How to sharpen a draw knife?

[Blind Dog]

Not sure if this is the appropriate form to ask but how DOES one sharpen a draw knife? Grinder, mill file? any secrets?

Blind Dog

[JW_Halverson]

Depending on how bad it has been treated, I use a draw file.  I clamp one handle in a vice and use my chest to support the other handle.  From there, I lay the draw file on the bevel, make sure it is flat, and push/pull the file along the blade.  That will remove material from the bevel in order to take out nicks and such.  Once the bevel has been re-established, I use a much finer stone to finish things out.  I lay the stone on the bevel again, then use a circular polishing action to sharpen.  Once the whole blade has been sharpened, I flip it over and use the stone to true up the flat side.  Alternating back and forth between the bevel and the flat with the fine stone with diminishing amounts of pressure until I have no wire edge.  From there, it takes very little more than stropping with leather glued to a flat piece of stone to keep a fine edge. 

Some folks actually prefer a dull edge to their drawknives.  Not me.

[PAHunter]

I wrapped some sandpaper around a 2x6 that's about a foot long and i slide the drawknife across it a few times.  Seems to do the trick.

[Drewster]

JW has good info.  One additional note, the back of a drawknife should be absolutely flat......no bevels.  Yeah, I like mine sharp too.

[lostarrow]

Hard buffing wheel on a grinder with green honing compound for a razor sharp edge , as a final step. goes for all of your edged tools from pocket knife to plane blades. Real time saver. Often ,you only need to re buff .  A chisel or plane can be ground (fine white grinding wheel ) and honed in about a minute.

[Adam]

I've done like JW says. One trick someone showed me to make sure you're hitting the bevel evenly is to take a marker and color the edge. Then when you file or use a stone, you can tell exactly where you're removing material.  That helped me a lot.

[adb]

I also use a fine flat mill bastard file. I flatten the back edge first, then re-establish the front bevel. I sit and do all this across my knees. Lastly, I'll remove any burr on both edges with a small fine stone.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I also use a fine flat mill bastard file. I flatten the back edge first, then re-establish the front bevel. I sit and do all this across my knees. Lastly, I'll remove any burr on both edges with a small fine stone.

I use the very same scientific method Adam does!

[bow101]

Some folks actually prefer a dull edge to their drawknives.  Not me.

   I would be a dangerous wood worker if it was sharp,  I like it slightly dull, I have more control.

[lostarrow]

It's usually the dull tools that cause the mishaps.  Dull tools require more force to do their job. More force  equates to  less control when the wood finally surrenders .  One of the guys that comes over to make bows  every week likes a dull one for chasing rings  .An 8-12" piece of razor sharp steel staring at you can be  unsettling.  I don't like the struggle of a dull tool. To each his own . 

[Badger]

    I use to always say how I don't sharpen my draw knife very often so assumed it was not all that sharp, couple of weeks ago I brushed my finger across it accidentaly and it sliced me like a razor. The older draw knives and most of the newer draw knives that I use are designed to be sharpened with a mill file. I am always amazed at how long they can hold an edge.

  I also use a double beveled swedish draw knife that I have to sharpen with a stone. I use my sander to play with the bevel angles and then create a new edge. I think I have taken some of the temper out of it over the years as it seems a bit easier to sharpen these days.

[lostarrow]

You may have sharpened down past the hardened steel  in the blade. Like an Axe ,they have a different type of steel welded into the cutting portion. Good chisels are the same.

[Crogacht]

I just use a file... I run the stone over it too sometimes, but I'm honestly not sure if it's making a noticeable difference.