Drawknife
Definition
A two-handled cutting tool with a long blade pulled toward the user to shave, shape, and smooth wood. Commonly used in combination with a shaving horse to hold the workpiece. Essential in pre-industrial woodworking trades.
Terminology
| German | Ziehmesser |
|---|---|
| English | Drawknife |
Regional Variants
Draw shave, Drawing knife, Drawshave (UK/US/AU)
Professional Users
Wheelwrights, coopers, coachbuilders, joiners, turners, basket weavers, carpenters, bodgers
Period / Era
Antiquity to present; peak use 17th–19th century (pre-industrial craft tradition)
Sources
1. Wikimedia Commons — Jeffrey Gale on shaving horse with drawknife | 2. Wikimedia Commons — Kursteilnehmer mit verschiedenen Werkzeugen | 3. Flickr — sixmilliondollardan (CC BY 2.0) | 4. Flickr — Stone Soup Institute (CC BY 2.0) | 5. Wikimedia Commons — ZiehmesserTop.jpeg | 6. Flickr — Danny Ayers / danja (CC BY 2.0)
Image Credits
1. Wikimedia Commons, CC — see file page | 2. Wikimedia Commons, CC — see file page | 3. sixmilliondollardan, Flickr, CC BY 2.0 | 4. Stone Soup Institute, Flickr, CC BY 2.0 | 5. Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 | 6. Danny Ayers (danja), Flickr, CC BY 2.0
Available as an archival print — Heritage Tools Archive Woodworking