knife for carpentry

M

mr dylan

Joined
Mar 27, 2010
Messages
205
hey guys im working in carpentry and i live in canada, so that means working in the cold. im looking for a knife that is easy to operate with gloves on. id be looking for something around 3 1/2 inces long and it should have good traction. im open to serrations or a plain blade.
 
I do the same work, although at this point I am more of a general contractor. Been doing it for about 35 years. When you say "operate" I am assuming a folder, especially since there is nothing to operate on a fixed blade.

Using a folder with gloves really narrows down the list. No liner locks, no frame locks, etc. Can't unlatch them easily. None of the knives with the newer button lock systems or safety stuff will do you.

But, there is 50 year old solution that will fit the bill. A Buck 110 folder, an old Schrade LB7, or something along those lines. The Buck is available everywhere, reasonably priced and a great work knife. It is a lockback, so gloves will work, and it even has its own sheath supplied when you buy it so you don't have to try to fish it out of a pocket when you have your gloves on.

And of course, it has been job site standard with a great track record for decades.

Robert
 
I can use my para2 with my mechanics gloves on, but the lock gets to be a pain when you use heavier insulated gloves. The opening hole really is great for gloves though, might try one of the spyderco lockbacks with their midlock. I think an Endura might work.
 
I love my Cold Steel Recon 1 because I can use it with my incredibly bulky structural firefighting gloves on. :) Depending on the size of your hands and the weight you're willing to carry, it might be worth checking out.
 
i use to use a coldsteel voyager,,but now i have a carbon mora clipper on my rig
 
Byrd Cara Cara or an endura, good for the job (my dad is a contractor and i worked with him for a while using an endura) can open with gloves ( i go to school in north carolina and the spydhole is easy to open with snow gloves) and they arent too expensive so you wont feel bad about puttin em through the paces at work.
 
I'd look into a fixed blade like an esee 3 or hest, both around 3.5" and easy to operate and will take a lot of abuse which carpentry or any of the trades requires.
 
I think you need an Endura of some kind. The spyderhole makes it easy to open the knife, and it's a lockback, so it should also be easier to operate with gloves on
 
Svord Peasant knife - easy to operate with gloves, no lock so it's easy to close.
Thin, sharp blade so it works as a marking knife.
It's also cheap enough it won't break you when it walks off a jobsite in someone else's toolbox.

on the small, low cost fixed blade side of things, check out the CRKT stubby razel -- works well for cleaning up a mortise, as a marking knife, heavy spine if you need to whack it through something, etc...
 
I'd take a real look at the fixed blade crkt razel . like a chisel that can slice.
 
Last edited:
For a slightly different take on your question:

I keep some USA-made Chicago Cutlery knives in the shop. Fixed blade kitchen knives, so no worries about "operating" them with gloves, and wood handles that won't freeze my hands or slip.
 
mr dylan said:
hey guys im working in carpentry and i live in canada, so that means working in the cold. im looking for a knife that is easy to operate with gloves on. id be looking for something around 3 1/2 inces long and it should have good traction. im open to serrations or a plain blade.
Click to expand...

what exactly will you be cutting/doing with the knife?
 
I've worked in the trades for 16 years, and all I've ever used is a Stanley utility knife. In fact, I can't recall ever seeing anyone using anything other than a Stanley knife. The first time you run over a nail-head when cutting tyvek, or drop your knife onto a pile of gravel-filled backfill - you will never want to carry anything other than a disposable knife again. On any job-site, especially carpentry - your blade edge will come in contact with metal, grit, stone, etc. almost every time you use it. Save the pocket knife for opening your bag of Doritos at lunch.

ETA - Cutting the tip off of a tube of deck adhesive is one of those things where no matter hard you try - you will inevitably get glue all over your knife blade. One of the many reasons disposable blades were invented.
 
Last edited:
aplehr1 said:
I've worked in the trades for 16 years, and all I've ever used is a Stanley utility knife. In fact, I can't recall ever seeing anyone using anything other than a Stanley knife. The first time you run over a nail-head when cutting tyvek, or drop your knife onto a pile of gravel-filled backfill - you will never want to carry anything other than a disposable knife again. On any job-site, especially carpentry - your blade edge will come in contact with metal, grit, stone, etc. almost every time you use it. Save the pocket knife for opening your bag of Doritos at lunch.

ETA - Cutting the tip off of a tube of deck adhesive is one of those things where no matter hard you try - you will inevitably get glue all over your knife blade. One of the many reasons disposable blades were invented.
Click to expand...

Are we talking Liquid Nails here? If so out of curiosity why are you cutting the tip bigger after puncturing the tube?

I work in concrete and while disposably blades are a great tool i find that they get destroyed by pretty much everything and get dulled by looking at them wrong. I find that my Schrade Cliphanger that even after going thru a staple and such is still sharp enough to do something rather than butter knife dull razor blades at that point. Sure you can change them but sometimes you dont have any replacement blades or are in a place where getting another one would suck.
 
I can use my para2 with my mechanics gloves on

1.jpg
 
Here in Sweden, pretty much every single carpenter and construction worker uses a Mora or a Hultafors as an all-rounder because they are cheap and disposable and they get the job done. For precision cutting tasks they use carpet knives with disposable blades. They often have two or three knives. One regular Mora, one chisel knife (not everyone needs one) and one carpet knife (for cutting plastic sheets etc.)

morabasic.jpg

70649.jpg

LR_mattkniv.tif.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top