Marking knife problem

[Sean Hughto]

Hmmm, Fidel .... I uh, wouldn't be so quick to blame the tool. I have BS marking knives. They have no problem at all in following a straightedge. I urge you to work on your technique. No offense.

[Fidel Fernandez]

None taken.

I have a great success with my other single bevel knife and I have never experienced that problem. I have the "Crown 112 2-Inch 51-mm by 1-Inch 25-mm Blade Right Handed Marking Knife". The problem is a single bevel.

I wanted to have this new one for the double bevel as convenience of not changing knives for the direction.

I had received an email from blue spruce tools and he mention to round the point of the blade when sharpening. I have not done that. It has a very sharp point and that might be one of the cause of my problem.
He also mention that it is not design to cut very deep, and that is what I am doing. They have another thicker blade 1/16 that I might try.

I received email from Japan Woodworker and the japanese knife has been shipped.

Update **

This is from Blue Spruce website. I think I will order that one in the future.


The Blue Spruce Toolworks Large Marking Knife is well suited to larger joinery tasks or for those who prefer a larger, stiffer blade. The large marking knife is available with two styles of handles and three standard wood options. The blade is approximately 2-1/4 inches (57mm) long, 1/2 inch (13mm) wide and 1/16 inch (1.6mm) thick. This heavy duty marking knife is sure to become a favorite tool.

[Rob Luter]

I have three different knives I use based on the occasion. The Veritas (top) for tough grained wood, as it cuts a nice groove and doesn't wander, the Czech Edge (center) for general purpose marking, and the long, thin homebrew on the bottom for dovetails. I sharpen them as you might a chisel, with a flat polished back and cutting edges like razor blades. The sharper they are, the better they mark.

[Derek Cohen]

WHY would LV put a hooked blade on a "woodworker's knife"? That is the last shape I'd want on one. How can you carve with it?

Hi George

I suspect that this would make a great knife for cutting lino Perhaps that is where the shape came from.

It's great for "carving" the end of a pencil, and it excells in striking a line. One can bear down on the tip. The blade is also thick enough to become a wedge and split thin boards.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Alfred Kraemer]

WHY would LV put a hooked blade on a "woodworker's knife"? That is the last shape I'd want on one. How can you carve with it?

You are on the right track I think. This type of knife wasn't designed as a wood working knife but originally intended for a different purpose.
I have seen thise type of knife in Germany in two different sizes: a smaller version used by gardeners for grafting called 'Gartenhippe' and a larger version called 'Pappreissmesser' used for cutting roofing felt. Of course they are not limited to those purposes.

Alfred

[Jim Matthews]

I tried this method, rounding over the tip so it would track true.

It works, if you can get that round portion sharp.
If you can't, it just skates over the surface until
it find a soft patch - and catches.

A marking gauge should be set up so that the blade
is slightly canted away from the gauge shoulder,
which pulls the shoulder tight while marking.

It's the same principle as drawboring.
The natural angle of the blade draws
the shoulder of the gauge tight.

[Noah Wagener]

I use the LV Utilitas version with good result along and cross grain.

Is the way that knife is being used the proper way to use a marking knife? I tend to slice into the steel of my square and dull the knife and ruin the straight edge. Do you dull everything but the point?

the link did not get copied in the quote. http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/pag...44&cat=51&ap=1

[george wilson]

I never use a "marking knife". I've always just used a sharp pocket knife,tilting it so it scribes right up against a steel rule.

[Daniel Rode]

I just noticed that I replied earlier with exactly the same comment...

At least I was consistent

[george wilson]

The Veritas shown above has the most sturdy blade.

[Prashun Patel]

Thanks for all the insight here. So many great 'points' of view to help someone like me triangulate.

[Patrick Harper]

I'm really digging that woodworkers knife from Lee Valley.

I currently use a thick diamond shaped knife for marking cross-cuts, and a Czeck Edge Pattern Pilot II for joinery. I'll second Derek's opinion in that it's more technique than anything else. It's something I struggled with for a while.

[Mike Brady]

The premium marking knives are great looking, and I have one; but honestly I prefer a conventional double-bevel for marking. Single bevel knives can cut the edges of your layout tools, particularly if you have wood or brass straight edges on them. The double bevel on a thin blade of the Exacto or 10-049 Stanley folding knife keeps the cutting edge just a hair away from your straightedge or dovetail and won't shave it. Spear-point marking knives are also a challenge to sharpen without ruining the nice bevels that the maker put on them. Much of this is probably just personal preference, however. The fancy marking knives certainly have an "edge" in the "looks" department.

[Jim Koepke]

Interesting to see an old thread bubble up again.

My response was going to be about making your own marking knife (knives). Then of course, my reply was already there.

Since the OP was inquiring about heavy cross grain work only my first shop made knife was shown:

Knife & Handle.jpg

This is my most used marking knife made from an old plane blade. If it were to be done again, the angle would be a bit more acute and more of the blade would have been used to make the handle a bit longer. This knife has been in use for 7+ years and seldom wonders from my bench.

The pins holding the scales on the handle are pieces of scrap brass peened over. It is solid and can strike a great line and also can be used like a chisel to carve out a "V" notch when desired.

It is a little thick for dovetail marking so a second marking knife was made:

Checking Square.jpg

This one is made from a piece of broken saw blade. The handle was turned on a lathe. The ferrel is a compression ring from a tubing connector. It can mark reasonably in soft woods across the grain, but the plane blade knife is better at that task, just as the saw blade knife is better at marking between tails for dovetail layout.

jtk

[Shawn Pixley]

Like Mike (be like Mike?), I like the single bevel style. I have a spear-pointed one that you can use right or left handed.