I've seen that tool before - as you got it out of the box, it was 'sharpened' as a leather tanner's de-fleshing/de-hairing scraper. In use, after soaking in 'lye' the wet hide was draped over a sloped, rounded slab of timber - sloped and supported like a shave horse but no moving parts - and the scraper got all the scraps of meat and connective tissue off the inside, then the hide was turned over and all the hair was scraped off as soaking in lye loosened the hair so it would fall out. Icky and nasty, that's why tanneries are usually banned from cities and towns.
Yes, classic design here but I've never realised they look different in the US. A smaller one is called "späntkniv". Used to quickly make kindling when starting a fire.
Barkknives are sharpened only from the top and bottom is supposed to be flat like in chisel or plane, so yeah this looks bit like that but can't be sure how the original shape of the cutting edge was on this one.
It's like the type of tool you'd have your intoxicated uncle make with a leaf spring and exhaust pipe, welded with a stick welder and an old gas powered grinding wheel. To finish it off, he wraps the handle in 'letric tape cuz, you wouldn't wanna hurt your hands on the burrs! There ya go boy! You got yerself a real jen-u-wine drawer knife!
Loving the shout-out to Lost Art Press, Chris and the rest of the crew put out amazing stuff and the daily (or more frequent) blog is worth a read too!
Rex. Another aced video. You nailed it with that draw knife. My son made a draw knife from a leaf spring. Very heavy but for tenoning timber frame. It worked great. He forged and honed the blade , then attached a set of HD handlebars to it. It’s a beast!
Were the handle bars of the “Ape Hanger” type? Because then…. that would be super cooool man baby! BRUUUUUM!!! Brummmmmmmm!!!! BRUUUUUMMM! BRUUUUUMMM! Dugga dugga dugga dugga etc..
Fun review and good content. The most fun for me was kinda getting into your head and thinking how fun it was to show off some of the new shop in the context of a video. Well done and as always, I appreciate all you do. Thanx, Greg
I used that system to shave the legs of my 3 kegged stool, except sitting on the floor with my foot and my round tenon gauge on my stomach to hold the legs.
I have often used a machete or big butcher knife as a draw knife in a pinch. The thickness of the back of a draw knife gives a bit of leverage to make heavier cuts. Older draw knives all had handles in line with blade similar to the one you have.
Can't lie, this style drawknife is exactly what I've been looking for. The fact so many force my wrists out of alignment is the main reason I don't have one.
When pushing the draw knife along the wood, you wanna pivot on one hand cause your naturally using your power hand. Which by instinct with pushing your mind incorporates that into it. So your naturally going to put all you got into it. Look at mortise cutting with a chisel. Closer vs farther away and how the chisel is directed, all of which are playing on how the left to right hemispheres of the brain interpret the amount of pressure and force you put into something.
As a bit of an aside, this drawknife is not the only thing you can sharpen with a belt sander. In a class at Woodcraft, the teacher showed us how to sharpen handplanes with it too. You have to be careful to avoid overheating the steel, but it works quite well.
Rex I absolutely love you for making this video. The bib is so ridiculous! I'm certain it works and has been popular in the past but it's so silly! But genuinely fascinating, so thank you for the video. Keep up the good work 👍🏼
These are a very common thery are mainly used for peeling bark off and you shouldn't be using flat stones on this style of drawknife it should be a cigar oval style stone to get a decent edge on it as these have a slight curve in the blade Gransfors Bruks make a decent one
I find a certain harmonic satisfaction of sorts watching one of my favorite and practical woodworkers making videos in his own new shop with all that space and possibility. Regardless of the topic, Rex gets my time and attention as he contributes to an important new part of my life. Bravo!
Hello, Mr. Krueger; At 9:04 you mention using the knife w/ a 1-handed pressure technique. I learned to use a drawknife w/ a similar style, using it more like we usually use knives. If we make cuts w/ a knife using the same part of the blade, it causes wear on that area. It looks like most old drawknives have the wear spread over the main part of the blade. Not localized to just one spot or area. That is how I learned to use a drawknife but I do it both ways. I learned to use most of the edge, cutting from end to end, on an angle. I've seen videos where someone says to do it this way. When I've used a drawknife like a regular knife it was usually for hogging off big chunks. For fine or thin cuts I'm more likely to use the 2-handed style cut for more control. Have a GREAT day, Neighbor! PS I'm still figuring out how I want my shave horse.
