Antique and Vintage Draw Knives

Draw knives, also known as a drawknives or drawing knives, have been used by woodworkers for almost 2,000 years to shape everything from shingles to spokes. For centuries, coopers have used these specialized tools to shape the wooden staves that were assembled to form barrels, while shipbuilders have used mast shaves to shape the masts, yards, and spars to which sails were secured. In skilled hands, a draw knife can be used to create a chamfer (often set at 45 degrees) between two surfaces that are at a right angle to each other. Using a draw knife, the woodworker can use the same draw knife to do the rough work—removing a large amount of material in a few draws of the blade—as well as the finish work. For barrels, coopers employ straight-sided draw knives on the parts of staves that will form the barrel's outside surface, switching to curved or hollow-backed draw knives for the barrel's concave interior. Like fixed-blade knives, the handles of draw knives feature a strong tang inside to ensure that the woodworker's grip is secure, which is especially important with draw knives inasmuch as the blade is being drawn toward to user. Often these handles are positioned at a right angle to the tool's cutting surface, but many draw knives feature angled handles—picture the handlebars on a bicycle—or even handles that can be adjusted for the comfort and safety of the woodworker. American companies that have manufactured draw knives since the end of the 19th century include D.R. Barton, Ohio Tool Company, Keen Kutter, Buck Brothers, New Haven Edge Tool Co., L. & I.J. White, Fulton, H. Macy, and J.M. Sheffield. These companies and many others made stave knives, backing knives, hoop knives, hollowing knives, shingle shaves, coach maker's and wagon maker's knives, and specialized chamfer knives, some of which were sold with chamfer guides to prevent the woodworker from removing too much material. Today, great numbers of antique and vintage draw knives are still in use, as is also the case with many antique chisels and planes.