I have always done it with bevel up. I use a sheffield knife. I watched a friend flesh a beaver about a week ago and he turned the bevel down. He was using a 600 necker. Man was I surprised how easy that he made it look. I would like to hear yall debate this and give opinions. Thanks,,,Rickey

I always used bevel down, just like you use a drawing knife. First time I used a drawing knife in my uncles woodshop he almost laughed me off the place for using the bevel up. Just the way I learned.

bevel down. i had to experiment to figure that out though. works better for me. Actually, i think Uncle Nutoy had to tell me the bevel side was supposed to be down.

Hmm. Good post. I've been using bevel up. Maybe that's my problem with coon.

With a Boatbuilding and Cabinetmaking back ground all my life. I know how to use wood working tools.
But I use my fleshing knife with the bevel UP. Just works better for me.

bevel up never gave it a second thought.

In other words we are talking about the angle on the curved knife edge facing up or down? I use mine with the angle facing me or in other words up. I do not see how you could possibly scrape correctly with the angle facing the hide.
in my thoughts, the angle helps the meat and fat lift from the hide and start to slide up the blade. If the angle was facing the hide it looke to me like you would have a tendacy to always be biting into the hide. Also won't let the fat start to ride up on the blade.
I actually made the angle on my knife about twice as big as it was when I bought it from the factory. This helps the knife slip through the fat and gristle with less resistance.

I watched the Practical Fur Handling again, was having trouble with gristle on the neck of coons. Tom Osborne makes it look so easy on there so i watched the coon fleshing part again and finally caught on and listened to what he was saying. And it has to do with the angle that you hold your knife to the hide and not so much about bevel up or down, could be wrong I'am a greenhorn to this game only two years at it. But I went back to the dungin and tried it with the knife at 90 to the hide and the gristle came off better, that was bevel up. Then tried bevel down at a 90 to the hide and it even took the gristle off better yet. I also notice that I didn't have to keep fleshing the same area over and over it got all the gristle and fat off. It took everything off alot qiucker for me bevel down and at a 90 to the hide Hope this helps.

90 degrees to the hide, you mean perpendicular?? So you're scraping, not cutting the gristle?

Well y'all got me thinkin, when this arctic blast ends up I will have to play around on the beam with a coon.

For coon, going bevel down to make your starting cut on the membrane is all you need to do with the sharp side.

Going bevel up is more for when your trying to shave beaver or otter fat and meat.

If something eorks good for you then theirs no need in changing. the blade of my 700 is curved in such a way you couldent use the bevel up without gouging. If I really wanted to hump when I had a good back I could can flesh a beaver (not a monster or anything)in about 10 minutes so bevel down works best for me. Usually one slice with my knife takes everything down to the leather. To me a good SHARP knife means more than anything. That and knowing what angle to hold it at.

In woodworking bevel down with a chisel gives more control and better cutting. If you try to go bevel up it doesn't work so well. I believe the blade in a hand plane also goes bevel down. Maybe the same concept at work with pelts. I'll have to pull one of my coons out of deep freeze and give it a try.

Thats how I learned to use one edged bevel tools woofman, working in a woodshop. Worked in one off and on(uncles or dads) all my life. Tilting the blade on the bevel is how to adjust the depoth of the cut. So when I first used a fleshing knife I said to myself "Self, this thing is basically the same as a drawing knife, Ill use it like one"..thats what Ive done ever since. Which ever way is most comfortable and easiest to the individual is the way they should use it though.

You would think it would scrap the fat and gristle off with it perpendicular but it really cuts it off. If you can give it a try. I got a coon out of the freezer this morning and he is about ready to go. Like I said I watched Fur Handling and T.O. moves the blade angle alot for different areas and types of hides. Woofman thanks for teaching me how to spell that big word LOL

After reading Hal Sullivan insisting that bevel down was the proper method, I tried it. I could never make it work as good as bevel up.

Ha ha, no problem. Does anyone here use a straight razor? Aren't they also used at about 90 degrees to cut hair? Bevel down I would bet.

I tried this on a coon. Bevel down does cut better, I think. But I found myself switching back and forth trying to get the feel of my sheffield. I notice that Bob Jones uses his knife bevel up in his video. I watched him flesh a coon in about five minutes. looked like the flesh just scraped right off. It takes me about half an hour to do a worse job.