Crooked Knife?

[Philbert]

Anyone make or use a crooked knife for carving?

I see ‘hoof knives’ for sale, for under $20. ‘Crooked knives’ seem to go for $100+ (!).

Was thinking of making one out of an old kitchen knife, but would prefer to find a decent, basic one for a reasonable price.

Advice and experience welcomed!

Thanks.

Philbert

 

[Ketchup]

I have several hook knives for spoon bowls and concavities.

Mora Hook Knife

Master the art of spoon and bowl carving with the Mora Hook Knife, a precision tool designed for left-hand use that elevates your woodworking projects to new heights. Key Features: Overall Length: 6-1/2 inches Blade Length: 2-1/8 inches Blade Thickness: 1/16 inch Stainless steel, single-edged...

www.sheltertools.com

Mora makes pretty good carving tools. Not fancy but useful.

 

[Philbert]

Looking for something more like these, for carving canoe paddles, etc., along with a drawknife, spokeshave, etc.



Philbert

 

[SimonHS]

Anyone make or use a crooked knife for carving?

I see ‘hoof knives’ for sale, for under $20. ‘Crooked knives’ seem to go for $100+ (!).

Was thinking of making one out of an old kitchen knife, but would prefer to find a decent, basic one for a reasonable price.

Advice and experience welcomed!

Thanks.

Philbert

I had a look at a few over here. They are cheaper - until you add on postage and import duty.

You might be better off making your own. Then you can size and fit the handle to your own hand. Will be cheaper than buying one.

The Crooked Knife - Wild Human

The Crooked Knife: A weekend making a traditional crooked knife and chip carving blade. “I used to use a two-handed drawknife. That goddamned thing. You’ve got to use a vice to hold the work. With the crooked knife, I can work in the woods if I want. It almost feels as if it’s part of […]

www.wildhuman.com

You've probably seen this website? It references canoes at the bottom of the page.

CrookedKnives.com - All about the Crooked Knife

Another good resource:

Crooked Knife 101 | The Story And Art Of

Want to know all about the Crooked Knife? Here is the real history of the " Man's indispensable knife of the North"

www.thestoryandartofthecrookedknife.com

 

[Philbert]

Thanks.

I’ll look through those sites.

Philbert

 

[Philbert]

UPDATE:

These are a couple of hoof knives that I picked up from that mail order place named after a large river in South America.

I brought them to a paddle making class at a wood shop just to play with them.


The photo shows a young woman grasping one with a non-standard grip.


Definitely carved easier in soft wood. I have to learn how to sharpen these curved edges.

Philbert

 

[singinwoodwackr]

Looking for something more like these, for carving canoe paddles, etc., along with a drawknife, spokeshave, etc.

View attachment 465489

Philbert

Looks like garage sale hunting, a torch, plyers and a can of cooling oil is in your future.

 

[Philbert]

Looks like garage sale hunting, a torch, plyers and a can of cooling oil is in your future.

Making a crooked knife was described in one of the canoe paddle building books.

Of course, that is how the original ones were created.

But I have enough hobbies right now!

Definitely keeping an eye out at estate sales. Experimenting with the premade ones to see if I even like them.

Philbert

 

[blades]

I make knives out of old circular saws every so often . The metal is a high chromium content. you can cut it and file it easily with hand tools but the least amount of heat generated say from drill bit or a grinder will make that area harder than a file. Even a carbide bit will not cut it . it can be bent cold. put your edge on it then a light pass with a propane torch on the cutting edge - hone to a razor and will hold for very long time. To make rivet holes I just turn a standard drill bit by hand in the drill press or milling machine.

 

[Philbert]

I make knives out of old circular saws every so often .

Thanks. That’s very helpful.

I was thinking about converting old kitchen knives from garage sales. Re-shaping the blades and handles.

Philbert

 

[Junk Meister]

I make knives out of old circular saws every so often . The metal is a high chromium content. you can cut it and file it easily with hand tools but the least amount of heat generated say from drill bit or a grinder will make that area harder than a file. Even a carbide bit will not cut it . it can be bent cold. put your edge on it then a light pass with a propane torch on the cutting edge - hone to a razor and will hold for very long time. To make rivet holes I just turn a standard drill bit by hand in the drill press or milling machine.

I have a few buzz/cordwood saw blades (20" to 30" diameter) that are cracked.. I am thinking about grinding/scoring a line and see how they break/snap in a press. Any insight on how you do it and if this steel works for you?

 

[Philbert]

I have a few buzz/cordwood saw blades (20" to 30" diameter) that are cracked..

Ooooh! Really large bandsaw blade (like those used on mills) might be a good option!

I am sure that there are better alloys to use, guven a choice, but I’m also confident that indigenous people, and folks with limited options, have made satisfactory knives out of much less.

Now I gotta find guys with bandsaw mills and scrounge some short scraps!

Philbert

 

[blades]

Band mill blades are about .063 thick, then it depends on the particular type , hard edge flex back, hard edge hard back ( spring steel on both of these) bi metal - hard back with a tool steel edge welded on . Variations of metallurgy between different brands. Never made a knife from bandsaw material too flexible for my use. Made a bunch of cabinet scrapers though which mostly are under 6" in length.

 

[blades]

BIg Old buzz saw blades get work hardened ( not to mention excessive heat which also hardens the steel, if run dull) at this point they get brittle and then crack. typically at a gullet. The fix in olden times was to drill a hole at the bottom of the crack to stop its progression - sometimes worked other time the blade would just explode from centrifugal force. blades are tension-ed from the center out to run true- it is an art in itself. Went to classes on that in MN.. Have a set of hammers specific to this. I got pretty good at annealing the top third of a tooth so as to be able to swag/ set and file. I haven't had any in for sharpening in more than 10 years now. Inserted tooth and carbide tip have pretty much taken over the market. You could try scoring the blade with a cutoff wheel. Me, I just cut out out what I need on a slow speed band saw. ( can all most count the teeth as the blade travels around the wheels )

 

[mainer_in_ak]

Making a crooked knife was described in one of the canoe paddle building books.

Of course, that is how the original ones were created.

But I have enough hobbies right now!

Definitely keeping an eye out at estate sales. Experimenting with the premade ones to see if I even like them.

Philbert

Yep, u can build an entire birch canoe with just a crooked knife l, an axe and some wooden wedges.

Besides cutting on my stands of spruce n birch, im a canoe builder by trade. When I need a big piece of equipment that I cant afford, like an AM Machinery log grapple etc, I build a canoe. When wood prices tank, its a good little money maker.

Some basketmakers from my tribe were forging crooked knives for a very long time. Very handy for shaping splints and hoops for pack baskets.

Ill try to find a picture of them old crooked knives In a book about all those old basket makers. Wait one.

 

[Fleethirte]

I make knives out of old circular saws every so often . The metal is a high chromium content. you can cut it and file it easily with hand tools but the least amount of heat generated say from drill bit or a grinder will make that area harder than a file. Even a carbide bit will not cut it . it can be bent cold. put your edge on it then a light pass with a propane torch on the cutting edge - hone to a razor and will hold for very long time. To make rivet holes I just turn a standard drill bit by hand in the drill press or milling machine.

any pictures of said knives?