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Hey guys, I am thinking of buying a draw knife for neck carving. Anyone using this tool?? Looking for suggestions on size, model and source. Thanks.

I use a small one (can't remember where I got it). It definately speeds up neck making but I only use it for the first very rough shapeing, I'm done with it is 5 minutes and then its rasps and this. Then I goe to sanding blocks and such. You spend 20% of the time doing 80% of the work and then the other 80% of the time doing the final 20% of the work, finer and finer tools.John How38882.9009606481

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Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

Thanks John, I have to get me one of those Grizzly tools. What do you attach it to?? Die grinder??

Hi Guys! First Post
I built my first guitar in 1969
And have Made my living as a professional woodworker
for over 40 yrs. I would suggest a SpokeShave
instead of a drawknife. With a SpokeShave you
have better control. It is just a plane with
the handles sticking out of the sides.
DrawKnifes Can dig in and ruin your work quick.
With SpokeShaves I can do 90% carve 10% rasp&sand
Tom

Tom, thanks for the advise. I have a spokeshave and was happy overall but hard to carve the heel and headstock curves with it. Thought a draw knife would do a better job on the curves???

I think the easiest thing is the microplane. It is very fast and easy to control, on mahogany. I have that pneumatic drum sander that John mentioned, but I haven't used it yet. I think it will be the best thing on maple or any high figure neck wood.

Ron

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OLD MAN formerly (and formally) known as:

Ron Wisdom

Somewhere in the middle of Arkansas......

Rich,

I agree with Tom. A good spokeshave can establish your neck contour in minutes, and you won't have to worry about gouges in the shaft. For the heel, I'd recommend that you get (if you don't have them already) a couple of rasps -- one aggressive and one less so. They make short work of carving a steel-string neck heel. For classicals, because of the integral heel block being in the way, rasps are more of a challenge to use, but it's still possible. Just takes longer.

Best,

Michael

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Live to Play, Play to Live

I will third or fourth the spoke shave, mine is a home made one with a hock blade and it slices and dices quick, then I use curved scrapers. As for the heal there are some mini spoke shaves I believe woodcraft sells, they are jappannese that are supposed to do a great job in small curved areas. I use a pattern makers rasp but would like to try the mini shaves. I like curls of wood instead of little chips to clean up. Amy Hopkins I believe, over at mimf, recommends a draw knife. It all depends on your mood. I happen to love using planes. weird.
Mike

Hi Rich
   Call me 570-682-8046   I can loan you some stuff if you want to try and make one.
john hall

Hey Tom, In everyones attempt to answer the technical issue at hand nobody remembered to welcome you. Welcome to the OLF, the best luthiers forum on the planet. The advise flows from experts and the mood is like hanging out in someones living room, or better yet shop. there is a lot to learn here, and I plan on paying atention to your advise with 40 yrs woodworking experience. Welcome once again.
Mike

Mike
Thank You for your kind words.
It is a honor to share,those that follow this forum
have many skilled craftsmen sharing there experience.
Im impressed! Very skilled group of builders here.
Since you brought up the mini spokeshaves.
I have owned a set for about 20 yrs.
They are wonderful little tools.
One has a flat bottom,another curved
front to back and the third spooned bottom.
The curved bottom one is the one I use for the
shaping of the peghead and the heel to the neckshaft.
Then I use a concave scraper and 220 grit to finish.
The spooned bottom one is used for final carving
of arched tops and backs and I use the flat bottom
one for shaving down purflings and soundhole rings etc.
Constantines still carries them P.2 of there plane section. Keep in mind I was trained by Old World craftsmen. I was taught never sand where you can cut.
Tom

Tom, i think you are going to be a good resource here for those of us who love to cut. I attempt to do everything I can by hand, but sometimes do go to the dark side. I enjoy planing for the sake of it.    . Right now all my tools are boxed up due to a recent move, and they are staying boxed up because I may be taking a job in another city. So for now I have to read olf everyday and enjoy the post and the photos of the new guitars. Can't wait to make some thin curls again.

I like to use a draw knife for roughing out the neck shape on straight grained mahogany. It doesn't work very well on curly maple for example as you are splitting off pieces more than shaving, so you need to pay close attention to the direction of the grain or you can ruin a neck fast. I like to use it bevel down, and you can actually control the cut very well this way by slightly adjusting your attack angle by tilting the handles up or down relative to the plane of the cut. It is much faster than a spoke shave, which is what I use after the initial roughing out. Then it is on to rasps and sand paper. If you are very good (not me!) you can take it pretty close to finished shape with the draw knife in minutes.

Here is my draw knife, good old Swedish steel of course!

Svante Djaerv draw knife

<edit> I just checked my link, and it seems it only takes you to DICK's main page, and I don't know how to fix the link. Anyways, the draw knife can be found under "Carving Tools" and "Svante Djaerv draw knife". Here's a picture:

Arnt38883.6320949074

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Drawknives and spokeshaves are among the tools I use for neck shaping (and other carving tasks). My favorite drawknife is a little one I got from Japan Woodworker. The smallest one they sell - it's called the "straight micro drawknife" from North Bay Forge. I love this tool. I also use a really nice handmade carving knife my wife got me for Christmas, in the heel area and the transition to the peghead. I also use rasps. On my next necks, though, I'm going to try doing a lot of it on the belt sander. Not the old world craftsman way, I know! But I know some builders do most of it on a belt sander really fast and I figure I'll give that a try.   

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Here's a pic of this awesome little drawknife, taken from the Japan Woodworker web site. The blade is maybe an inch and a half long.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

As for spokeshaves, I've been thinking that Lee Valley's low-angle shave might work quite well for necks. It kind of combines properties of drawknives and spokeshaves--the cut is adjustable, but the blade itself is the "sole"--and it can be adjusted to make concave cuts as well, letting you get at least some of the heel done. Does any of you have one?

Welcome Tom!

Carlton,

I have it, and it is very nice. I love working with it on a neck, drawing those thin streamers and curls off. What fun! I recommend it.

Jeff

I like spokeshaves a lot, and have passed considerable dollars along to Lee Valley for almost every variant they
come up with. I like the round one the best:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=49142&cat=1,50 230&ap=1

I just did the bulk of my first classical guitar neck with it a week ago. (I hope to have that far enough along for sharing with you all in a couple of weeks. It was my first attempt at carving a classical bridge, too).

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

[quote]I just checked my link, and it seems it only takes you to 's main page, and I don't know how to fix the link. [/quote]

    Arnt, They use frames and target! It's a page inside of a page. You have to click inside the main tool page and copy the link from the properties dialog box.
Via-a-vis Svante Djarv Draw Knife(Crappy Swedish Steel)

   Frames save load time because you're not reloading the container page every time you switch pages. I like it, but most don't use them.

    It's funny you mentioned Swedish steel. In my 18 years as a Mold Maker I only had 1 inherant problem with stock and it was from Uddeholm! The stock was rolled too cold so it didn't weld. They gave use our money back, of course, but only after we had machined, heat retreated and partially finished surface ground the tool. WE were not HAPPY!!

    It's funny because I, like yourself, had heard only good about Swedish steel. That's why we were using it!Billy T38886.5194328704

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Billy Dean Thomas
Covina, CA

"Multi famam, conscientiam, pauci verentur."
(Many fear their reputation, few their conscience)