Marking Knives

[clogs]

I use an old Bi-Metal hand hacksaw blade to scribe / mark metal.......
never bothered with wood as nothing I make is that special.....yet....
still look in awe at member projects........
as for the old industrial Rapidor type hacksaw machine blades, cant remember the last time I saw one.....
guess they still make em.....?

 

[dannyr]

Hacksaw blades OK for making. Marking knife..what about an old bandsaw blade?

note that there are many kinds of hacksaw blade - most could, at a stretch, be used, but some of the more high tech ones with just a strip of HSS at the tooth would be difficult to get right - probably best of all a really old all plain carbon steel blade, but my hacksaw blade knives are from high speed steel flexible blades (or shorter all-hard) which have lost teeth or just gone blunt. If you get the very thin cheapo blades, still should work but just make a very short knife blade or will soon bend/break.

I believe most non-pro bandsaw blades are just medium carbon steel with induction hardened teeth - could make a passable knife, but you'd have to heat-treat.

most of these blades can be broken to length by putting in a vice and whacking just above the grip, but do protect your full face.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

A bit too fancy?

Yes, I'd say so. The idea with a marking knife is surely just to make a mark to guide a cutting tool, isn't it(?), rather than slash through the wood. Maybe I've got it wrong, ha, ha. Plus, I don't believe you made that marking tool yourself. Slainte.

 

[Pabs]

interesting!
have just given it a go with an old half inch bandsaw blade and a little bit of sapelle
10mins work and it's functional!

 

[Trafalgar]

Nothing like a $50,000+ investment in a fully equipped shop and drawing the line at a $30 marking knife.

Not. One, More. Dime. the man said...

 

[Pabs]

I wouldn't bother with marking knives at all. I think they are useful for when you really need a cut line, which is not that often, but a penknife or a chisel will probably do just as well.
Sharp 2H pencil for most things.
Marking knives are a big fashion item in some circles!

Apologies but I have come to absolutely rely on marking knivves for starting a line esp a cross grain softwood line; esp where to achieve a decent mark with my gorilla mits for saw-work which might threaten the integrity of a 2h point fine enough;
A fabulously sharp and thin blade even with a slight perception of spring so it can smudge up tight against the square and acheive a grain-independent / knot-skate-free straight mark; I find more reliable too than a sharp wheel gauge and more predictable than a scalpel in a holder.
I also use to establing my initial chisel wall as well as mortices; halflaps, rebate plane inital few passes,
as well as with the bandsaw work, chop saw work, sanding up to a line,
opening parcels,
,

Sorry I must insist in spite of only doing this for a short time and still developing my basic skills, just based on my experience just far

to the marking knife

 

[Jacob]

Apologies but I have come to absolutely rely on marking knivves for starting a line esp a cross grain softwood line;

No need to apologise! Yes that's what they are really good for, especially if it's the visible side of a joint.
But in general a pencil is easier - not least because you can rub out your mistakes.

 

[pe2dave]

Yes, I'd say so. The idea with a marking knife is surely just to make a mark to guide a cutting tool, isn't it(?),

I've taken up Paul Sellers idea of a 'knife wall', ie bit deeper than a mark, chisel down to leave a small 'wall', then saw to that mark? Nice clean edge and as accurate as your marking.

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I've taken up Paul Sellers idea of a 'knife wall', ie bit deeper than a mark, chisel down to leave a small 'wall', then saw to that mark? Nice clean edge and as accurate as your marking.

It is amazing that Sellers comes up with all these original ideas! I wonder how it was done before he was around?

Anyone who wants to make a fine marking knife for dovetails: A Knife for Marking Dovetails by Derek Cohen

For most other marking I use one of these Stanley knives, and do credit Sellers for pointing me in this direction ...

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[xy mosian]

I've taken up Paul Sellers idea of a 'knife wall', ie bit deeper than a mark, chisel down to leave a small 'wall', then saw to that mark? Nice clean edge and as accurate as your marking.

Standard mid-sixties O-level woodwork. At least in these parts.
geoff

 

[Jacob]

Standard mid-sixties O-level woodwork. At least in these parts.
geoff

Same here but late 50s. Don't remember it being called a "knife wall" back then, but I have forgotten lots of things.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

I've taken up Paul Sellers idea of a 'knife wall', ie bit deeper than a mark, chisel down to leave a small 'wall', then saw to that mark? Nice clean edge and as accurate as your marking.

As others have already indicated, that trick goes back to long before anything said by Paul Sellers, or any other contemporary instructor or guide. I've been telling and showing learners about it for decades myself and can't recall who taught it to me, but it was probably some grumpy old git in my first furniture making job. Funnily enough, even though I've shown it to people numerous times I can't recall ever using the technique more than a handful of times in my own work after which I decided it was more faff and time wasted than it was worth, so just went back to marking (knifing) the line and sawing accurately to that line. Slainte.

 

[Adam W.]

Paul Sellers....Genius!

 

[mark w]

I wouldn't bother with marking knives at all. I think they are useful for when you really need a cut line, which is not that often, but a penknife or a chisel will probably do just as well.
Sharp 2H pencil for most things.
Marking knives are a big fashion item in some circles!

Almost, complete rubbish Jacob.
To sensibly mark any joint a knife is an absolute must. Pencils no matter how sharp wear out too quickly.
A knife line gives you a place to put your chisel and a definitive line to plane to.

 

[mark w]

My recommendation DC Marking Knife
Phil used to sell them without the box, which made them cheaper, not sure if he still does.
If you make the DC jig, it's easily and neatly sharpened.

 

[Ttrees]

A knife line gives you a place to put your chisel

And a retractable pencil can be used for those who want both registration and markings,
that is, for those who wish to keep their lines.

 

[mark w]

And a retractable pencil can be used for those who want both registration and markings,
that is, for those who wish to keep their lines.

Hi Ttrees, how does a pencil line give a registration?

Mark

 

[Ttrees]

Hi Ttrees, how does a pencil line give a registration?

Mark

I was referring to a belt and boots approach, as in both the knifeline for that,
and the pencil line left remaining, which if doing tight fitting joinery might be valued,
should things be too tight.

 

[Jacob]

Almost, complete rubbish Jacob.
To sensibly mark any joint a knife is an absolute must. Pencils no matter how sharp wear out too quickly.
A knife line gives you a place to put your chisel and a definitive line to plane to.

Not rubbish at all.
The knife delusion is that because it is very precise it is also very accurate - but the mark isn't necessarily in precisely the right spot. Particularly problematic for a learner as a knife cut can't be rubbed out like a pencil mark and adding another mark sets up another problem.
There's a trick with a pencil whereby you spin it slowly as you draw so that it wears evenly and keeps a point in the centre.
There are places where a knife cut line is more or less essential - the most obvious being dovetail shoulder lines - as you say a place to put a chisel so that they all line up spot on.

 

[Jacob]

My recommendation DC Marking Knife
Phil used to sell them without the box, which made them cheaper, not sure if he still does.
If you make the DC jig, it's easily and neatly sharpened.

Looks like a nightmare to use! At the very least it needs a comfortable handle. Could do with a lower price tag too - £10 max, or just find a handy penknife, modified kitchen knife, piece of hacksaw blade etc.