New Home Made Tool

[bikermutt07]

I have been looking for a skiving knife for awhile and just haven't pulled the trigger on one.

The Japanese styles looked a lot like a chisel to me so I was thinking about making one from, well, a chisel.

Then the other day I find this blade collecting dust on a shelf at work.

I'm not sure what it was used for but it's made by Crane. While it looks like a planer blade I'm sure it went to some floor machine of some sort.

Anywho, I brought it home and sharpened it up. It maybe too wide for skiving? 

Now the fun part, I got this blade sharper than anything I've ever sharpened. I had never developed a wire on anything until yesterday. When I stropped it off Oh Man was it sharp. I'm just proud of myself.

You can still see the grooves in the center of the blade But I don't think they will affect anything. The test pieces are 5-6 ounce chrome tan. I used a tri-Stone to true up the back and front going through coarse, medium, and fine. Then I switched to sand paper on granite at 800 and carried it to 2000. I finished with some Tandy green polish on a strip.

Even if it's too wide for a skiver I can use it to make straight cuts.

Edited October 8, 2016 by bikermutt07

[zuludog]

I recently made a skiving knife from an old plane blade, here is my suggestion. You will need to use a bench grinder, or find someone who can do the work for you

Narrow the blade to 36mm  and either keep it symmetrical, or offset after the style of a Japanese leather knife

Gradually curve or taper the upper part of the blade to form a tang for the handle. Make a template or pattern from stiff card and play around with the shape till you get the best fit; that's a lot easier than cutting metal!

Fit & glue handle scales either side, and pin or screw them through the slot

You'll probably find you have to get the cutting edge & bevel very sharp & polished; have a look at those in the videos

You can use it as a skiving knife or a Japanese style leather knife. Search YouTube, there are several videos, especially 'How to Use Japanese Leather Knife' by leathertoolz

Make a simple slip on sheath or blade cover, to protect the cutting edge and protect other things from the cutting edge

 

[bikermutt07]

I guess I could make two out of this one. I bet my father in law has a stationary band saw at work. I Can make a lefty and a righty.

[zuludog]

Yes, I hadn't thought of that. You could keep one half with a straight or chisel end, like a skiving knife, and the other half angled like a craft knife or kiridashi

Cut it asymmetric, so the skiving knife is about 70 to 75% of the width, and the kiridashi is the remaining 30% or so. Looks like if you make the cut in line with one edge of the slot that should do it

[karlpv]

You have a Stanley-pattern bench plane blade there.  The grinding marks on the bevel won't hurt a thing, as long as they're away from the edge, and some would argue that.  A bandsaw won't get to first base cutting on it, as the hardness of the saw blade will be less, or about equal to, the plane blade.  Much over boiling water temps in grinding, and there will be a danger in drawing the temper from the blade (softening).  There used to be a Remington-branded hacksaw type blade available at Wally with the cutting edge comprised of carbide grit.  I used one to take a 1/2" slice off the width of an axe head once, so if you're determined ... 

[bikermutt07]

I think I will leave it alone.

[silverback]

try a plasma cutter

 

[billybopp]

It'll still make a decent knife if a bit on the big side, which is not a problem as long as it fits your hands!  Just sharpen the daylights out of it.  You might find it more comfy to hold if you wrap the "handle" with some electrical or friction tape. 

Bill

[bikermutt07]

I'm pretty sure a plasma cutter would wreak havoc on the temper.

[ContactCement]

I'm an advanced woodworker that's a plane iron. Yes I can read newspaper print through my thin wood shavings. Under high magnification the machining marks on a blade look like tiny hack saw teeth at the cutting edge. When this catches the grain and fibers in wood it is like slamming on the brakes of a car. Lay the blade / plane iron flat bevel side up on some wet dry sandpaper approximately 1/2" from the edge work it until its flat and shiny like a mirror. Next hone the bevel until its shines. When its razor sharp no light will be reflected from the sharpened edge. If the sharpened edge looks like a tiny shiny, wire it is still dull.

[garypl]

You could probably cut that plane iron in half using an angle grinder equipped with a diamond blade.  Wrap the tip in a water soaked rag to keep the temp down and go slow.  Might be a problem when you actually have to cut through the edge of the blade - will need to stop often and cool down with water.

[bikermutt07]

6 hours ago, ContactCement said:

I'm an advanced woodworker that's a plane iron. Yes I can read newspaper print through my thin wood shavings. Under high magnification the machining marks on a blade look like tiny hack saw teeth at the cutting edge. When this catches the grain and fibers in wood it is like slamming on the brakes of a car. Lay the blade / plane iron flat bevel side up on some wet dry sandpaper approximately 1/2" from the edge work it until its flat and shiny like a mirror. Next hone the bevel until its shines. When its razor sharp no light will be reflected from the sharpened edge. If the sharpened edge looks like a tiny shiny, wire it is still dull.

I have mostly abandoned this tool. I have some better cutting utensils these days. I have never heard about the edge reflecting light theory before. I will put that to use. 

It reminds me of when I got my knipknife. I couldn't see the edge under a magnifying glass. It is very very sharp.

 

[Sanch]

15 hours ago, bikermutt07 said:

I have mostly abandoned this tool. I have some better cutting utensils these days. I have never heard about the edge reflecting light theory before. I will put that to use. 

It reminds me of when I got my knipknife. I couldn't see the edge under a magnifying glass. It is very very sharp.

 

what's the width of this abandoned tool? if you make anything that requires belt slots you can easily use it in conjunction with hole punches to make clean slots if you don't have a slot punch. it looks greater than 1 3/4" though. anyhow just sayin.

[bikermutt07]

I believe it was 2"s. It has a stamp on it from crain\crane (spelling?). That is a floor tool provider. They may make hand planes, but I haven't ever seen one. I picked it up off a shelf at work collecting dust.