Draw knifes - Which is for what?

[Northwest29]

Greetings all,

Currently I'm working at carving a carousel horse and want to be able to remove more wood than I can with a large carving chisel. So, I'm thinking that a draw knife would be a good solution. However, looking around for a draw knife I've noticed that there are curved blades and straight blades. Would someone please explain to me why you would buy one over the other? I assume they are straight or curved depending on what you want to do -

Can you help out this newbie?

Thanks, in advance for you assistance.

[Dan S]

I am by no means an expert on draw knives but I do have a few. There are a number of different types and styles. An inshave or scorp is used to hollow out bowls and hollow shapes. A straight drawknife is used for general work. A curved drawknife is used to do a paring cut and produce a smooth flat surface. I prefer the curved blade as it seems to take less effort and leaves a better surface. Look on Ebay for a good one. I also find them at swapmeets. Don't worry about a bit of surface rust as they clean up pretty easily. The important thing is to be sure that the handles are very secure. Try Witherby if you can find one. Other makes are Ohio, Stanley, Miller Falls, Keen Cutter may have one as well. They are really a nice tool. If used correctly it's prety hard to cut yourself. Hold the tool bevel down for the best control and to do light cuts. Hold it bevel up for taking off more wood.

Have fun,
Dan