# Excellent Hans Karlsson Drawknife From Country Workshops



## a1Jim

Wow for that price it should be very cool


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## Swede

Quality tools always seem to have a steep price tag. A little to expensive for me but enjoy.


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## PASs

I don't use mine too often.
Don't know the make.
It was my grandfathers from sometime in the late 19th century.
And it was FREE.


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## TopamaxSurvivor

Thnaks for the post.


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## HokieMojo

For a simple tool like this, I'd think the two keys are good ergonomics and a quality edge. A quality edge of this size won't come cheap though. I'm glad that you like it. I'm in the market for on in the future myself, but need to finish a few other things before I can justify making any purchases. Thanks for the review.


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## CalebJames

Free is good. Though I feel good about paying a high price when I know it was personally made by the tool maker Karllson. I would like to have used the lei-neilsen one but it is still not available and ithink I made a good choice anyways. I am going to get the inshave that Hans makes as well.

Not many reviews on chair making tools so I will post what I can. This is a great site. Wish I had discovered it a long time ago.


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## velo_tom

I bought the $43 Austrian drawknife at Lee Valley. It was not honed out of the box but still sharp enough to do a quick rough bit of shaping before finishing with spoke shaves. When I got around to honing it the blade was finished well enough to get a good razor sharp hone in less than a half hour.

For occasional users like me with a lower budget I think you can get acceptable results with a lower priced tool. I'm sure the more expensive tool has better features and materials as well as workmanship, but all is not lost if your on a lower budget either.


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## hObOmOnk

A spend a lot of time with draw-knives at the shaving buck.
All of my draw-knives have been obtained at used tool sales in Kentucky.
I've never paid more than $20 for one.
Most are made by local Amish or Mennonite craftsmen.
My favorite drawknife was made from an old file.

I sharpen the knives differently depending on how I intend to use them, e.g. bark removing, stock shaping, tenon roughing.

Here's a link to sharpening a drawknife.


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## velo_tom

Thanks for the link hobomonk. I'm self taught on sharpening the drawknife. I cut a stone holder out of a chunk of wood that gets it high enough to get the handles out of the way. I then sharpened it much like any other blade then followed up with a leather strop. I got good results but wouldn't mind seeing how a pro does it.


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## CalebJames

Yeah I wish I had some places to pick up older tools like that. I am in Houston, TX and there really isn't much like that around here. Let me know if you find a good inshave or travisher, hobomonk. I am in need of one of those.


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## CalebJames

velo-tom I think you are on the right track. I kinda splurged with this buy. I intend to delve deep into post and rung chars and wanted a really high quality tool that I would be happy with for years to come. I do get tired of going cheap and then wishing I had just got the quality one. This is the case with tools I intend to use weekly such as for my day job. Anyways I am glad you like the austrian drawknife. I can't say the same for the 4" carvers drawknife from lee valley. The edge failed almost immediately. I think they are aware of that problem since there fix was to sharpen a steeper edge on it. That defeats the purpose of the tool, to carve cleanly.


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## hObOmOnk

*Let me know if you find a good inshave or travisher, hobomonk. I am in need of one of those.*

There are lots of these and other chair making tools around here.
Chairmaking is a big tradition here in Kentucky.
Some of the most noted chairmakers live in Kentucky, e.g. Don Weber, Mike Angel, David Wright, Brian Boggs (now in North Carolina).


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## CalebJames

I have wanted to take a road trip and see some old timber frame barns and the like through the mid-west and the northeast. Maybe I will route through Kentucky. I will have to send you a message and pick your brain on those secret picking spots.


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## velo_tom

I know what you mean CalebJames. I've had to upgrade some of my planes. I use hand planes several times a week, often hours at a time when squaring and dimensioning. I started bumping up against the limits of what I had to work with. I've found I can buy some that are ready to use with practically no prep work. Others I've bought turn into good planes after a significant effort. Since spare time is limited, often I opt for the more expensive tool. I'm certainly not beyond buying something expensive because of the craftsmanship built into it appeals to me.

I've only played with the drawknife at this point so wouldn't really hit any barrier with it for a while. So far I've just envisioned a shape and tried to cut it. After I get close to final form I finish with spoke shaves. I eventually want to do some chair building but have quite a number of other things I need to build first.

I bought a travisher from Crown Plane Company but have not had a chance to use it yet. They hand make their tools on a per order basis. I have a project planned I will need it for but probably won't get to it till this Fall or Winter.


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