Re: pivoting the drawknife whilst pushing gives a kind of shearing action kind of like a skew plane, instead of cutting . I have a 100-year-old drawknife with pivoting handles. They have three positions, straight (like your drawknife), traditional, and sheath. The handles have grooves that cover the blade when in the sheath position. I haven't used it in the straight position but I'm going to try it.
Pivoting cuts are pretty common in straight knife carving, too. A few techniques involve bracing your arms to your body. The hands remain nearly still and your back muscles do the leverage. Quite comfortable and efficient, even for prolonged sessions. In "Swedish Carving Techniques", Wille Sundqvist suggested to do your carving axework in a slicing motion, where possible.
Improvising work holding (taking into account existing ideas) is great. I cut down a neighbour's ash tree and ended up with a six foot long chunk of about seven inch square with a big split in it. Added legs and various holes and am on my way to a shave horse but in the meantime have some other jobs to do so have created some add-ons to hold bits of work in various ways so it is doubling as a low bench.
Great video. I’m not able to use either of the benches you demonstrated but really enjoy how you showed the use. I’m familiar with both but you do have a real knack for doing these RUclips videos. Keep up the great work. Thanks
I could never get any of the shaving horses I built to work. Pieces always slipped out, never could get the right pressure, etc. I was getting pretty frustrated. But then I found the block and bip technique a few years ago. Honestly, it's been pretty good. It has a learning curve, but it's not a steep one. I enjoy it and I recommend anyone who is having trouble with a shaving horse to give it a go!
I got a drawknife to make wooden practice swords and braced one end of the blank against a stud and window ledge in my shed and the other end against my pillow protected sternum. I guess I was on to something.
Here in Italy, draw knives of the arched, pommeled kind are relatively easy to find in local rural hardware stores, but I've never ever seen a spokeshave anywhere.
The belly bib is easier to use if you wear it lower down on your actual belly -- about the height your elbow hangs, or just above belly button height. That's actually the height your shave horse holds the work. It's more stable there, because it doesn't move with your chest, and the pulling is more ergonomic, using mostly your lats. I made do with a phone book at my standing bench, and it was very easy.
I like how using a different style of the same tool presented a platform to learn some new stuff about the bib and low bench conversion. It makes me wonder if maybe we shouldn't have some videos about how some other non-western cultures do wood working, like maybe some Indian styles, or Thai, or whatnot. Maybe there is nothing there - maybe everyone adopts either western or japanese style tools. But I don't know, and this video I thought was an interesting branch out from tradition.
There are two things I always do when buying woodworking tools from aliexpress: 1. sharpening and honing the cutting edge. Few has usable edge on arrival. 2. Sanding the handle, and apply BLO. Most of them comes with slippery varnish.
Unless you're buying a really high end item most things need to be honed when new from the factory. This goes for knives and tools. You can't expect the manufacturer to be hand honing all of the products they're making. That's a lot of labor. Which you as the consumer would have to pay for with the purchase price. It could double or more the cost.
You are 100% inspiring. Although I am a tech channel, lots of behind the camera stuff I made by hand using your woodwork for humans techniques 💪🙏💖 Edit: At some point (when the studio is ready) I will build a server cluster out beautiful wood to put it next to the TV or other furniture. 😌
Great video Rex!!!! I thought the same thing. I was like no way $8!!! What!!!!! That has to be a typo!!!! Thank You for the review & demos!!!! Much Appreciated!!!! 😁🤔🤦♂️🤷♂️😃👍😎🤘
I have one that's curved like that and is dull as a froe. My dad had it and he used it to flesh and prepare hides with. I plan to sharpen it up some to use as a barking tool.
Never seen one used like this. I have seen them used for debarking pine/spruce and leather tanning. If you would like to get more traditional one you should look for Gränsfors Swedish Draw Knife that is hand forged with wooden handles.
Okay on the clamp that you used on the drawknife is new . Here is a idea that I use is take a small bench vise a 3 1/2 and bolt it to a 2 x 6 and clamp it to a bench .
Hola! 🖐 I really like the video, it keeps me hungry to ALWAYS be on the lookout for that Yard Sale, Garage Sale, Estate Sale where I can find that inexpensive tool and be pleasantly surprised. Great pick up for only $8, good for you. Thanks for demonstrating it's use, it may help some of us give it a shot and not be intimidated by it. Thanks for making this video and sharing your findings. Take care and have a good one, Adios! 👊
I just made a small drawknife by putting wooden handles (broom handle) on a stainless steel thicknesser plane blade (2 for £10 at screwfix). scary sharp, 100mm straight edge with a wee bit of flex.
