What is a traditional knife for a carpenter?

Personally, I used to carry a Case copperhead. The rounded butt made sit better than my 4" Case stockman, which I carried for a long time. I have carried small soddies, etc., but have found over the last few years a pocket knife clipped to my belt is the best for over all work. Those bigger knives are very uncomfortable under my tool bags.

Now I carry one of my clip on pocket knives for the heavy work such as my Kershaw Shallot, a JYD, a CRKT Drifter, etc. They don't bite at my leg when my tool bags are on and full of stuff. At the same time I carry a small knife like a peanut or similar in stainless (I sweat like I was swimming some days) in my pocket so I have a splinter picker as well.

Robert
 
waynorth said:
I've built houses, and made fine furniture, and a straight edged, pointed blade was always the most useful. A large wharncliffe, or coping or sheepfoot blade would be my first choice.
I always found a swell center, balloon too small for everything but the most intricate carving. An old Sheepfoot (larger than recent production), or a large wharncliffe, like the German-made Bulldogs was best, IMO. Case's seahorse is O.K. if you don't mind stainless.
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I think this is a great gesture, and the thought itself is quite nice. I agree about a wharncliffe blade with a straight cutting edge would prove useful for the majority of tasks, otherwise, you may have to buy him 2 knives.;)
 
Bryan.H said:
I like the quality of the folders made by the 'Littlemesters of Sheffield', ....!
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I hate saying this but the quality can be 'spotty'.
I have had an excellent knife, and ones that I had to fiddle with to come to ok

The blades you are looking at on these English knives are called lambsfoot (not a Wharnie)
A sheepsfoot is more substantial work blade and squarer at the end
 
Im not a carpenter, or a construktionworker, but I like to build bouth ruff and fine work. I carry a Mora 511 for most work and a Stanley utility, But for marking in wood and real delicate cutting I carry a Vic electrician. It has a good long blade and a sheepfoot style blade with the straight tip that gives. It also has an awl for starting holes and a broad screwdriver for mainly light prying. Ideal for my uses. That said as a present that queen half congress looks like an ideal gift and very useful for the purpouse.

Bosse
 
A small but useful and authentic knife for this task could be the CASE Medium Stockman in Chestnut Bone/cv. It's compact, has three easy to sharpen blades and looks very decent-also, having a pen blade instead of a spey adds to the utility.
 
These are bench tools not pocket knives.

Just to show an example a classic marking knife for fine cabinetry

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Another style that is less common and more expensive
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My Grandfather was true jack of all trades and a master of all! He was a carpenter, plumber, electrician and anything else you could think of. If it could be torn down, built, or repaired he did it. While travelling around town, he would tell me about how he built that house or that other house or built new cabinets for those people there.

He has long since passed away, but I can tell you about some of the knives he left behind.

Scout Knife by Ulster.
Stockmans. Several, some by Imperial, some by ye ol Schrade.
Wenger Handyman. This knife was the newest of his and had the least wear,
I think it was his 'Sunday' knife.
And finally, the last work knife he was using. Still strapped to his tool belt,
a Camillus Electrican's knife with wood handle and bail.

I'm more of a tinkerer and carver than a true carpenter, so the only personal advice I can offer is go with something with good grippy handles. My favorites are stag and ram's horn; they are excellent grippers, even while wet, bloody, sweaty, or oily. There's nothing worse than a slippery knife.
 
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