Well, I gave up on Ebay. I bid on about five different drawknives. I was outbid on two of them - it went higher than I was willing to pay. The other three had a reserve that was higher than I was willing to pay. Seemed like I was bidding against collectors who had lots more money to spend than I did.

So I went hunting on line and found a nice new 6" bladed Veritas drawknife with leather blade case for about what I would have ended up spending for an antique that may have had loose handles and pits in the blade. I'm on the small side, so I feel better about using a smaller blade.

If I ever get the urge to try used tools again, I'll try the Electronic Neanderthal. Thanks for the suggestion and the safety tip. I expect I'll be terrified of the thing long enough to learn how to use it safely.

Patsy

: I have had excellent luck buying antique tools online at the "Electronic
: Neanderthal" http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~alf/en/en.html . The nice thing
: about a reputable tool dealer is that they will tell you of small problems
: (appologies), such as loose or cracked handles, etc.

: I also recommend Patrick Leach (information is in the URL above). He will
: ship you a tool, and if you don't like the condition, you simply return it
: (all you pay for is postage). Many of the tool dealers support this
: policy.

: As for brands my favorites are the James Swan drawknives. I have an 8"
: and 12" knife. I use them for roughing out a paddle. I agree that
: like all edge tools, these must kept very sharp (I use Japanese
: waterstones and maintain the edge with a leather strop). Also be mindful
: of a drawknife, although safe in use, that is a lot of exposed blade.
: Always keep both hands on the handles!

: Greg Stamer