I liked this video not because of the drawknife... I'm sure it's fine but I'm glad it's yours not mine (was that poetry? No... okay). It was the beast bib. I used a breast bib many years ago. It was based on a traditional design from Country Woodcrafts by Drew Langsner. It simply had a recess to hold the wood which was difficult to cut right up to the bib. I used it for years and it never once occurred to me to attach a block so the recess was extended further in front of me. It would have made life so much easier!
I tend to use my own belly to hold things down while working with a draw knife, or my gluteus maximus. It's a bit uncomfortable at first but you get used to it after a while
Class video as always. That mod for the low bench is my next "spare time" jig. I only have the low bench in the garden and no room for a shave horse/ horse adapted assembly. That looks the perfect solution. Sadly it is hard to get Chris's books in the UK!
9:18 my explanation: isometric muscle contraction is stronger than isotonic contraction, so the stationary hand gives you a strong pivot point to rotate the blade around with the other hand.
I have one a friend gave me which he made in his little forge from an old file. by drawing out bent tangs at each in the traditional style and hammering out a blade on one edge. I added some wooden handles on it and prefer to use it bevel down so my hands are dropped. I feel it has more control.
Years ago, I was a taxidermist. We used a knife that shape and size blade with a pushing action over a beam with the same contour to flesh animal hides. (Removing scraps of meat after skinning.) Once you learned the technique it worked very well and incredibly fast.
Occasionally I run across drawknives at flea markets or yard sales. They're usually dirt cheap and beat to death. So you're going to be doing as much work as Rex did to get them sharp. I've paid as little as 25 cents for one. Usually whoever's selling it doesn't even have any idea what it is.
It looks like the low bench just has a few less attachment then the shaving low bench. Combining the two into one as I see it means modifying the low bench. Pivot holes can be in the top or have a board cross wise to put the pivot holes into. The square mortise is the location for the eyelet. Us a threaded eye hook and a block from the bottom to center it and be a stop. The rest are new parts.
Something to consider in the future would be making simple tools like that yourself. Check out Advoko Makes videos on his DIY anvil and the knives/hatchet he made for building his outdoor workshop in a remote forest. I know he made a draw knife, though I'm not sure which video it's in. His giant chisel could be very useful.
I’d be very curious about the long term ergonomics of this vs the vertical draw knife. Just doing it with nothing in my hands I do notice that in especially a forward lean, a vertical grip results in a LOT less wrist angle change. My initial observation is this would be great for limited use, but there’s a potential for repetitive use resulting in injury.
Rex, I came for the woodworking; not to get between a man and his favourite pair of shorts. 🤣 Thanks for the video, and the draw knife tutorial. More Bargain Basement tools/tutorials please, as it's a real help for po' folks like me to make the dimes stretch.
I like how much time you spent to convince us that the 'bib' (and this video) is not an elaborate prank. However, I think i'll check wikipedia before i make my own.:)
Anyone else thinking..... "Hey..... now I know what I can make out of that old power lawnmower blade hanging in the garage , and I have some left over conduit too!", LOL. I thoroughly enjoyed that video. And despite the crude appearance of that $8 tool, I think the handle ergonomics makes better sense than the conventional Drawknife configuration.
Lawnmower blades are soft mild steel. You don't want the blade to shatter if you hit a rock. You don't want the blade to shatter period. Really you're just cutting green grass with it so how hard does it need to be? Though that does mean they dull up fairly quickly. Maybe it'd hold up to green wood work? I think it'd be just a bit too soft to really be satisfactory though. You can't really harden low carbon steel either.
It's not difficult to add a removable clamping part of a shave horse to almost any low bench. Somehow I have never used a bodger's bib for anything other than the push stroke
I just made one of these with an old lawnmower blade. Exactly how you described this one. I love it. PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY DO MORE GREEN WOODWORKING. there are little to no resources on the subject and most are clips of old nerds at bogger festivals...please
Thanks Rex! That drawknife looks great 👍. It's easy to use and you showed it! I inherited a very old, heavy, and sturdy 18" Greenlee from my Dad. He got it from his Dad, my Grandfather. Dad never used it as it a little scary to use, but Grandpa...... He whipped that monster around like it was a whittling knife.! Lol! Anyway, I am finding and buying the "Eight-buck Chuck" drawknife! Looks WAY more user interface friendly!!!! (By the way.... I learned to use the 18" knife by watching. I'm not the Master like Grandpa, but,... I can get a piece of odd wood to where I want it.....😶)
I get the "a little scary" angle. I inherited tools from my father and a lot of the power tools are of the scary kind as he removed any safety features they had as soon as he got his hands on them. His take on it was that if there weren't any safety features you would feel a need to keep your wits about you and don't take any unnecessary risks. I'm not convinced that's how it works as I've seen to many old crafts men lacking a finger or two.
