Draw knife for greenland paddles

[bagarre]

The last paddle I made was in 2003 and all I had was my trusty block plane.

It took a month of sundays.

 

This time, I'm armed with a spoke shave but could use something a bit more aggressive to get things going.

 

I'd like to try roughing them out with a draw knife but, I've never used one before and have no idea what size or shape is best.

 

Any recommendations or tips in selecting or using a drawknife for shaping paddle blades? 

 

I'm thinking a straight 8" draw knife would be a good start. Is that too big? Would a curved blade be easier to manage?

 

thanks.

[Action Tiger]

8" knife would be a fine all around tool, and none too big for a paddle.

Now you're going to need a shaving horse, too.

Peace,

Robert

[bagarre]

Can you recommend a good name to look for?

The prices are all over the map which tells me so is quality but I'd rather not spend more than i need to get a decent blade.

 

The shaving horse looks useful but I'd need to make a dozen paddles before it was worth making.

For now, a couple good over center clamps attached to the bench will do fine.

[Action Tiger]

Shoot, man, sorry. I got mine from my grandpa. Just buy one with some decent steel in the blade. If they don't specify the metal, don't buy it.

Or, go buy an old on from a second hand shop, yard sale, swap meet, etc., and get to work on it.

And, yes, your clamps will work great. Check them every few to make sure they stay tight.

Peace,

Robert

[Kudzu]

I made a scrub plane and I find it 'safer' than the draw knife since it doesn't dig in unexpectedly.  I had an old Stanley Handyman laying around I had no use for.  Ground a radius on the blade, sharpened it and it will rough down a paddle quickly! And I can adjust the depth of cut when I want more of less aggressive cuts.  All you need is cheap used #3 or #4 hand plane.

[bagarre]

That's a really good idea. 

I found this video that shows how to grind the iron and make a #4 plane into a scrub plane.

[Kudzu]

I know of Paul but it didn't watch the video, 25 minutes? Good gosh! I made mine in probably 15 minutes!

[Hirilonde]

I have an 8" draw knife.  I bought it at a used tool place for $25.  It is an antique and the steel is superb.  Try flea markets and such too.  I love telling dealers I am gonna clean it all up and use it, not leave it on a shelf.  They tell me it will lower its value.

I find it very useful for the shoulders to loom transition.  You can't get any plane in there for that.  It takes some practice, but you can learn some serious control over the tool that will do things no other tool can.

[dehager]

As mentioned before a plane will be more user friendly and prevent damage if you get too aggressive.  You could always shop around for a used one but they always need lots of work to get them into useful condition and if you don’t have the proper sharpening equipment forget it.  For $40 you can get a 5" Flexcut Carvers Draw Knife which is perfect for shaping shoulders and looms. It's one of my favourite tools for shaping Greenland paddles because of the size and its sharp out of the box.

[bagarre]

I know of Paul but it didn't watch the video, 25 minutes? Good gosh! I made mine in probably 15 minutes!

LOL.

 

He does a good job describing the process. It always takes longer to explain than to do.

[Kudzu]

I am really old school in that give me something to read and few good photos. Not one to watch long videos.

[bagarre]

That's what the right arrow button is for. it skips ahead 5 seconds and lets you get to the good parts. Sometimes, I watch a 30 minute video in 30 seconds.

 

I think your videos are a good length and do a good job of getting the point across. 

[bwhip]

I recently purchased this Wilkinson 8" drawknife from Ebay for $35 and no shipping. It took a while to massage the edge back into shape, but it was well worth it--beautiful old tool.

 

 

[bagarre]

Nice! I ended up making a scrub plane as well as buying a draw knife. Even being a new blade, I still had a few hours getting the edge right.

Between the two, I use the draw knife more. It's just me but I feel like I have more control with it.

It might also be that I like to watch the way the blade works the wood.