Knives, Scalpels & Awls

Marking knives cut a fine, permanent line into timber that no pencil can match, giving you a true registration point for a chisel edge, saw tooth or plane iron. Where a pencil mark has width and can drift under a straightedge, a knife line has a single wall to work to, so joints close tighter and layout stays accurate through repeated handling.

The range spans traditional western marking knives in O1 tool steel, hand-forged Japanese blades in white paper steel, and the awls and scribes used for setting hinge screws, starting pilot holes and scratching lines where a knife edge would be too coarse. Matthias Fenner's German-made awls and knives pair O1 steel with walnut and brass handles, while the Okeya, Kasaya, Kensaki and Shibano knives bring traditional Japanese blade geometry and steel to marking out.

Scalpels and centre punches round out the selection for jobs where a replaceable blade or a struck mark suits the task better than a fixed knife edge, from trimming veneer to setting drill points before boring.

• Western marking knives - Ashley Iles O1 steel, Marples rosewood and Narex knives for general bench work
• Japanese marking knives - Kasaya, Okeya white paper steel, Kensaki and Shibano spear point knives, plus the Quangsheng Luban set and T10 knife
• Marking and scribing awls - Matthias Fenner walnut and brass range, Narex conical scratch awl and Shinwa needle scribe
• Scalpels and centre punches - Swann-Morton blades and scalpel handles, with Starrett and Shogun automatic and manual centre punches

Browse the full selection of marking knives, awls, scalpels and punches below to find the right tool for your next layout job.