Marking Knife

[JDW]

It's time to park my pencil and move into the world of marking knives. I'm going to get a Stanley Folding Pocket Knife (10 598) to start with.

I'd be interested to know what experienced woodworkers use.
What do you use? Do you use one only or do you have a few different types?

 

[Just4Fun]

I have tried various random knives over the years, whatever was at hand, but eventually decided I wanted a better tool.

I made a marking knife but was not happy with the result and I rarely use that.

I sometimes use a scalpel. It is OK for some things but the flimsiness of the blade seems to make it too easy to follow the grain so perhaps best kept for cross-grain work.

I sometimes use the knife on a small multi-tool. That sounds crazy but it is surprisingly good.

My latest approach though was to buy a paring knife from the kitchen section of a local store. The blade is thin but not flimsy, single-sided bevel and it is easy to keep sharp. Plus it is relatively long so good for getting into restricted places like some dovetails. I like it.

 

[pe2dave]

I am impressed with this one. Better still, uses replaceable blades. Very accurate.

 

[Dr Al]

I am impressed with this one. Better still, uses replaceable blades. Very accurate.

I use the same one. It's very good and I prefer it over my fancier marking knives.

 

[Nigel Burden]

I use a Swann Moreton Supatool.

Supatool Heavy Duty Handle For Artwork & Craft | Swann-Morton (craftknives.co.uk)

Nigel.

 

[Jacob]

I am impressed with this one. Better still, uses replaceable blades. Very accurate.

Looks perfectly practical.
In fact almost any old pen knife will do, once you step away from scalpel fantasy land!

 

[pe2dave]

As cheap as a penknife Jacob? Can even sharpen scalpel blades if you're from Yorkshire ;-) .

 

[novocaine]

I use a scalpel. because they are dirt cheap, easy to come by and the blades are super cheap. if anyone is interested I use a no. 3 and a no. 5. think the handle cost a fiver but I've had it for years as I use it for other things too.

not sure why this would be considered "fantasy land" but then I have no clue what goes through someone else's mind when they decide to belittle the choice of others.

 

[Argus]

I agree with the Stanley folding knife - a Paul Sellers recommendation, I believe - but my main knife over many, many years is a re-purposed Chip Carving Knife. It has a single-sided bevel, which suits what I do, is easy to sharpen both sides. The back is honed flat, the bevel side is at about 15 - 20 degrees, configured for a RH cut.....
Because one side is flat, it has a predictable amount of grain-compression on the other side...... you don't need to tilt it away from your straight edge to get a vertical edge on one side of your mark.

But it's a matter of personal preference.

 

[Jacob]

As cheap as a penknife Jacob? Can even sharpen scalpel blades if you're from Yorkshire ;-) .

I've got a nice stainless steel Opinel. Doesn't need replacement blades and it does have one advantage over all the ones on show above - it has no bevels and is usable either side.
Repeating myself I know - but a marking knife isn't for marking as such, it's for cutting a line which needs cutting - such as a visible shoulder line, or DT shoulders if a cutting gauge not to hand. Marking best done with a pencil.

 

[JDW]

Yep, the Stanley is definitely where I'm starting. Who knows, I may never use anything else...

 

[JDW]

I've got a nice stainless steel Opinel. Doesn't need replacement blades and it does have one advantage over all the ones on show above - it has no bevels and is usable either side.
Repeating myself I know - but a marking knife isn't for marking as such, it's for cutting a line which needs cutting - such as a visible shoulder line, or DT shoulders if a cutting gauge not to hand. Marking best done with a pencil.

But then it'd be called a cutting knife which might be a touch vague...

 

[D_W]

It's time to park my pencil and move into the world of marking knives. I'm going to get a Stanley Folding Pocket Knife (10 598) to start with.

I'd be interested to know what experienced woodworkers use.
What do you use? Do you use one only or do you have a few different types?

Thin double bevel knives forged and ground from metal offcuts or old files.

 

[Orraloon]

I have made a couple using old spade bits ground down for the blade. They worked ok but my latest is an old chisel reground and rehandled. Has a nice weight and doubles as pencil sharpner and other small cutting tasks.
Regards
John

 

[mark w]

I bought a couple of these DC Marking Knife a few years ago, easy to sharpen with the DC jig. They have gone up in price though, I think they were around £20 each when I purchased mine, didn't come with the wooden holder back then.

 

[timothyedoran]

I have the Stanley as recommended by Paul Sellers. Seems good to me.

 

[Corset]

I used a japanese marking knife for years it was very good. Then i bought a fancy one which is no better but has a pretty handle. I think it becomes an issue when you mark very fine dovetails other than that pretty much anything works including a chisel or old kitchen knife. As i get older i find the really fine knives leave a mark i cant see which kind of defeats the object really... still i do like a nice handle on a knife

 

[Exluthier]

I use two old-fashioned marking knives, both ground only on the one side. Thinner blades are mostly not stable enough for work on hardwoods. Whichever hand you use, having both left and right-handed marking knives will let you change direction without having to move / in-clamp the workpiece.

 

[Quilly21]

I Bought a Japanese "KIRIDASHI MARKING KNIFE" many years ago, stays sharp takes a good edge,
never use anything else now, and I have several traditional British knives which remain in the draw, despite their lovely rosewood handles!