I love how folks do green woodworking. I have no experience other than a little goofing around. It seems that if this knife’s steal doesn’t hold up then maybe the $20-$30 draw knives on Amazon could be an option?
Really enjoyed the video. But I remain skeptical that the sitting position is the best way to use a draw knife. Standing and using your legs in combination with your arms and back puts much more muscle groups to work and lightens the load on your biceps. After building your heavy duty workbench, using a shave horse or Roman bench to use a draw knife seems like punishment for a crime you did not commit. Makes as much sense as using your hand planes sitting down, depriving you of your weight and leg muscles to push (or pull) the plane efficiently across the wood..
Add a little bit of hockey tape to the handles and you have a winner.
I was thinking the same thing. Rob Cosman, right? :-)
HPHT
Only problem with that is you can’t let it roll in your hand when your working. But other than that, it would work great
Cosmanize it 😂
I really like the combo of the cheap tool review and the "how to" of the bib system
Even using the shave horse often a chest protector is worn. You're not supposed to slip but if you do it could be bad.
I've seen that tool before - as you got it out of the box, it was 'sharpened' as a leather tanner's de-fleshing/de-hairing scraper. In use, after soaking in 'lye' the wet hide was draped over a sloped, rounded slab of timber - sloped and supported like a shave horse but no moving parts - and the scraper got all the scraps of meat and connective tissue off the inside, then the hide was turned over and all the hair was scraped off as soaking in lye loosened the hair so it would fall out. Icky and nasty, that's why tanneries are usually banned from cities and towns.
Thats exactly what we used it for.
@@johnhoffmire5721 are you aware of any contest on Rex Krueger’s RUclips!
@@martinwoodworking - definitely some sort of scam
This type of drawknife is actually quite common in Scandinavia! They're mostly used to remove bark from logs. Some even call it a 'barkknife'
Yes, classic design here but I've never realised they look different in the US.
A smaller one is called "späntkniv". Used to quickly make kindling when starting a fire.
Barkknives are sharpened only from the top and bottom is supposed to be flat like in chisel or plane, so yeah this looks bit like that but can't be sure how the original shape of the cutting edge was on this one.
I think most craftsmen can appreciate a tool that's just brutally efficiently manufactured and functional. That's its own art really.
And it's so simple, if the steel is not completely useless and the welds hold it's hard to see how this tool would fail.
I bet some bicycle grips on those handles would help even more than the bare metal tubes.
Yes!
There is also a grip tape that they use on tennis racquet handles. Some of that would probably work too.
Or Hockey Tape, ala Rob Cosman
@@elijahroberts5270 there's any number of tapes you could use, but sliding on a premade grip from a bike seems easier
As long as the tube bore is the same…
It's like the type of tool you'd have your intoxicated uncle make with a leaf spring and exhaust pipe, welded with a stick welder and an old gas powered grinding wheel. To finish it off, he wraps the handle in 'letric tape cuz, you wouldn't wanna hurt your hands on the burrs! There ya go boy! You got yerself a real jen-u-wine drawer knife!
Thank for sharing Chris's book. I love that you share where you do your research as sometimes I understand minor nuances from reading those sources.
Loving the shout-out to Lost Art Press, Chris and the rest of the crew put out amazing stuff and the daily (or more frequent) blog is worth a read too!
Rex. Another aced video. You nailed it with that draw knife. My son made a draw knife from a leaf spring. Very heavy but for tenoning timber frame. It worked great. He forged and honed the blade , then attached a set of HD handlebars to it. It’s a beast!
Were the handle bars of the “Ape Hanger” type?
Because then…. that would be super cooool man baby!
BRUUUUUM!!! Brummmmmmmm!!!!
BRUUUUUMMM!
BRUUUUUMMM!
Dugga dugga dugga dugga etc..
