How to Forge a Drawknife

Make and light a small campfire. Once it is burning well, place the old metal file directly into the coals and allow it to become orange to red hot. Once this color has developed, let the fire burn out naturally and then collect the file from the ashes once cooled to room temperature. It is best to allow the fire to burn out overnight before trying to retrieve the file. The slow cooling process softens the metal in the file, which will make it easier to form later.

Mark off the section of the file you will shape into the blade, as well as the sections on either end you will shape into the handles. Try to leave at least 3 inches on either end that will later be pounded round and bent into handles.

Use a grinding stone to grind down the blade section while leaving the marked off handles alone. Drawknives incorporate a chisel bevel on their blades, which means that you should use the grinding wheel to grind down only the top edge of the blade, leaving the bottom straight and flat. This helps during use, to keep the user from cutting too deep into their project.

Light and place your file into a forge. Remove the file once red to yellow hot in hue using a pair of tongs. Holding the file in the center, pound the handle ends with a hammer against an anvil. Constantly turning and hitting the ends with your sledge will round out the ends allowing you to shape your handles from the flat file. Continue doing this until you have formed suitable handles. Some users prefer handles in line with the blade, while others prefer handles that are bent in front of the blade. Experiment with the different surfaces on the anvil, including the horn, to develop the desired amount of curvature to your handles.

Reheat the file once the desired shape has been formed. The file should again be brought to a temperature where a red to yellow hue has been attained. Once this temperature has been met, remove the knife from the forge using your tongs, then quickly submerse it into a bucket containing old motor oil. This rapid cooling of the steel will harden it, which will help it to keeps its sharpened edge.

Clamp the knife to a fixed surface and sharpen the edge using a fine grit file in a circular motion across the edge of the blade. You may also now want to cover the handles using a thin rope wrapped around them, or improvise wooden handles on either end.