Blacksmithing & Toolmaking
Crafting the Carver's Drawknife
Course Overview
For woodworking projects from chair making to spoon carving and beyond, a small sharp drawknife is an ideal tool. Used in conjunction with a vise or shaving horse, this tool can rapidly remove large amounts of material or delicately create smooth finished surfaces on both flat planes and compound curves. In this course students will create this drawknife, shaping the blade from high carbon tool steel and carving hardwood handles. A wide range of foundational wood and metal working skills will be covered in this course, including shaping, hardening, and tempering steel, wood selection and carving, tool sharpening, technique, and use. If time allows, students will also make a leather sheath for their finished drawknife.