Thread: Overdue Review....

Hi all,

At the end of August, a mysterious parcel turned up in my office. As you can tell from the A4 in the background…. They’re HUGE!

[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/r1.jpg[/media]

Ok – maybe that’s the wrong background… here they are again… actually a very reasonable size.

[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/r2.jpg[/media]

A close-up of the spearpoint knife:

[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/r3.jpg[/media]

And the awl:

[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/r4.jpg[/media]

Physical Description

Both handles were beautifully turned from what turns out be, after extensive analysis, wood. ( Specifically, Allocasuarina fraseriana.)

Each has what appears to be a hand-rubbed satin finish, and the handles are smooth without being slippery. Major handle diameters are .652” (1.66cm), and handles have an overall length of 5.285” (13.42cm). Each is capped with a .312” (.79cm) ferrule. We were unable to determine whether blue brass, or white brass was used.

The knife blade measures 1.375” (3.49cm) long, is .225” wide (.57cm) and is .038” (.20cm) thick. Using an optical comparator, it was found to have an included angle of 60 degrees (optional angles were not supplied).

The awl tip is 1.221” (3.1cm) long, with a root diameter of .152” (.38cm). The tip tapers to a point over half of the length of the blade.

When examined under a microscope – both were just as sharp and pointy up close, as far away.

In Use

Both precision instruments were tested in the highest quality hard and softwood samples we could get our hand on… Pinus strobus, and Acer E Guitarensis. (commonly known as Eastern White Pine, and “Rock” maple….)

Softwood results for both knife and awl are shown below. Lines were carefully scribed at 15 degree increments to a given axis, to test cut ability across and along the grain. While both did an excellent job marking in softwood, fiber tearing is visible in the lines left by the awl.

[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/SWK.jpg[/media]
[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/SWA.jpg[/media]

Hardwood results were much closer – as can be seen in the test pieces below. Both left clean marks, though again, the awl did have a slight tendency to follow the grain in some instances.

[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/HWK.jpg[/media]
[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/HWA.jpg[/media]


One can only conclude from these tests that the marking knife is the best choice for use as a marking knife… unless of course, you don’t have one – in which case you’re clearly faced with a choice of awl or none.

For dovetail work, the knife proved to be an excellent companion to the revolutionary Veritas dovetail saw prototype during testing, the results of which can almost be seen below…

[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/Dove.jpg[/media]

Other comments

When left on the bench – both exhibited a tendency to roll in a clock-wise direction (contrary to the counter-clockwise stated in the instructions???). The small knob on the end of the handle made them comfortable to hold in your mouth, while fiddling about aligning pin board to tail board. The differing finish on the ferrules (one brass, one nickel plate) made it a snap to tell which was which, just by looking at them…. Something we wish more manufacturers would do.

[media]http://www.leevalley.com/home/temprl/WN/pair.jpg[/media]


So there you have it – my first official review, in what I am sure will be a very short career as a reviewer….

Cheers –

Rob

PS – Ok – what I really meant to write is that these are beautifully made, and very useful tools. The handles in particular are superb – my hand grips the thinnest part of the handle at the web between my thumb and forefinger, while the balance of the handle mimics the natural curve of my fingers when relaxed. These are well thought out tools, and it’s a privilege to have them. Many thanks to Derek!