A little while ago I posted a picture of the little knife I was using for carving as I walk the dog.
I mentioned that I had a few issues with it and I was looking to improve it. Well, I’ve definitely improved on it but not in the way I originally thought.
I’ve resurrected a knife I ground from an old file when I was about 18, I’m 50 now so that’ll give you some idea of how old this blade is.
The blade itself is fairly traditional in shape, it has a flat grind with a convex secondary bevel and is oh so sharp!
I’ve glued some wooden scales on and tapered the handle down a little. The handle scales are there as a bit of a tryout really I will gradually shape them and get them to the shape I find most comfortable to use.
I’ve roughed out a birch bark blade cover that is glued inside the sheath that I’ve further bound with cord. The cord also gives me a retaining loop for the knife. As I don’t currently have the time for stitching and the like the sheath is simply leather wrapped around and glued to the birch bark liner.
I have to say the birch bark was a dream to work with, this is the first time for me.
The whole thing, knife and sheath isn’t much more than 100mm (4 inches) long and fits nicely in a pocket.
So far it carves beautifully, I simply don’t know why it’s been lying, neglected in the bottom of one of my boxes for the last 20 years.
This knife still isn’t quite what I want in terms of shape but is certainly a lot nicer to carve with than my other pocket carvers. I think I need to sit down with it and decide what features I want to keep and what to lose for my next one.
Carved by Trev 