In the era before power machining of wood, draw knives were the staple for
shaping wooden objects. Many specialized types existed. There were
specific types for barrel making, ship building, chair seats,
wheelwrighting, shingle-making, etc. In addition, specific knives could be
made for specific projects. During the 18th century and earlier, knives
were custom made on the forge. By the late 18th century in some areas, and
the 19th century in other areas, knives were factory produced and thus more
standardized. However, even these could be modified for a particular
purpose. I am not an expert on draw knife history, but without a photo, it
is difficult to speculate on their function. They may be for a common use
that can be easily identified, or may be specific to an individual unique
project. Good luck!
Marc
American Conservation Consortium, Ltd.
4 Rockville Road
Broad Brook, CT 06016
www.conservator.com
860-386-6058
*Collections Preservation Consultation
*Conservation Assessments & Surveys
*Environmental Monitoring & Low-Tech Control
*Moisture Management Solutions
*Collections in Historic Structures
*Collections Care Grant Preparation
*Conservation Treatment of:
Furniture
Painted Wood
Horse-Drawn Vehicles
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Marc A. Williams, President
MS in Art Conservation, Winterthur Museum Program
Former Chief Wooden Object Conservator, Smithsonian Institution
Fellow, American Institute for Conservation (AIC)
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On
Behalf Of Anne Lane
Sent: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 2:44 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Two Strange Drawknives
Perhaps somebody on the list could help me with identifying two strange
(to me, anyhow) woodworking tools. Both are basically like drawknives, in
that they have a crosspiece with a handle at each end and are obviously to
be drawn toward the user. However, instead of a straight blade, one has a
crosspiece that curves downward at the center into a V shape. At the bottom
of the V, it turns 90 degrees back toward the user and ends in a chisel
blade, beveled and about 7/8 inch wide. It looks as though it was meant to
put a groove in something, but what? The other looks more like a drawknife,
except that there are only short sections of sharpened blade on either end
with a large inverted U shape extending perpendicularly between them, not
sharpened. The two blades are on a flat plane between the user's hands, but
seen from above they angle slightly away from the user toward the center and
the sharpened edges are slightly curved. Does this sound familiar to anyone?
If you're all baffled by my attempts at description, I could send photos.
Many thanks,
Anne
Anne T. Lane
Collections Manager
704.568.1774 x110 phone
704.566.1817 fax
[log in to unmask]
The Charlotte Museum of History and Hezekiah Alexander Homesite
Where History Has a Home
3500 Shamrock Drive
Charlotte, NC 28215-3214
www.charlottemuseum.org
Featured Exhibits:
ToyTime: Larger-than-Life Folk Toys, September 8, 2007 to March 9, 2008
Flags Across The Nation: Quilts of Patriotism, September 11 to November
11, 2007
Charlotte Neighborhoods: Brooklyn to Biddleville, Now through January 25,
2008
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