Join us on Factory: To improve the text, click here:. By Christopher Schwarz. Watch your fingers. The issue was reported to our volunteer team. How to Use a Marking Knife 10, views.

Once I got the tool working, however, it performed well. Specifically, I wish the thick back end of the knife were thinner, which would make it more comfortable for Marking Knife Tool Uses 5000 marking dovetails. The middling blade angle allowed it to cut well in upright or down-low positions, and the thick blade made it an easy tool to sharpen though it was impossible to navigate the knife into tight tail joints.

If the handle were thinner, this would be a good knife for marking out joints. Overall, the shape of the handle is comfortable and its flats keep it from rolling off your bench. I sanded it off, took the wood to grit and applied a better finish. Also, the bead on the handle was vulnerable to damage; ours became chipped after two months of use. The blade angle makes it well suited for dovetailing, though its thickness prevented it from sneaking into the narrowest dovetails.

It is the least expensive knife and performs admirably. Overall, my hands concluded that the Blue Spruce knife was the right tool for my style of work. When not cutting dovetails, I tended to favor the Chester and the modified Veritas knife. Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality. By Christopher Schwarz.

In Tools , Woodworking Hand Tools. Versatile but tricky to sharpen — we help you select the best tool for your work. Marking Knife. Chris is the former editor of Popular Woodworking Magazine. He continues to blog and publish woodworking books at Lost Art Press. He's a hand-tool enthusiast though he uses power tools, too. All rights reserved Privacy Policy Terms of Use. I ordered the same knife recently and am pondering whether to make a leather sheath for it.

How would you guys store this thing, both to protect yourself and the brittle tip? About the drill bit…The center bit might fit the bill, although AFAIK they can only be used with a brace because of the square shaft, so not suitable for eggbeaters. The others all have uses in the shop. Since I use it for everything from cutting clippings from news papers to whittling pegs, it is always in my pocket. I had one that was broken, so I turned a handle for it on a small lathe I have, then ground it back with a grinder.

Nice steel that sharpens great. I did a crude single edge fairly pointed right down to the hole in the middle of the flag. I even use it for a skew chisel from time to time. Soon as anyone sees it, they go home and make one. Try it.

Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. And finding a good marking knife. The drill bit hunt is still on, but I have finally got on top of the iron dagger. The handle was made of tape and rag. So what was wrong with my bit of snapped off hacksaw blade? Tools That Need No Box ».

Comments Hi Richard, nice making knife mate, I have one the very same. Yes, love the knife. Please explain the cork on the tri-square. As for drill bits. Try looking for Star brand made in Japan. Got some for christmas and will never use anything else. To help with your hand drilling experience, try and back off the downward pressure. I think we all have a favourite knife, whether for woodwork, or for preparing food!

Stanley folding pocket knife. Works well, you can sharpen the blades. Pfeil actually makes a handled marking knife that works quite well. Am I the only one that wants to hear the story about when you got shived? It was customary to work to one sixtyfourth inch tolerances or better.

That one technique has stood me in very good stead all these years. If you check the technique paragraph on page 14 of my first book, you will find another couple of subtle points which may help. The position of the flat side of the knife is very important to avoid heading off in the wrong direction or shaving chunks off the sides of your tails or steel layout tools…..

This last disaster can be avoided if the heel of the cutting bevel is not lifted too far from the surface of the timber. OK, you pushed me over the edge. Andy PS — My wife would like a application to join wivesagainstschwarz…. You missed one other step in the layout education of a woodworker, and that is the ballpoint pen. Thanks for posting the tip, Chris. That way I can sneak up to the cut line with the router quite easily.

I use that same white charcoal pencil to highlight my marked line in darker woods as you suggested with the lead pencil above. By Christopher Schwarz. In Chris Schwarz Blog , Joinery. This knife, I thought, might just be a mechanical pencil that never needed lead. So slow down, and take it easy. Chris is the former editor of Popular Woodworking Magazine. He continues to blog and publish woodworking books at Lost Art Press. He's a hand-tool enthusiast though he uses power tools, too.

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