Marking Knives

[Ralph Johnson]

Dave

Very nice work. Any chance you could post a drawing on the knife without the handle. My old eyes cant see much in the photo. also how did you attched the handle to the blade.

thanks

Ralph

[Dave Anderson NH]

Ralph and Wendell both asked how the knife blade was attached to the handle. The handle is drilled before turning to shape on the lathe so that the hole is centered when it comes time to attach the blade. The blade has a shoulder ground into it to preset the maximum depth the shank of the blade will go in. I mix up a small batch of epoxy and with a toothpick fill the hole about half full. I then wipe a small amount on the outside of the shoulder which is covered by the ferrule (only near the top). Slide on the ferrule and wipe then insert the blade to its full depth. Have a cloth handy with a slight bit of acetone on it to remove any overfill which pours out the top or gets on either the ferrule or the handle. See guys, tool making doesn't have to be a high tech endeavor. A propane torch, some simple vise grips, a file or two, a hacksaw, and a grinder and/or a belt sander and the rest is pure woodworking. My explanation will be a bit clearer if you look at the picture below with a yet to be assembled knife.

[Alan Turner]

Dave,
You have inspired me, and so I went to my MSC catalogue, and find the narrowest width is 1/2". Pages 1755 to 1760. Am I looking at the wrong steel? And, while I am bothering you, what thickness did you use? 1/8". Thanks for the info. and help, and inspiration. Now, to find some oven time.
Alan

[Wendell Wilkerson]

Alan, Here's the link to MSC webpage with 5/16" width stock:

Oil Hardened Flat Stock

They list stock all the way down to 1/8" wide.


Dave, thanks for the pictures of the pre-assembled knife. Before I started getting interested in hand tools, I used to think I would never buy a lathe. Now that I've seen all the posts where people are making all kinds of nice tool handles on lathes, I may have to reconsider. If I don't stop reading these forums, my tools-to-buy list is never going to get shorter

Wendell

[Alan Turner]

Thanks so much. I was blind, I guess.

[Chris Padilla]

Love is blind, Alan, love is blind....

Those knives are truly remarkable. I can see why people are beating down doors to try and get them. Fine work, Dave.

[Dave Anderson NH]

I used 3/32" thick O1 for my knives. I felt the 1/16" would be too thin and the 1/8" would be a bit too heavy. The 18" length of 3/32 by 3/8" is on page 1771 and is part numbered 06106063 and sells for $6.94. The 36" lengths are on page 1774.

[Alan Turner]

Dave,
Thanks for the details. Different pages in my book, but I appreciate the tip on the 3/32 thickness. I have never hardened steel before, so this should be a fun project.
Alan

[Robert Ducharme]

Color me ignorant!!!

What are these used for? Sorry, I am not even past the rock - flint stage. In fact, I don't even own a plane.

They do look nice

[Tyler Howell]

[QUOTE=Dave Anderson NH]Tomorrow we have our Guild of NH Woodworkers meeting on planers and jointers- their care, use, safety, and maintenence. I'll be out of the house most of the day while SWMBO hosts a good portion of her family for the monthly poker game- it's her turn. The rest of the weekend will be devoted to turning handles for a few scratch awls out of Indian Rosewood, Gabon Ebony and maybe some 200 year old chestnut a friend gave me this week. Then there's the metal work on the blades and the heat treating, and finally assembly. I'm also going to do a couple of prototype cutting gages with a new style fence--- big leaf maple burl with inset brass wear strips and ebony beams.

Dave after our exchange on the marking knives and your reference to turning here, I was wondering if you "Turn the Neanderthal way"__________________

[Dave Anderson NH]

Robert- Marking knives are used as an alternative to to pencils for marking lines on stock for cuts such as dovetails or dados. A marking knife leaves a very thin and defined line which is more accurate than that of a pencil. It also has the major advantage of scoring the wood fibers which defines an exact location for you to start your cut with either a chisel or a saw. Since the wood is scored you don't end up with chipped grain on the surfaces at the edge of the cut and your edges look cleaner and neater. I often use the scored mark as the place to insert the chisel tip when starting a paring cut, another way of assuring accuracy.

Tyler- I've used a friends treadle lathe on occasion, and once at a woodworking show Don Weber allowed me to take a try on his spring pole lathe, but essentially I'm an electon killer when it comes to turning. Unlike many on the power tool side of the creek, turning isn't something that comes naturally to me. I'm slow, ponderous, ham fisted, and have to work hard to get the shapes I want. Mostly it's because I don't spend a lot of time practicing. To me the lathe is just another tool, not a passion.

[Robert Ducharme]

Thanks for the info. I am now an expert.

You know, it was much easier to cut on the line when it was made with a 3/8" dry erase marker. Of course, the corners left something to be desired.

I just noticed the Apr 2004 Fine Woodworking had some information on measuring/marking accurately. I guess I should trade in my string with knots (1 about every one inch) and invest in one of them new fangled rulers.

[Hank Knight]

"Unfortunately their catalogs are very expensive to produce and there's no way a hobbyist or small user can get one sent to him."

Dave, I've ordered from MSC Direct several times online - leveling pads for my workbench, some taper files for saw sharpening and some other small stuff. I ordered their Big Book online and they sent it to me without delay . I fully expected to pay for it but MSC didn't charge me. I like their service.

[Pat Salter]

Dave,
You have been quiet for a while......and very productive.
Those are nice! Gifts, 4 sale items, or does a Neander use that many?

Still trying to learn the rules of this game.

Rules?????There are rules????Oh, wait, you must mean rulers! right?

[James Carmichael]

I hear ya, Dave, I'm sure we all think at sometime or another how fun it would be to make a living at our hobby, not realizing it would take most of the joy out of it.

Beautiful work, and thanks for posting your sources, I was looking for brass ferrules for chisel handles I'm making as well as a Kediki(sp?) that will need one or more blades.