That actually look like fun. It looks like it perfect for slicing cuts. Bush fix scythe blade turned to a drawknife. Excellent! Great job!
Looking like I proper chair bodger Rex!! The new shop feels natural already, and I loved the extra camera angles 👍
I've always known it as a bodgers bib, used in green wood carving of spoons and such. I've made several out of thick leather.
Fun review and good content. The most fun for me was kinda getting into your head and thinking how fun it was to show off some of the new shop in the context of a video. Well done and as always, I appreciate all you do. Thanx, Greg
I used that system to shave the legs of my 3 kegged stool, except sitting on the floor with my foot and my round tenon gauge on my stomach to hold the legs.
I have often used a machete or big butcher knife as a draw knife in a pinch. The thickness of the back of a draw knife gives a bit of leverage to make heavier cuts. Older draw knives all had handles in line with blade similar to the one you have.
Can't lie, this style drawknife is exactly what I've been looking for. The fact so many force my wrists out of alignment is the main reason I don't have one.
Try one of the old folding kind, where the handles fold over the blade. They can usually be opened wide for a similar angle
@@timothymallon
You are talking Money when a folding draw knife can be found! The capital M was deliberate
Love the simplicity of the drawknifes design! Great review Rex
When pushing the draw knife along the wood, you wanna pivot on one hand cause your naturally using your power hand. Which by instinct with pushing your mind incorporates that into it. So your naturally going to put all you got into it. Look at mortise cutting with a chisel. Closer vs farther away and how the chisel is directed, all of which are playing on how the left to right hemispheres of the brain interpret the amount of pressure and force you put into something.
Also, by pivoting the tool, you incorporate a shearing motion to the cut. Which is usually more efficient.
As a bit of an aside, this drawknife is not the only thing you can sharpen with a belt sander. In a class at Woodcraft, the teacher showed us how to sharpen handplanes with it too. You have to be careful to avoid overheating the steel, but it works quite well.
Rex I absolutely love you for making this video. The bib is so ridiculous! I'm certain it works and has been popular in the past but it's so silly! But genuinely fascinating, so thank you for the video. Keep up the good work 👍🏼
Another case of the old adage of "If it looks stupid, but it works, it ain't stupid" XD
These are a very common thery are mainly used for peeling bark off and you shouldn't be using flat stones on this style of drawknife it should be a cigar oval style stone to get a decent edge on it as these have a slight curve in the blade Gransfors Bruks make a decent one
Apparently the Chinese make a decent one too. I bet it costs a lot less than the Gransfors Bruks one does.
So you solved my problem of how to hold my walking sticks as i strip the bark & shape them. I was doing something similar. Thanks.
May the Schwartz be with you! Glad I live where rust is abundant and affordable. Thanks for the information on this option for those that don’t.
I find a certain harmonic satisfaction of sorts watching one of my favorite and practical woodworkers making videos in his own new shop with all that space and possibility. Regardless of the topic, Rex gets my time and attention as he contributes to an important new part of my life. Bravo!
Hello, Mr. Krueger;
At 9:04 you mention using the knife w/ a 1-handed pressure technique.
I learned to use a drawknife w/ a similar style, using it more like we usually use knives.
If we make cuts w/ a knife using the same part of the blade, it causes wear on that area.
It looks like most old drawknives have the wear spread over the main part of the blade.
Not localized to just one spot or area.
That is how I learned to use a drawknife but I do it both ways.
I learned to use most of the edge, cutting from end to end, on an angle.
I've seen videos where someone says to do it this way.
When I've used a drawknife like a regular knife it was usually for hogging off big chunks.
For fine or thin cuts I'm more likely to use the 2-handed style cut for more control.
Have a GREAT day, Neighbor!
PS
I'm still figuring out how I want my shave horse.
Re: pivoting the drawknife whilst pushing gives a kind of shearing action kind of like a skew plane, instead of cutting . I have a 100-year-old drawknife with pivoting handles. They have three positions, straight (like your drawknife), traditional, and sheath. The handles have grooves that cover the blade when in the sheath position. I haven't used it in the straight position but I'm going to try it.
Pivoting cuts are pretty common in straight knife carving, too. A few techniques involve bracing your arms to your body. The hands remain nearly still and your back muscles do the leverage. Quite comfortable and efficient, even for prolonged sessions. In "Swedish Carving Techniques", Wille Sundqvist suggested to do your carving axework in a slicing motion, where possible.
