Lacasse Fine Wood Products Inc. search our site

KNIFE MAKING
Brian Kirkness, Alberta ON

 

buckeye burl for knife making According to Brian, the first step is to start with some really amazing pieces of wood.

Brian has used anything from the buckeye burl scales that you see in the photo on the left, to macassar and gaboon ebony, zirocote and even the highly sought after and expensive thuya and amboyna burls.

He uses a vacuum pump and minwax™ wood hardner to stabilize any wood that hasn't come to him with some pre-treatment.

The next step is to either make or buy the tool steel. Brian is kind of lucky because his brother owns an oven that can temper any of the knives that he creates.

I found it quite interesting to learn that the actual tool steel can be as plain or as expensive as you desire. I thought you only had to worry about the shape and length but there is an entire science around a metal's composition, how its handled and the tempering process.

He introduced me to the wonderful world of Damascus steel. A tool steel that is created in layers (see the picture below) in the same way that you make french pastry. It gets hammered and folded repeatedly and then when you grind out the bevels, the various layers are revealed below and create a wonderful pattern.

According to Wikipedia the patterns are created "when carbon trace elements form visible swirls in the steel mix"

enjoy his pictures...

 

handmade hunting knifeDamascus Steel on handmade knife
custom made hunting knife custom made knife

 

If this is something that might be of interest to you as a hobby you may want to start with this website: The Canadian Knife Makers Guild

 

For More Information...

Craftwood: if you would like to see what types of wood we carry in stock

Contact US

 

 

Save to:    Delicio: Save to your favourties    Technorati: Save to Your Favourites    MyYahoo: Save to MY Web    FURL this Website    Netscape:Add to Favorites