Skiving Knife

[Marshal Will]

For years, I've used a lot of different knives for skiving. In the following photo, mostly the round knife and the one to the right of it have been pretty good for the purpose but I've not been completely satisfied.



Today I made one out of a circular saw blade (the left over piece of the same blade I used to make the round knife). I shaped it with a peanut grinder and roughed in the edge with my 90 RPM water bath knife grinder. It throws water all over the place but it works great. At first I made it with a straight cutting edge but it was not completely satisfactory so I put a curve to the edge and it works much better. It's only ground from one side so I can get down low with it if needed. I'll try it for a while and if it works as good as I expect, I'll fashion some kind of handle on it. The hardest thing is going to be protecting the edge when it's in the toolbox. Maybe I can find something to cover just the cutting edge or something.



I see Osborne has a couple different knives that would work but I didn't want to wait for one to arrive and this scrap of saw blade has been getting in the way for a few years. It was a good excuse to get a knife and get rid of an eyesore hanging from a beam in the garage.

What do all of you use for skiving?

[mike116]

This is a set of Al Stohlman knives I traded for a long time ago.  They were brand new and dull when I got them so I sharpened them up and have been using them ever since,   The Japanese skiver (straight) and English skiver (round) are what get used the most.  I don't use the French skiver (angled) much at all.   I also use the round knives for skiving when I need a wide flat skived edge.



I made the block to store them on the bench top in.   They stay sharp that way and never leave the bench.   I strop every knife I use each time I pick it up.

[Marshal Will]

Thanks for the reply and photos, Mike. That's a nice set. I can see why you use the Japanese and English skivers the most. I would have made an English style one but the material I had wasn't big enough to do that. It would have been my first choice, though. I guess what I made was essentially a french skiver until I curved the edge.

I love the block you made. That's a great way to keep them. Chefs have been doing that for many years. It simply didn't ever occur to me to do something like that. And like you, I strop mine every time I pick them up.

That's a fine looking pair of holsters going together there. I'd love to see a photo of them completed.

[ShotgunDave]

I use the Japanese style. The one with the square blade that's round on one side at the handle end. It took me quite a while to master how to use it properly, but now that I have it's easy to use.

[Miguel Loco]

Thanks for the info! I have 3 hand me down round knives of different sizes. I usually just use one on those...

[mike116]

Thanks for the reply and photos, Mike. That's a nice set. I can see why you use the Japanese and English skivers the most. I would have made an English style one but the material I had wasn't big enough to do that. It would have been my first choice, though. I guess what I made was essentially a french skiver until I curved the edge.

I love the block you made. That's a great way to keep them. Chefs have been doing that for many years. It simply didn't ever occur to me to do something like that. And like you, I strop mine every time I pick them up.

That's a fine looking pair of holsters going together there. I'd love to see a photo of them completed.

I would make another half round knife like the first one but with the curve the other direction.   That gives the ability to skive both right and left edges the same.

I'll try to remember to get pics before I ship these out.   It's part of an order for a belt 3 holsters, a cartridge box, and a rifle scabbard with back pack straps.   

[Marshal Will]

I would make another half round knife like the first one but with the curve the other direction.   That gives the ability to skive both right and left edges the same.

I'll try to remember to get pics before I ship these out.   It's part of an order for a belt 3 holsters, a cartridge box, and a rifle scabbard with back pack straps.

A left knife would be a good idea. I'll have to see if I have another saw blade big enough to make one. 10" blades are getting scarce in my stash of them. Maybe I'll find one in a yard sale. Every once in a while you see one with tools.

That sounds like a great looking rig. Looking forward to photos if it's convenient for you.

[Marshal Will]

I use the Japanese style. The one with the square blade that's round on one side at the handle end. It took me quite a while to master how to use it properly, but now that I have it's easy to use.

I've looked at those but just haven't picked one up.

Thanks for the info! I have 3 hand me down round knives of different sizes. I usually just use one on those...

That sounds like a good and simple solution.

[Marshal Will]

To protect the edge, and to keep anyone or anything from getting sliced up with it lying around loose the workbench, I glued some scraps of mahogany together and inset a rare earth magnet with a Forstner bit and JB Weld.



This morning, I cut it down with a bandsaw, hit it with sandpaper, applied a coat of Skidmore's and bingo it has a one-sided sheath.

[Miguel Loco]

That's a great idea MW! I just make sheaths for mine. Sharpening is time consuming.....gotta keep those edges protected!

[Marshal Will]

That's a great idea MW! I just make sheaths for mine. Sharpening is time consuming.....gotta keep those edges protected!

Thanks, Mick. I generally just make slip sheaths but in this case the cutting edge is off to one side and might tend to cut into the leather when you slip it in. This way all I have to watch is that I don't drag the tip against the end piece. I really like Mike's knife block but my workbench also serves for 'smithing and reloading so there isn't a lot of room and things get moved about a lot. When we move out of CACA to AZ, I'll make sure to have a dedicated leather workspace. Then I'll make a good block for all my knives.

[Marshal Will]

I like the angled skiving knife a lot but there are times when I find I want something like just the center section of a round knife. You know, without those big points sticking out on both sides preventing you from choking up on the thing. So I grabbed my last worn out circular saw blade and made one. That gets rid of another old saw blade lying around and turns it into something useful. I used rivets so the blade wouldn't cut the sheath up as fast. It was only an 8" blade and there is this hole in the middle so I decided to use that to my advantage. Also, it keeps me out of the house which is running 80+ degrees in the afternoons. The garage is around 65. And I'm done making knives for a while.

[Miguel Loco]

Well now that's pretty damn handy!

[Marshal Will]

Thanks, Mick. The hole keeps evil spirits from getting stuck in the knife.