John James Awl Blades VS. Osborne

[harnessman]

Hi All

I am a newbie to the list and have spent many hours engrossed in the knowledge base that this forum represents!

I have a question, and my first post, Which Awl blade is better? John James or Osborne, if either? I have used the Osborne and have always had to modify them, make them thinnner and sharpen them in order to use them. They do work, but they are a bit "flexible" and I have a devil of a time keeping the point straight so I can pierce a true hole. Yes, I know about the Bob Douglas Blades but I have a hard time spending $25 on a such a itty bitty piece of steel! Are there any less pricy alternatives?

Thanks in advance

[tonyc1]

I don't know really, as I've only ever used John James awl blades. They come in diff lengths which is good.

Tony.

[Rawhide]

I've got all three, a John James, an Osborne, and a Bob Douglas. I think that the Osborne would be better for shaping and sharpening. The James is harder to sharpen for me. Regardless of what's said mine (James, nor Osborne), came ready to use. My Douglas did though...It's like going from dial up to high speed...at first the price sucks, but then you can't live without it.

[CampbellRandall]

I've got all three, a John James, an Osborne, and a Bob Douglas. I think that the Osborne would be better for shaping and sharpening. The James is harder to sharpen for me. Regardless of what's said mine (James, nor Osborne), came ready to use. My Douglas did though...It's like going from dial up to high speed...at first the price sucks, but then you can't live without it.

We sell both the John James and the Osborne. Osborne is probably the most used and best price in the "name brand" awls. We started stocking the John James because they are harder and won't bend as easily for heavy jobs like saddle cantles. Regardless of brand, sharpness is probably the most critical part. Ive never used the Douglas awls, but it sounds like he's doing a good job of presharpening. John James are ground out of the package, but Osborne has a factory edge and should be honed. Regardsless of brand, its a good idea to keep them sharp.

[Rawhide]

We sell both the John James and the Osborne. Osborne is probably the most used and best price in the "name brand" awls. We started stocking the John James because they are harder and won't bend as easily for heavy jobs like saddle cantles. Regardless of brand, sharpness is probably the most critical part. Ive never used the Douglas awls, but it sounds like he's doing a good job of presharpening. John James are ground out of the package, but Osborne has a factory edge and should be honed. Regardsless of brand, its a good idea to keep them sharp.

Glad you could join us here... we love to have suppliers in on these discussions...it helps to clear up both sides of the quesitons.

My james awl did come sharp, but not nearly sharp enough...I had to work on it for a little while. Not as long as I had to work my Osborne though...I have the curved James awl, so maybe that's the difference. The only awls I have ever purchased that didn't require any work were Bob Douglas and Peter Main's.

Osborne is famous for not grounding the edges down, so that the consumer can easily put their own bevel angle in place without a lot of rework...

[harnessman]

We sell both the John James and the Osborne. Osborne is probably the most used and best price in the "name brand" awls. We started stocking the John James because they are harder and won't bend as easily for heavy jobs like saddle cantles. Regardless of brand, sharpness is probably the most critical part. Ive never used the Douglas awls, but it sounds like he's doing a good job of presharpening. John James are ground out of the package, but Osborne has a factory edge and should be honed. Regardsless of brand, its a good idea to keep them sharp.

Thanks! exactly the kind of information I need. I looked at the web site and noticed that you only carry the larger blades. Most of my stitching is 6, 8, & 10 to the inch and I like a tight hole to the thread so I like to use a finer blade. My current Awl measures 0.065 x0.120 x 1-3/4 long and is about right for most of what I do, if I can keep the point headed in the right direction that is! I don't suppose you have any measurements on the JJ blades other than the length? As to sharpening, I would agree with both Rawhide and CambellRandall, you can never have an awl to sharp and the Osbornes are dull as hoes out of the box but relatively easy to sharpen, but don't stay sharp, and bend easily. I am looking forward to trying a John James in the near future.

Again, Thanks

Jim

[Rawhide]

Thanks! exactly the kind of information I need. I looked at the web site and noticed that you only carry the larger blades. Most of my stitching is 6, 8, & 10 to the inch and I like a tight hole to the thread so I like to use a finer blade. My current Awl measures 0.065 x0.120 x 1-3/4 long and is about right for most of what I do, if I can keep the point headed in the right direction that is! I don't suppose you have any measurements on the JJ blades other than the length? As to sharpening, I would agree with both Rawhide and CambellRandall, you can never have an awl to sharp and the Osbornes are dull as hoes out of the box but relatively easy to sharpen, but don't stay sharp, and bend easily. I am looking forward to trying a John James in the near future.

Again, Thanks

Jim

Jim, I use my Peter Main blade for stitches 8 spi and above. Click here (post #8) to see a comparison with holes sizes I posted a while back. I can measure it if you want when I get home.

[harnessman]

Thanks! exactly the kind of information I need. I looked at the web site and noticed that you only carry the larger blades. Most of my stitching is 6, 8, & 10 to the inch and I like a tight hole to the thread so I like to use a finer blade. My current Awl measures 0.065 x0.120 x 1-3/4 long and is about right for most of what I do, if I can keep the point headed in the right direction that is! I don't suppose you have any measurements on the JJ blades other than the length? As to sharpening, I would agree with both Rawhide and CambellRandall, you can never have an awl to sharp and the Osbornes are dull as hoes out of the box but relatively easy to sharpen, but don't stay sharp, and bend easily. I am looking forward to trying a John James in the near future.

Again, Thanks

Jim

I looked up the previous post. Great Picture! Was the Bob Douglas blade the slender one or his heavy one? I would love it if you could put a caliper to your blades and post the sizes!

Thanks

Jim

[Rawhide]

Jim,

The blade is the slim one I think. It is 2mm across the flats, and 3mm across the cutting edges, which translates to roughly .078 x .118 and about 1.2 inches long (past the ferrule), so more than likely it's at least 1 3/4 to 2 inches or so long.

My Peter Main awl is about 1.3 mm across the flats and 2 mm across the cutting edges, which is about .050 x .078 and about 1 inch long past the ferrule.

Here's a picture of the blades next to a penny for comparison. The Peter Main blade is on the left, and the Bob Douglas is on the right.

[Knife Knut]

Sounds like the Osbornes are using substandard steel and/or heat treat. Thanks for the heads up!

[Pelallito]

Hi,

Does anybody have a photo of Peter Mains complete awl?

I have been to his site, but I don't remember seeing anything about tools for sale.

Thanks for the help.

Fred

Sounds like the Osbornes are using substandard steel and/or heat treat. Thanks for the heads up!