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Drawknife Forged from Tool Steel, with Two Handles
HopsonRoad (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0
Forge

Created by

Forge

14. October 2026NO
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Drawknife Forged from Tool Steel, with Two Handles

A drawknife is a long blade with a handle at each end, pulled toward you to shave wood, usually with the work held in a shaving horse. Forge a blade much longer than it is deep, draw a tang at each end and bend both forward, grind one bevel of about 25°, harden and temper, and fit two wooden handles. The picture: a drawknife in use on a shaving horse.
Intermediate
A day

Instructions

1

Forge the blade and tangs

Draw tool-steel bar out to a flat blade about 25 cm long and 3–4 cm deep (our size; Wikipedia's example is 23 cm). Draw a tang at each end and bend both at right angles to the same side.

Materials for this step:

Flat Tool Steel BarFlat Tool Steel Bar1 piece
CharcoalCharcoal2 as required

Tools needed:

Blacksmith ForgeBlacksmith Forge
AnvilAnvil
Cross Peen HammerCross Peen Hammer
Blacksmith TongsBlacksmith Tongs
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Safety GlassesSafety Glasses
2

File the bevel

Anneal in the ashes, hold it in the vise and file one bevel along the edge, about 25°, leaving it a little thick for hardening.

Tools needed:

Heavy Bench ViceHeavy Bench Vice
Metal FileMetal File
3

Harden and temper

Heat the whole edge evenly to cherry red and quench in water. Polish bright, warm the back and quench when the edge shows dark straw.

Materials for this step:

WaterWater10 liters

Tools needed:

Blacksmith ForgeBlacksmith Forge
Quench BucketQuench Bucket
Blacksmith TongsBlacksmith Tongs
Welding GlovesWelding Gloves
Safety GlassesSafety Glasses
4

Handles

Saw and shape two hardwood handles, drill each through for a tang, push them on and peen the tang ends over. Oil the handles.

Materials for this step:

Hardwood StripHardwood Strip2 pieces
Linseed OilLinseed Oil0.02 liter

Tools needed:

Hand SawHand Saw
Hand DrillHand Drill
Metal FileMetal File
Cross Peen HammerCross Peen Hammer
AnvilAnvil
5

Sharpen

Hone the bevel on the stone, then flatten the back and take off the burr.

Tools needed:

Whetstone 1000 GritWhetstone 1000 Grit
6

Bevel width for 25°

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Materials

5

Tools Required

12

This blueprint makes

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Drawknife

Free

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