marking knife
{{short description|Woodworking layout tool}}{{Infobox tool|name=Marking knife|classification={{Unbulleted list|Woodworking hand tool|Knife}}|image=Homemade marking knife.jpg|image size=240|other_name={{Unbulleted list|Striking knife|Shirabiki}}|caption=Marking knife with a spear point blade|used_with=Straightedges, squares, scratch awls, pencils}}
A marking knife or striking knife is a woodworking layout tool used for accurately marking workpieces.{{Cite book|last=Blackburn|first=Graham|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/41029219|title=Traditional woodworking handtools : a manual for the woodworker|publisher=Lyon Press|year=1998|isbn=1-55821-874-2|edition=1st|location=New York|pages=31–32|oclc=41029219}} It is used to cut a visible line, which can then be used to guide a hand saw, chisel or plane when making woodworking joints and other operations.{{cite book|last=Rae|first=Andy|title=Choosing & Using Hand Tools|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W2SvquJVmi4C&pg=PA63|date=1 March 2008|publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.|isbn=978-1-60059-274-4|pages=63–64}} They are generally used when marking across the grain of the wood, with scratch awls better suited for marking with the grain.{{Cite book|last=Salaman|first=R. A.|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryoftool0000sala|title=Dictionary of tools used in the woodworking and allied trades, c. 1700-1970|publisher=Scribner|others=Internet Archive|year=1975|isbn=978-0-684-14535-8|location=New York, USA|pages=269}}
Description
The blades on marking knives are made of tool steel, have either a skewed end or a spear point, and the knife edge is bevelled on either one side of the blade or both sides.{{Cite web|last=Liberman|first=Yoav|date=2015-05-28|title=An Intro to Marking Knives: Part One|url=https://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/an-intro-to-marking-knives-part-one/|access-date=2020-11-07|website=Popular Woodworking Magazine|language=en-US}} On single-bevel skewed knives the side of the blade that is bevelled dictates whether the knife is for left-handed or right-handed use, while single-bevel spear point knives are suited to both.{{Cite web|date=2013-01-24|title=Spear-point Marking Knives|url=https://www.popularwoodworking.com/tools/spear-point-marking-knives/|access-date=2020-11-07|website=Popular Woodworking Magazine|language=en-US}}
Some marking knives incorporate a marking knife blade at one end, and a scratch awl tip at the other end – but because of this they are sometimes considered dangerous to use.
Marking knives are either made from a single piece of steel, or additionally have a handle made of wood or plastic.
Some woodworkers make their own marking knives, for example from spade bits or planer blades.{{Cite web|last=Liberman|first=Yoav|date=2013-09-30|title=Making a marking knife from an old planer blade - part 1|url=https://www.popularwoodworking.com/american-woodworker-blog/making-a-marking-knife-from-an-old-planer-blade-part-1/|access-date=2020-11-06|website=Popular Woodworking Magazine|language=en-US}}{{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/76871452|title=Hand tool essentials: refine your power tool projects with hand tool techniques|publisher=Popular Woodworking Books|year=2007|isbn=978-1-55870-815-0|editor-last=Thiel|editor-first=David|edition=1st|location=Cincinnati, Ohio, USA|pages=174–179|oclc=76871452}}{{Rp|179}}
Use
Marking knives are usually held like a pencil, and are guided using a straightedge or square.{{Rp|175}} Sometimes woodworkers will gently run a sharp pencil along the line afterwards to make it more visible.
Marking knives are sharpened in a similar manner to chisels or other bladed tools – using sharpening stones, files or sandpaper.
Shirabiki
A shirabiki is a Japanese marking knife made from a single piece of steel with a skewed single-bevel blade.
A double-bladed shirabiki is used for marking parallel lines. They are made with two parallel blades and a thumbscrew for adjusting the distance between the blades.{{Cite book|last=Ōdate|first=Toshio|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/38286556|title=Japanese woodworking tools : their tradition, spirit, and use|publisher=Linden Publishing|year=1998|isbn=0-941936-46-5|edition=1st Linden Publishing|location=Fresno, California|pages=29–30|oclc=38286556|author-link=Toshio Odate}}
Gallery
File:Markingknife.jpg|Marking knife with a skewed blade, made from a spade bit.
File:Cc&j-fig2--combined marking awl and striking knife.png|Combination marking knife and scratch awl
File:Shirabiki.jpg|Japanese shirabiki marking knife.
See also
References
{{reflist}}{{Woodworking}}{{Knives}}