1084. A plain carbon steel will work really well. Maybe something with a little more wear resistance would work as well. But I'd go with 1084 or the like.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I haven't made a drawknife in over 50 years because I find them for a dollar at yard sales ... usually missing one or both handles. The ones I made when I was young were forged from a 1/2" round tire iron, which were probably somewhere between 1080 and 1095 back then.

A draw knife/draw shave/drawknife is almost like a pocketknife - thy come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
You need to decide what function you will use it for first. As for steel, I would use 1095, but any fine grain type of carbon steel from 1075 to 52100 would work. 26C3 would be fine. Round stock is great for forging and drawing the tangs, but flat stock and grinding the shape works too. I found 1/2" round was perfect for a drawknife. The tire irons were good carbon steel and free back then. You can order round stock from many knife steel suppliers really reasonable prices. Square stock works well, too.

You need to decide blade length and any curvature. Just like anvils and hammers, shapes go by the popularity in different countries and industries - American, London, Swedish, Barrel, etc. Blade edges range for 10" to 3". Below that they are called a spokeshave.
I would suggest making three different shapes and sizes so you have a set for a variety of tasks.
A large "straight draw" for stripping things down like bark, a medium downward curved "felled draw" for rounding things, and a smaller a forward curved "compact draw" (AKA flexcut after the popular brand name) for finishing touches. If only making one, do a flexcut/compact.

Handle shape and angle are also very important. I highly recommend bulbous "light bulb" shaped handles over the straight "broomstick" shape. They give much more finesse in control and just plain look cooler. Handle angle varies by task. The handle angle ranges from straight in line with the blade edge to 90°, and may be parallel to the blade edge or angled down. I like a 45° to 60° angle to the edge and about 15°-20° downturned for finer control in shaping things.
Handle attachment is pretty much te same as a chisel or screwdriver - it can be as simple as two scales and pins, to forging the tang back as a ball or tabs over a steel washer, to a threaded pommel.

Sharpening is pretty basic, but you want an edge the is very clean and smooth.

Here are some articles that will help you a lot.

How To Use Drawknives

Drawknives Are A Woodworker's Best Friend And One Of Many Unique Knives Craftsmen Use Regularly

blademag.com

Draw Knife | How to Use | What are the Types | What are the Purposes of | Graham Blackburn | Woodworker's Journal

Are my curved- and flat-edged drawknives intended for different tasks?

www.woodworkersjournal.com

How to Choose and Sharpen a Drawknife? A Complete Guide | Knife Pulse

Here at Knifepulse, we talks about everything knives. You may be thinking of hunting knives, cooking knives, or maybe even combat knives. But today, we’re going to look at something

knifepulse.com

article on using a draw knife - Bing video

www.bing.com

Draw Knife | How to Use | What are the Types | What are the Purposes of | Graham Blackburn | Woodworker's Journal

Are my curved- and flat-edged drawknives intended for different tasks?

www.woodworkersjournal.com

 

[A.McPherson]

I concur with Stacy about the handle angles. Slightly more than 45 towards the user and a bit down from the plane of the work is just about where I like it.
I tend to use mine more for bow making than anything be else, so I like mine to be fairly thick on the "spine" <1/4 but >1/8 with a fairly long bevel. I end up using it more like a wedge to split layers of wood apart, rather than cutting through them, so mine tend to be a bit by dull as well.
Kinda niche I know but that's what and how I use em!

 

[dwaterfield]

I really appreciate all the info in this thread. A friend recently asked me to make a new version of his old straight draw knife. True to Stacy's experience, one handle is missing so I intend to make new handles for the old knife as well.

I think that it may have been made from mostly mild steel with high carbon steel forge-welded to the frame to make the blade. Was that a common practice?

 

[running bird]

Thanks so much guys. y’all got me pointed in the right direction! I’ll definitely start small as Stacy suggested and go from there. 3 different sizes sounds like a good idea to me. I’ll have to start sourcing some scrap wood to test on too, other than the cheap soft pine from lowes.