Popular Woodworking 2004-08 № 142, страница 41
The spokeshave (I'm using a wooden one here) is used to smooth the transition between blade, shaft and handle. It works pulling or pushing to follow the direction of the grain. A spokeshave with a concave sole, such as this one from Veritas, excels at rounding the shaft of the paddle. The block plane will quickly smooth all the edges into a 1V16" x 1V4" oval, as I'm doing here. 3 TRADITIONAL HAND TOOLS PLUS 1 HAND SKILL Tools solve problems in wood. Hand tools bought just to collect do not serve you well. But tools bought when you need them will serve many projects to come. Don't hesitate to buy a good hand tool suitable to the task. The tools mentioned here actually stand a chance of being useful in the hands of some future woodworker a century from now. Drawknife I owned a drawknife for years without ever putting it to use. There were only two instances when I observed it being used in the hands of a professional. One was in a boat shop where planks along the sheer (the top of the sides where it meets the deck) were being finished off in the gentle curve that makes the profile of the hull. The other was watching Geoff Burke make a paddle that fine summer day. I have since learned that there are several styles and blade treatments for this tool. Drawknives are made in a variety of sizes for a variety of tasks. The largest drawknife is used for peeling bark from logs. Carvers' drawknives are small. The one shown in this article is referred to as a carpenter's drawknife, and is 12" long with a 7"-wide blade. As is so often true, the critical point of this tool is the sharpness and angle of the blade. Hogging off rough chunks of wood is not light work. Check the angle of sharpening before use. The tools often are made with an angle of 25° to 30°, which is steeper than necessary and will make heavy going of your work. A finer pitch of 15° to 20° will serve well in the straight-grained softwood of a paddle. Drawknives are used bevel up for straight cuts. Turned over they will follow contours for shaping. Leonard Lee, in his book "The Complete Guide to Sharpening" (Taunton Press), points to an alternative: "If you put a 15° basic bevel on a drawknife and dub [a slight bevel on the flat side] from 2° to 5° off the face of the knife, you will find that it is much more maneuverable." (See the drawing of a modified drawknife at right.) Old drawknives of good quality can still be found at a considerable savings, and they can give you great satisfaction for having rescued a very useful tool. For a new drawknife contact Ray Larsen, author of "Tool Making for Woodworkers" (Cambium Press). He has been forging quality tools for more than 30 years. Call 781-8268931 or visit windsorchairresources.com. continued on page 40 5M- Dub off tip of blade \ Drawknife blade popwood.com 39 |