Great video. As far as the echo in the audio, it's there but I find it doesn't really distract from the whole production.
Improvising work holding (taking into account existing ideas) is great. I cut down a neighbour's ash tree and ended up with a six foot long chunk of about seven inch square with a big split in it. Added legs and various holes and am on my way to a shave horse but in the meantime have some other jobs to do so have created some add-ons to hold bits of work in various ways so it is doubling as a low bench.
Evolution, a big spoke shave, makes total sense. But yes, it did get weird, but beautifully so. Thanks again Rex, your videos kickass.
Wonderful upload! The tool is one step above a flint knife and that's its charm. Great attitude!
Great video. I’m not able to use either of the benches you demonstrated but really enjoy how you showed the use. I’m familiar with both but you do have a real knack for doing these RUclips videos. Keep up the great work. Thanks
I could never get any of the shaving horses I built to work. Pieces always slipped out, never could get the right pressure, etc. I was getting pretty frustrated. But then I found the block and bip technique a few years ago. Honestly, it's been pretty good. It has a learning curve, but it's not a steep one. I enjoy it and I recommend anyone who is having trouble with a shaving horse to give it a go!
First I've seen of your new roooooomy shop... must feel nice... room for every bench you may ever need
Been missing the import madness episodes! Thanks!
that bib is something else. i’m never buying a pre made ax handle again.
I got a drawknife to make wooden practice swords and braced one end of the blank against a stud and window ledge in my shed and the other end against my pillow protected sternum. I guess I was on to something.
as always, great stuff, Rex! Looking forward to seeing more of the set up of the new shop and all that it entailed!
Here in Italy, draw knives of the arched, pommeled kind are relatively easy to find in local rural hardware stores, but I've never ever seen a spokeshave anywhere.
Spokeshaves are fairly rare. When I see them they tend to cost a lot. I bought a cheap one out of China. I can't recommend it.
Looks like the perfect opportunity to use one of those round sharpening stones from my kitchen knife collection...
That review didn't turn out how I expected, in a good way. Loved the video. Thanks
Dude, simply for those police sirens at 11:33 minutes it was worth to move your shop! 😂
Please keep that in your future videos. Greets from Germany.
My observation is that the traditional position of drawknife handles allows for greater control of blade angle, by leverage.
Hi Rex. On the push cut and pivoting, it looks like you are getting more of a slicing cut and maybe that is why that works. Just a thought.
The belly bib is easier to use if you wear it lower down on your actual belly -- about the height your elbow hangs, or just above belly button height. That's actually the height your shave horse holds the work. It's more stable there, because it doesn't move with your chest, and the pulling is more ergonomic, using mostly your lats.
I made do with a phone book at my standing bench, and it was very easy.
I like how using a different style of the same tool presented a platform to learn some new stuff about the bib and low bench conversion. It makes me wonder if maybe we shouldn't have some videos about how some other non-western cultures do wood working, like maybe some Indian styles, or Thai, or whatnot. Maybe there is nothing there - maybe everyone adopts either western or japanese style tools. But I don't know, and this video I thought was an interesting branch out from tradition.
There are two things I always do when buying woodworking tools from aliexpress:
1. sharpening and honing the cutting edge. Few has usable edge on arrival.
2. Sanding the handle, and apply BLO. Most of them comes with slippery varnish.
Unless you're buying a really high end item most things need to be honed when new from the factory. This goes for knives and tools. You can't expect the manufacturer to be hand honing all of the products they're making. That's a lot of labor. Which you as the consumer would have to pay for with the purchase price. It could double or more the cost.
Nice, simple video. I’ve had issues finding a cheap drawknife as well. Thanks, Rex.
You are 100% inspiring. Although I am a tech channel, lots of behind the camera stuff I made by hand using your woodwork for humans techniques 💪🙏💖
Edit: At some point (when the studio is ready) I will build a server cluster out beautiful wood to put it next to the TV or other furniture. 😌
Great video Rex!!!! I thought the same thing. I was like no way $8!!! What!!!!! That has to be a typo!!!! Thank You for the review & demos!!!! Much Appreciated!!!! 😁🤔🤦♂️🤷♂️😃👍😎🤘
The Bib: I'm sorry but I just couldn't help but think of Flava Flav doing woodworking. :)
I love the new editing style!
I have one that's curved like that and is dull as a froe. My dad had it and he used it to flesh and prepare hides with. I plan to sharpen it up some to use as a barking tool.
