: Does anyone here know how I should go about sharpening my father's draw knife
: that he lent me? Should I just use a file along the edge? Or is ther some
: more precise method that I should be doing? Thanks in advance.

Michael Dunbar is a well-known furniture maker who provides some good information on drawknives in his book "Restoring, Tuning & Using Classic Woodworking Tools". For a drawknife he recommends clamping one end of the drawknife in a vise (on the metal near the handle), the blade projecting upward. He then runs a sharpening stone over the blade. He cautions that "This is a job that demands your full attention". Like any edge tool (chisel, etc), he also flattens the back of the tool (non-bezel side). A good general book on sharpening is "Sharpening" by Leonard Lee.

I use waterstones for sharpening and these work well (if you flatten them often). For rough grinding I have gone to using diamond stones as sharpening a drawknife can rapidly hollow a waterstone.

Regarding using the tool bezel up or bezel down, you will find either practice. Dunbar is outspoken about this, "Many woodworkers hold a drawknife upside down when using it -- that is, they ride the bezel on the wood rather than turning the bezel upward. In the hands of the novice, this higher cutting angle reduces the knife's tendency to dive, and gives the beginner a feeling of better control. However, this practice is very limiting, as you cannot take a heavy shaving. You will be able to use your drawknife more efficiently if you hold it correctly and take the time to learn how to control it."

I find that using the tool bezel up and skewing the blade (rather than keeping it perpendicular to your work) allows you very good control. An 8" drawknife is what I use to shape Greenland Paddles (rough out the shape, plane the taper of the blades, etc).

Greg Stamer