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How to use a drawknife

Updated: 23 October 2026

You use a drawknife by pulling a blade towards your body, which is why the wood has to be stuck fast before the edge moves. If you have just unwrapped one of the amazon.co.uk knives in our [drawknife comparison](/hub/hand-tools/drawknife), assume it may be blunt, slightly curved, or sharp in the wrong place. UK reviews in that set mention a hone before hardwood, a grind that needed reworking, and, on the Ejoyous knife, steel by the handle that was sharper than the blade. This page is the stroke, the hold, and the hone. It is not a price table. If you buy through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You use a drawknife by pulling a blade towards your body, which is why the wood has to be stuck fast before the edge moves.

Our top picks

YWBL-WH YWBL-WH straight draw knife

Best overall

YWBL-WH YWBL-WH straight draw knife
6.2/10about £19.32
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PPI PPI 10 inch straight draw knife

Alternative

PPI PPI 10 inch straight draw knife
5.4/10about £38.31
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banapoy banapoy draw knife

Best value

banapoy banapoy draw knife
4.1/10about £15.43
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On this page
  1. 1.Set the wood before you set the knife
  2. 2.Bevel up and bevel down
  3. 3.A hone is part of the first use
  4. 4.Cover it and stop

Set the wood before you set the knife

Both hands belong on the handles. That only works if the billet cannot roll. A shave horse lets you sit and pinch the wood with your foot while you pull. A vice or a brake does the same job. Peter Lanyon's March 2024 note is about holding the wood. It is not a promise the edge cannot cut you. The blade still faces you. Keep your thighs and your free arm out of the line of the pull. Clamp a short length first and take a light cut along the grain. If the knife dives, the bevel is too steep or the wood is loose. Stop and reset the clamp. Do not lean over the edge. Length and straightness are in the drawknife buying guide.

Bevel up and bevel down

On a single-bevel drawknife, bevel up is the usual pull for a flatter facet. Bevel down lets the edge dig, which is how you hollow a curve. Kirschen's page describes conventional use as bevel up, and says that if the edge sticks you ease it back. That is maker guidance for their knife, not a setting printed on these amazon listings. PPI and YWBL-WH say compound bevel without an angle. Kirschen states 25 degrees for that 300 mm knife. A US note of 25 to 30 degrees is workshop colour, not a British Standard. UK reviewers reported a curve on Ejoyous and on YWBL-WH when the title said straight.
YWBL-WH YWBL-WH straight draw knife

Testsieger

YWBL-WH YWBL-WH straight draw knife
6.2/10about £19.32
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A hone is part of the first use

Several buyers expected to hone first. A UK review of YWBL-WH said it cut hardwoods after honing and polishing. A banapoy reviewer needed only a slight sharpen. A PPI reviewer said the grind needed a thorough rework. Arriving blunt is common in this sample. Stone with the blade facing away from your fingers. The TCV community tools guide, January 2024, says the same thing and adds a glove. A fine stone and a burr you can feel are enough for a first edge. The HSE sheet PPS12 is about utility knives at work. It is not a drawknife method, and it does not set your honing angle.

Cover it and stop

When you put the knife down, the edge needs a cover. PPI is the only listing in the comparison that names a sheath. A UK review of YWBL-WH said there was no cover, which that person accepted in the workshop. If yours arrives bare, a split hose, a wooden sleeve, or a bought guard is part of the first afternoon. The Ejoyous UK review is the sharp warning: steel beside the handle was keener than the blade and took about 20 minutes to make safe. Look before you run a fingertip along the tangs. Stop if a weld is cracked or the edge turns blue, and hand it to a sharpener or send it back. Bark on a long pole is a different tool, set out in drawknife for removing bark.

Common questions

Which way do I pull?
Pull the drawknife towards you with a hand on each handle, along the grain, after the wood is clamped. You can skew the blade a little so it slices rather than scrapes. Pushing it like a chisel puts the edge where your other hand may be. The pull is the stroke these knives are built for.
Do I need a shave horse?
You need the wood held. A shave horse is the usual green-wood way, because your foot clamps and both hands stay on the knife. A vice or a brake is enough for a first handle or a short spindle. Holding the billet against your thigh is how the edge meets your leg.
Bevel up or bevel down?
Bevel up for a flatter, more controllable cut. Bevel down when you mean to hollow. Kirschen describes bevel up as the conventional pull. These amazon listings rarely say which bevel is on the knife, so you have to look at the grind you were sent.
It will not cut. Is it broken?
Often it is still blunt. UK reviews in this set describe honing, a slight sharpen, or a grind that needed reworking before use. Try a hone with the edge facing away from you. If the bevel is dipped, wavy, or blue, or the blade is bent when the title said straight, stop and treat that as a fault rather than a technique problem.
Where do my hands go, and what covers the edge when I stop?
Both hands stay on the wooden handles for the whole pull. Nothing else should be in front of the edge. When you stop, a sheath, a sleeve, or a guard covers the blade before it goes on the bench. Only PPI in this comparison lists a sheath. The others may arrive bare.
When should I stop and not grind it myself?
Stop if the steel blues, if a weld is cracked, or if you are correcting a curve the listing called straight and you are about to remove a lot of metal. A workplace also needs its own risk assessment. Those are jobs for someone who grinds edges for a living, or for a return, not for a first stone in the shed.

Related pages

Drawknife or a spokeshave

Drawknife

Best drawknife on amazon.co.uk and who should skip it

Drawknife buying guide for blade length and sheath

Drawknife for removing bark: short logs, not long poles

Sources

Sources for this comparison, last checked on 22 October 2026.

  1. Woodsmith, Drawknives FAQ (2023) (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Tyzack, Kirschen 300 mm straight draw knife (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. Thomas Flinn, drawknives (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Crown Hand Tools, drawknives (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK, Buying and carrying knives (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Criminal Justice Act 1988, section 141A (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. HSE PPS12, safety knives (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. The Conservation Volunteers, tools guide (January 2024) (retrieved 22 October 2026)