Crisp lines. Clean corners. A spear-point marking knife with a flat back that doubles as a chisel, in your choice of two knife steels.
★★★★★ More than 500 in woodworkers' shops. Every review: five stars.
Spear point marks in either direction and reaches tight spots, like between dovetail pins
Flat, surface-ground back rides your square and pares half-blind dovetail corners
No handle, on purpose: it lies flat in tight spaces and clamps in a standard honing guide
Solid 1/8" steel won't flex off the line; highly rust resistant in either steel
Precision machined, heat treated, surface ground and hand sharpened in Erie, Pennsylvania, from American and Swedish knife steel. Arrives sharp, with a handmade leather sheath.
★★★★★ "I have many others that I have bought over the years… This is by far my favorite marking knife." — Peter L.P.
✓ Full-year money-back guarantee. If you’re not happy with it for any reason, send it back within a year for a full refund. Return shipping included in the US.
Order two or more marking knives or plane blades and tool chest pricing applies automatically in your cart. It gets better at four.
Which steel is right for me?
Both take a very keen edge. The real choice is how you like to sharpen.
14C28N $140
CPM MagnaCut $160
Edge life
Long
Much longer
Sharpening
Quick on any stone
Takes longer; diamonds recommended
Toughness
Very high
High
Hardness
Rockwell C 60
Rockwell C 62
Steel made in
Sweden (Sandvik)
USA
Choose it if
You sharpen on water or oil stones and like quick touch-ups
You already use diamond plates and want to sharpen rarely
Both steels are cryogenically treated and double tempered. Before settling on these two, I made test knives in O1, A2, 1095 and CPM-3V.
Specs
Size
1/8" thick x 5/8" wide x 5-7/8" long
Steel
Sandvik 14C28N at Rockwell C 60, or CPM MagnaCut at Rockwell C 62. Both cryogenically treated and double tempered.
Point
Spear point, fully symmetrical, so it marks in either direction and works the same for left-handers
Back
Surface ground flat, for registering against a square and paring like a chisel
Finish
Satin, for just the right amount of grip
Edges
Variable-width chamfers top and bottom, so it’s easy to pick up
Holes
Two, countersunk both sides: one to hang it up, one as a thumb and finger grip
Handle
None, on purpose: it lies flat in tight spaces, you grip it near the edge for control, and it fits a standard honing guide
Sheath
Vegetable-tanned leather, made in house with hammered copper rivets
Engraving options
Choose Clean (logo only) or one of four patterns: Checkered, Turtle Power, Dragon Scale or Memento Mori. Patterns can go on the top face only or on both faces, same price. The photos show each pattern.
Limited editions are numbered, made once and then retired for good. One run so far, Very Small Rocks, 50 made, all sold. See the Limited Edition Registry →
Sharpening
Clamp the knife in a honing guide (the Veritas Mk.II works well), hone each side of the spear point, then remove the burr on the flat back with a few light strokes on your finest stone. 14C28N comes back quickly on any stone; MagnaCut is best on diamond plates.
Video review
Shawn Graham of Wortheffort Woodworking puts the knife through its paces:
Veritas is a trademark of its owner. Lake Erie Toolworks is not affiliated with or endorsed by Veritas.
“Hi Nick,
The plane blades arrived today, and just wanted to say how happy I am with them. It has been well worth the wait!
The blades are also the flattest I've ever experienced. Almost no effort to get the back polished and the edge sharp. The care and attention to detail really shows.
The blades take on a great edge and take beautiful fine shavings - and I'm looking forward to having to sharpen less :-)
Thanks again!”
John G.
New Zealand
“Nick is the wood-machining genius behind Lake Erie Toolworks, which makes stunning wooden-thread vises. I have installed dozens of his vises on benches and have one on my Roubo. Nick’s wooden screws are the best – better than even the best vintage screws I’ve encountered.”
“Howdy. Love the blade I picked up a couple months ago. Best on the market, that’s no BS.
I don’t think I’ve used a different blade in my 51 since getting one. When it dulls I sharpen it on the spot over swapping in an A2 because they chip/leave marks on end grain so quickly. It’s crazy how much better these hold an edge.”
Patrick B.
“I'm really enjoying the replacement blade that you sent for my L.N. 102. It cut cherry end grain beautifully. I shall be ordering about 7 or so replacement bench plane blades from your company soon.”
Chris M.
"I don't think it would be physically possible to do cleaner work than what Nick has pulled off. These screws are a work of craftsmanship of the highest order."
Jameel Abraham
“I have received the screws and they are awesome!!! I spend most of my time just winding them in and out.”
Ryan B.
Australia
“I really enjoy the irons, I've tried many different brands for makers of new ones and yours are by far my favorite and the top performers.”
Andrew M.
“Just got the Magnacut sharpened in in my Lie Nielsen 5 1/2. Wonderful blade, I used a Shapton 16000 to get the edge and tertiary bevel. Shavings are thin and transparent from Cedar, walnut and oak. Good job on the metal."
Christopher G.
“Hello Nick,
The 2 basic kits I received yesterday are akin to functional art. Material and workmanship are of the highest quality. Until one sees in person what you do, they are missing out on the full experience. I am very pleased and again say a hearty "thanks".
I have looked both units over and easily see the quality in your choice of materials, the workmanship, and how they interface. I read the specs and compared your look to the competitions many times before deciding. I really was not prepared for how massive they are and how finely made they are compared to what I expected.
All the best for you and your business.”
Rick M
“Hi Nick just wanted to share my thoughts on the blades. Very tough blades. I really appreciate the quality of the grind on the backs. I’ve been using the blade for my LN #4 all week it’s holding up very well. I have a Tormek with a black stone was surprised how fast it cut a hollow. I use Shaptons for cambering my 12k grit yellow finishing stone did have a little trouble cutting. CPM is tough!
I found no chipping of the edge so that makes me a happy customer.”
Andy H
"The best screw I've ever seen. This is it. This is how you clamp wood - It works. Why would you want anything else?"
I recently purchased the MagnaCut marking knife from Erie Lake Toolworks. The marking knife is a beautiful tool that I’m sure will last for generations to come. I haven’t used the marking knife on a project yet but gave it a test run and love the feel and quality of the tool. After placing my order I contacted Nick with a question about my order and couldn’t believe how quickly he responded.
Kit arrived well packaged. Pieces were wrapped in heavy-duty air cushion film. Wood is clean, straight-grained. Grooves and threads are machined with great precision, smooth surfaces, no torn fibers. Using it with a shop-made brass garter. Clamps securely with moderate torque (18" handle, white oak jaws). Also put some paraffin on the threads to get absolutely smooth action.
I originally bought one for my Lie-Nielsen #51 shooting plane. Besides taking and holding an extremely sharp edge, the MagnaCut chips significantly less than the factory A2 blade. The MagnaCut edge lasts at least 3 times longer than the A2 in the hard and abrasive woods that I use. I liked the first one so much I went back and bought several more. I use a diamond plate for restoring a chipped edge and Shapton GlassStones for honing and polishing. The Shaptons are slower, but they do work.
