Nine's Bootcamp Experience (BRK)

Jen, thank you so much for the draw knife trial and video!  So for someone getting their first draw knife or two, are you recommending the ox head first and the 8" curved as a nice second?  They also had a curved 5".  I'm assuming if you use a curved knife you want to reach for one that best matches the curve of the log being peeled and that a straight knife is a great generalist blade (i.e. if you only had one that would be what you get)....?  As I get a number of other projects off my plate I'm hoping to move into some round wood projects so it's wonderful to be able to pick the brain of someone who has actually peeled a log!  Very much appreciated.  

Greg Martin wrote:Jen, thank you so much for the draw knife trial and video!  So for someone getting their first draw knife or two, are you recommending the ox head first and the 8" curved as a nice second?  

Yep! In my limited experience and Chris's, the ox head is the one we found the most useful. He wasn't as into the 8" curved knife as I was. It has a relatively shallow curve, so I was able to make it work on a few sizes of trees, but like Julie said (summarized) in an earlier reply, the bigger the tree the closer your knuckles are to scraping. We found this to be true as well, especially with the 10" knife.

As it is, I'll be shopping and on the lookout for a folding ox head knife like the one we have here to use on my (eventual) plot. ☺️

Greg Martin wrote:They also had a curved 5".  I'm assuming if you use a curved knife you want to reach for one that best matches the curve of the log being peeled and that a straight knife is a great generalist blade (i.e. if you only had one that would be what you get)....?

I imagine if you had all the space for all the tools, you could have one of each size. *floats off into tool shed dreamland* 😍 I think if I were limited to two draw knives for the rest of time, I'd probably get the ox head and a straight knife. The straight knife for flattening my roundwood projects. The ox head for everything else.

Greg Martin wrote:As I get a number of other projects off my plate I'm hoping to move into some round wood projects so it's wonderful to be able to pick the brain of someone who has actually peeled a log!  Very much appreciated.  

Well I'm definitely not a master, so take this all with a grain of salt. 😅

Ps, thanks for the 🥧! 🙏🏻

And now for a moment of contemplation...

Great reviews Jen! I was kind of cringing watching the video, knowing you were gonna be sore later!
One thing that helps a lot with tools is proper biomechanics, as I’m sure you’re aware. Having that pole inclined to peel is way harder on your back and shoulders. If you put it horizontal on sawhorses, just below waist level and straddle it, it’s much friendlier on your muscles. The other thing that helps is the angle of the handles being ergonomic. When the blade is level in a cutting position, the handles should angle down about 10 degrees, which is the natural angle of your wrists. Otherwise you are holding your arms tipped up, which also tires your muscles faster, especially shoulders. I suspect that’s why you like the Oxhead (a company in Germany, by the way, not a specific style or shape) best- because of the offset of the handles. Those pivots are a bonus. It’s not to fold the handles for storage, but to be able to adjust for the most ergonomic grip, or, to flare out if you had something really wide or odd shaped, to spare your knuckles from hitting it.
Also, unless you want the extruded knots for some specific reason, if you take an axe or chainsaw and trim them flush first, it makes peeling a happier experience, since you don’t have that jarring stop to the smooth motion when you hit one.
The drawknife with the really tight curve can be used for peeling, but the design is for making curved barrel staves or rounded furniture pieces. Some people call it a spoke shave, from when wagon wheels were made from wood, for the shaping the rounded spokes. (Why waste time rounding spokes? Because a sharp edge or corner is more likely to split or splinter.)
For peeling logs, which involves long strokes, the handle width should be about 24”, which is shoulder width, so that your elbows aren’t unnecessarily canted out (causing shoulder pain) or in (hitting your ribs).
Much like a hammer, it helps to try a few different styles and shapes to see what you like best! And of course, having the right shape for the specific task.

Julie Reed wrote:Great reviews Jen! I was kind of cringing watching the video, knowing you were gonna be sore later! One thing that helps a lot with tools is proper biomechanics, as I’m sure you’re aware. Having that pole inclined to peel is way harder on your back and shoulders. If you put it horizontal on sawhorses, just below waist level and straddle it, it’s much friendlier on your muscles.

haha yeah, Chris and I were discussing biomechanics of doing this later that day as well. If we had some saw horses here that 1. weren't (seemingly) 50lbs each and 2. about 4' tall, and if I weren't on a hillside in the forest, proper ergonomics would be high on my list. I propped it up against that stump because otherwise I'm straddling the little tree on the ground and bent over at the waist trying to get leverage while it tries to slide away with every cut. Otherwise, I'm carrying it about 200yds over to the shop to find somewhere uncluttered to peel it. Something something ideal world.

Julie Reed wrote:The other thing that helps is the angle of the handles being ergonomic. When the blade is level in a cutting position, the handles should angle down about 10 degrees, which is the natural angle of your wrists. Otherwise you are holding your arms tipped up, which also tires your muscles faster, especially shoulders. I suspect that’s why you like the Oxhead (a company in Germany, by the way, not a specific style or shape) best- because of the offset of the handles. Those pivots are a bonus. It’s not to fold the handles for storage, but to be able to adjust for the most ergonomic grip, or, to flare out if you had something really wide or odd shaped, to spare your knuckles from hitting it.

I figured that was a reason for the adjustable handles on the Oxhead. The wing nuts are a bit tricky to get tight though, so if I took it out I'd need to take a pair of pliers as well to get it to hold them steady and not loosen five strokes later. I can't seem to find any 'modern' knives with that design unfortunately. I'd like to personally have one that can adjust like that. I mentioned to Chris it'd be nice to put the handles out straight occasionally depending on the circumstances. I can see the benefit of that design.

Julie Reed wrote:For peeling logs, which involves long strokes, the handle width should be about 24”, which is shoulder width, so that your elbows aren’t unnecessarily canted out (causing shoulder pain) or in (hitting your ribs).
Much like a hammer, it helps to try a few different styles and shapes to see what you like best! And of course, having the right shape for the specific task.

All great information! Thank you very much, Julie. I'm definitely a novice with all of this, so hearing tips and tricks from someone who seems to have a bit more experience is super helpful. Keep it coming!