Never seen one used like this. I have seen them used for debarking pine/spruce and leather tanning. If you would like to get more traditional one you should look for Gränsfors Swedish Draw Knife that is hand forged with wooden handles.
Okay on the clamp that you used on the drawknife is new . Here is a idea that I use is take a small bench vise a 3 1/2 and bolt it to a 2 x 6 and clamp it to a bench .
I love the bib thing! I am kind of disappointed that it's not the start of some wooden armor like I thought when I first saw the thumbnail.
Hola! 🖐 I really like the video, it keeps me hungry to ALWAYS be on the lookout for that Yard Sale, Garage Sale, Estate Sale where I can find that inexpensive tool and be pleasantly surprised. Great pick up for only $8, good for you. Thanks for demonstrating it's use, it may help some of us give it a shot and not be intimidated by it. Thanks for making this video and sharing your findings. Take care and have a good one, Adios! 👊
I love how you gave this draw knife a chance. It does look horrible, but it looks like it has good utility.
I just made a small drawknife by putting wooden handles (broom handle) on a stainless steel thicknesser plane blade (2 for £10 at screwfix). scary sharp, 100mm straight edge with a wee bit of flex.
First off, we used to call them spoke shaves.
Second, great tool, and video.
😢 Mr. Old Guy “gotta be bitter when ‘correcting’ the kids on terminology” chimes in. 😢
I liked this video not because of the drawknife... I'm sure it's fine but I'm glad it's yours not mine (was that poetry? No... okay). It was the beast bib. I used a breast bib many years ago. It was based on a traditional design from Country Woodcrafts by Drew Langsner. It simply had a recess to hold the wood which was difficult to cut right up to the bib. I used it for years and it never once occurred to me to attach a block so the recess was extended further in front of me. It would have made life so much easier!
I tend to use my own belly to hold things down while working with a draw knife, or my gluteus maximus.
It's a bit uncomfortable at first but you get used to it after a while
Class video as always. That mod for the low bench is my next "spare time" jig. I only have the low bench in the garden and no room for a shave horse/ horse adapted assembly. That looks the perfect solution.
Sadly it is hard to get Chris's books in the UK!
He sells a pdf version on his website for ~half the price of the print version. Granted, hard copy is better. But it’s an option.
An oscillating spindle sander could also be used for grinding the edge, I think.
I did not no about the crafts men bib. It would have come in handy with the thing I been doing. Thanks for tell us about the amazing bib.
9:18 my explanation: isometric muscle contraction is stronger than isotonic contraction, so the stationary hand gives you a strong pivot point to rotate the blade around with the other hand.
I could easily make one of those from a railroad C-clip spring. That thing also reminds me of a fleshing knife.
I have one a friend gave me which he made in his little forge from an old file. by drawing out bent tangs at each in the traditional style and hammering out a blade on one edge. I added some wooden handles on it and prefer to use it bevel down so my hands are dropped. I feel it has more control.
I can see that setup working very well out at the cabin.
The 'brace & pivot' cut works better than pushing with both hands evenly because it employs the slice action.
Years ago, I was a taxidermist. We used a knife that shape and size blade with a pushing action over a beam with the same contour to flesh animal hides. (Removing scraps of meat after skinning.) Once you learned the technique it worked very well and incredibly fast.
You can't fool me Rex! That necklace is obviously an ancient aztec amulet which is used as the key to open the ancient tomb of dangerous magic evil!
Occasionally I run across drawknives at flea markets or yard sales. They're usually dirt cheap and beat to death. So you're going to be doing as much work as Rex did to get them sharp. I've paid as little as 25 cents for one. Usually whoever's selling it doesn't even have any idea what it is.
It looks like the low bench just has a few less attachment then the shaving low bench. Combining the two into one as I see it means modifying the low bench. Pivot holes can be in the top or have a board cross wise to put the pivot holes into. The square mortise is the location for the eyelet. Us a threaded eye hook and a block from the bottom to center it and be a stop. The rest are new parts.
I’d love to see you build a bass trap or sound diffusers for your shop.
I've got good drawknives but I need a good shave horse......yeah, I'm on it now!
It might be good, for those of us with limited space, to have a low bench and a kit of parts to add toturn it into a shave horse. Two tools in one.
I have always preferred that handle design. It just feels better.
