Making your own custom Marking Knife for fun!
Howdy Yawl! Royce from Hill Country CNC & Woodworking with a small project I had been sitting on for about 6 months! I bought this Marking Knife kit from Taylor Toolworks a while back and just thought it would be a fun one day project. Other than the humidity is South Texas the day I made it… it was!
Here you will find my written steps on how I made it AND a video for people with a short attention span (like me). Hope you enjoy.
What is a Marking Knife for?
First off, I wanted to answer this one for anybody out there that is new to woodworking.
What the heck do you do with a Marking Knife?
A woodworking marking knife is a specialized tool used in woodworking for precisely marking lines on wood. Unlike pencils or pens, marking knives create a very fine and accurate line that can serve as a guide for cutting or other woodworking operations. They are particularly useful for tasks like layout work, joinery, and marking out precise measurements for cuts. The sharp point of the knife allows woodworkers to scribe lines directly onto the wood fibers, ensuring accuracy and minimizing the risk of tear-out when cutting. Overall, marking knives are essential for achieving precision and quality in woodworking projects.
Where did you buy the Kit?
I buy a lot of my tools from a business called Taylor Toolworks. They are generally inexpensive and have great discounts and benefits.
This is the LINK to the Mikov Unhandled Thin Blade Dual Bevel Marking Knife Kit with Finger Indents 0.060″ Thick Blade.
Always worth adding, as an affilate marketer, you should know that I make money from SOME of the links on my blog. This is not one of them! Taylor Toolworks does not sponsor me in ANY way. I just like them because they have great products.
Steps for making your Marking Knife!
- Choose your handle material.
- Measure the handle length.
- Dimension the handle material to the desired thickness.
- Square one end of the handle material.
- Use a measuring device (calipers) to measure the length handle material needed.
- Mark the material.
- Cut the handle material to length, cutting on the outside of the marked line.
- Flush the marking knife in your bandsaw to get the exact width, then add 1/8″ for material to be removed by sanding.
- Cut two strips of the handle material lengthwise.
- Glue one side of the handle material on using CA glue. Let fully dry.
- Flip the blade/handle combo over and drill out the two holes using the knife holes as a pilot.
- Glue on the other side of the marking knife handle.
- Flip it again and use the holes now on the marking knife handle to guide the drill bit and create those two holes.
- Punch the two brass pins through the holes and then lightly “knurl” them for expansion.
- Saw off the remaining pins.
- Add a roundover to the edges, if desired.
- Sand the handle until the pins are smooth and you have achieved the contour on the handle you desire.
- Add some finish (I used Walrus Oil) and you are all set!
Make sure to check out the rest of my website and blog! My store has many of the common items I personally use and the WHY behind it.
Have a great one!
Royce
Hill Country CNC & Woodworking is an affiliate marketing business, but it is one with ethics and morals. We only promote the items that we use in our daily business. Let’s help each other! I will give you my experience (and discounts sometimes) and you can help me grow.
