The MaChris No 1 ....Arrives.

The collaboration between myself and Chris Grant has culminated with this beautiful and practical carving knife.

Chris Grant has surpassed himself with a skilfully crafted knife.

The story of the knife

Chris had seen me mulling over a Japanese laminated axe & asked if I had ever used a Japanese laminated blade or knife. Coincidentally, Chris had just made a blade from an off cut, and had seen that I had made my own knife before..... 

We briefly discussed this blade before deciding to design something from scratch, as I had specific ideas/specs that I wanted to realise. Also at this point Chris decided to put the handle on the knife as a complete job so it would be ready to use. I supplied Chris with a pre-fab knife blade in cardboard, as well as a roughed out handle blank. 

The brief of the knife: 

•  The main design feature worth noting is the tapering point, this was designed specifically for chip carving. 

• Approx 3mm thick blade, not too wide to hinder carving, not too thin to be uncomfortable when thumb pressure is applied.

• Simple carbon steel for the blade; easy to sharpen, tough and capable of a fine edge.

• A strong, narrowed tang to allow for the pressure of power cuts. 

• A well designed one-piece warm wooden handle.   

Details:

• The prototype was made in laminated CS80, but needed refining, another version was made in laminated shiro gami 2 (white steel) for comparison purposes. Chris hopes one day to finish both these knives, so a full comparison can be made.

• The first full working knife was made from 15N20, band saw steel, with  2% nickel, very sharp, with great toughness, it was decided that this  would be an ideal steel for a blade with a very fine tip.

• The blade was heat treated in a computer controlled furnace, to ensure maximum performance from the steel and then quenched in reclaimed whale oil. 

• Jon carved the final handle himself, to ensure that it  would be exactly as he wished.

•  The blade was secured in the handle with super strong two part JB weld  epoxy.To finish the handling, the tang was peened over the end of the  handle.

• The sheath was made to be hung on a shoulder sling, but can adapt to  belt carry. The sheath is stitched with two rows of thread with an extra  thick welt  8mm to allow for the blade's sharpness &  fine point.

 Specs:

Overall length: 230 mm

Handle length: 127 mm 

Blade length: 100 mm

Blade thickness: 3mm

• Sheath: Oil tanned leather, sealed with beeswax & gum traganth, sewn with white waxed linen..

Handle: Hand carved Birch with Walnut ferrule.

 Visit

.http://www.makemethischris.co.uk/

For contact details.

And view his Photobucket for more examples of his work...

http://s725.photobucket.com/home/makemethischris

Coming soon....

The Bushcraft version of the MaChris....

ENJOY...

The MaChris Number one....

Coming soon...

Full review and photographs...

I have been collaborating closely with Christopher Grant 'Bladesmith' on a new wood carving knife.

We have for the last four months or so been passing prototype handles and blades from workshop to workshop.

Between us we have designed blade and handle for fast removal of waste wood and the important capability of fine carving, in one knife.

Christopher Grant's mark...

Find more of Christophe's work here

 Enjoy...

Spoon Carving First Steps Coffee Spoon

I spent yesterday sat under the Golden Ash making this spoon for a friend of mine in Scotland. I will trade it for some hand spun and naturally dyed wool. Sarah, my partner, is an avid knitter, and will thoroughly enjoy knitting with such special wool. This spoon is carved, from Birch, to fit into a coffee jar. It is under five inches long and has been made to hold precisely seven grams of good coffee... 

I fitted the spoon with a leather thong finished with a splendid little knot  that an old friend of mine taught me some years ago...

I hope she likes her new spoon...

ENJOY...J

Friction Firelighting...

I have had a spate of enquiries for friction fire lighting courses recently, perhaps people are preparing for the cooler months. You need very little to make fire:- dry sticks, cord and a sharp edge tool. The edge tool need not be anything more than a piece of flint or glass. The cord can be a boot lace or perhaps hand made nettle cordage. The type of wood needed is commonly found in the hedgerow:-  Hazel, Birch, Sycamore, Maple and Willow to name a few. These trees are common here, there are others you can use...

You will need to make a kit up like this either from wood you have seasoned yourself, dead standing or hanging dry wood you might see in the forest...

 

On the left of the picture is the drill, to the right of that is the bearing block, then above that is a small sliver of wood to catch the ember, then the bow and finally the hearth. It is best if the hearth and drill are made from the same wood, preferably the same branch. The bearing block can be made from any good tough hard wood, this one is made from Oak...

One end of the drill needs to be carved almost flat to increase friction...

The other end pointed to decrease friction...

 

The length of the drill is about a hand span or longer, as I have quite large hands...

And the width of the drill is about the same as your thumb...

Your hearth needs to be about as deep as your little finger...

And you will need to carve a depression in it to accommodate the drill...

You will need to condition the hearth by drilling into the depression you made and seating the drill...

 This is the way to lace up the bow and drill... with the drill situated on the outer side of the cord...

Put a little green matter into the hole in the bearing block to act as a lubricant...

Take this upright stance, bracing your left hand, holding the bearing block, against your right shin...

And apply downward pressure whilst bowing with your right hand fore and aft Before long the drill will smoke and sit snugly into the depression, it will look like this...

Next carefully chop an eighth slot into the depression, this is important as it is the device that catches and gathers up all the fine hot coal you will shortly produce...

Pop the little ember catcher under the hearth, load up the bow, and carefully, and without wobbling or squeaking, bow. After some time the hearth will produce smoke that will eventually thicken. Carry on for a few more bows and stop. Carefully remove the drill and let the coal coalesce...

No need to rush at this or any moment, catch your breath, with a small piece of dry twig, restrain the coal and roll the hearth away...

 

The coal...

As you can see here, my clients had previously prepared a bundle of dry grass and Birch bark to receive the precious coal...

Placing the coal into the bundle and gently blowing and encouraging fire...

A little more encouragement...

SUCCESS...!

They had a splendid time with tea and home made cake supplied by Sarah...

If you are interested in visiting us and learning about these and other skills then send an E mail to...

firststeps@thewood.eclipse.co.uk

ENJOY....