Something to consider in the future would be making simple tools like that yourself. Check out Advoko Makes videos on his DIY anvil and the knives/hatchet he made for building his outdoor workshop in a remote forest. I know he made a draw knife, though I'm not sure which video it's in. His giant chisel could be very useful.
There was a different drawknife video I watched where they said you should angle the blade so it slices, similar to widdling
I’d be very curious about the long term ergonomics of this vs the vertical draw knife. Just doing it with nothing in my hands I do notice that in especially a forward lean, a vertical grip results in a LOT less wrist angle change. My initial observation is this would be great for limited use, but there’s a potential for repetitive use resulting in injury.
Rex, I came for the woodworking; not to get between a man and his favourite pair of shorts. 🤣
Thanks for the video, and the draw knife tutorial. More Bargain Basement tools/tutorials please, as it's a real help for po' folks like me to make the dimes stretch.
I like how much time you spent to convince us that the 'bib' (and this video) is not an elaborate prank. However, I think i'll check wikipedia before i make my own.:)
we used this style of knife to remove bark when building log cabins
Our woodsman lex luger man made in America, I am sorry gosh rex Kruger , they both rhyme but happy I am.
Love the new shop!
Anyone else thinking..... "Hey..... now I know what I can make out of that old power lawnmower blade hanging in the garage , and I have some left over conduit too!", LOL.
I thoroughly enjoyed that video. And despite the crude appearance of that $8 tool, I think the handle ergonomics makes better sense than the conventional Drawknife configuration.
Lawnmower blades are soft mild steel. You don't want the blade to shatter if you hit a rock. You don't want the blade to shatter period. Really you're just cutting green grass with it so how hard does it need to be? Though that does mean they dull up fairly quickly. Maybe it'd hold up to green wood work? I think it'd be just a bit too soft to really be satisfactory though. You can't really harden low carbon steel either.
It's not difficult to add a removable clamping part of a shave horse to almost any low bench.
Somehow I have never used a bodger's bib for anything other than the push stroke
Interesting video. Thanks for sharing.
Weekend Stuff
I just made one of these with an old lawnmower blade. Exactly how you described this one. I love it.
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY DO MORE GREEN WOODWORKING.
there are little to no resources on the subject and most are clips of old nerds at bogger festivals...please
Great stuff, Rex!
Looking forward to more woodworking history
Forward to History!
Back to the Future!
Thank you!
Lazlo Toth,
A REAL AMERICAN 🇺🇸!!
In 18th century books… the word History LOOKS LIKE…, Hiftory. 😂
Thanks Rex! That drawknife looks great 👍. It's easy to use and you showed it!
I inherited a very old, heavy, and sturdy 18" Greenlee from my Dad. He got it from his Dad, my Grandfather. Dad never used it as it a little scary to use, but Grandpa...... He whipped that monster around like it was a whittling knife.! Lol! Anyway, I am finding and buying the "Eight-buck Chuck" drawknife! Looks WAY more user interface friendly!!!!
(By the way.... I learned to use the 18" knife by watching. I'm not the Master like Grandpa, but,... I can get a piece of odd wood to where I want it.....😶)
I get the "a little scary" angle. I inherited tools from my father and a lot of the power tools are of the scary kind as he removed any safety features they had as soon as he got his hands on them. His take on it was that if there weren't any safety features you would feel a need to keep your wits about you and don't take any unnecessary risks. I'm not convinced that's how it works as I've seen to many old crafts men lacking a finger or two.
I love how folks do green woodworking. I have no experience other than a little goofing around. It seems that if this knife’s steal doesn’t hold up then maybe the $20-$30 draw knives on Amazon could be an option?
Really enjoyed the video. But I remain skeptical that the sitting position is the best way to use a draw knife. Standing and using your legs in combination with your arms and back puts much more muscle groups to work and lightens the load on your biceps. After building your heavy duty workbench, using a shave horse or Roman bench to use a draw knife seems like punishment for a crime you did not commit. Makes as much sense as using your hand planes sitting down, depriving you of your weight and leg muscles to push (or pull) the plane efficiently across the wood..
Thank you.
thank you Rex . at first i though hey a new way for me to get stiches lol. it was interesting
Echo? Get Auralex! They're studio sound treatment panels. They have a wide variety for various applications. 😁
Back to the roots indeed, making me question your sanity over a new tool and being pleasantly wrong.
the illustration at 11:20 kinda looks like your $8 draw knife. Like your videos! Thank You