Chinese chef knife

[Screwdriver]

Been a bit ill so firsttime in the shed for a while. This is as far as I got.

Though my new bandsaw blade turned up so I excitedly resawed my first test piece of cherry plum...

Amazing how many slices I got out of one half of the smallest piece I have!

Photos don't do it justice.

Amazing figure, great colour and I suddenly feel out of my depth. I want to do this justice and I assume the figure and patterning, swirly colour etc. will all just "pop out" when it is shaped and polished. But there must be an art to slicing up stock like this. More of a skill or "black art" I guess which I currently do not posess.

All I am looking to do is try to rid the raw stock of some of the splits which occurred during drying. That and get the best possible "face" for the patterning this stuff has in spades. Yes quarter sawn blah blah but is that the best type of cut for this particular stock...

Normally I would be uhmming and ahing about this ad infinitum but at least I'm getting on with it. I may baulk at some of the larger more valuable pieces. Hopefully a master carpenter will chip in (sorry) or I may even discover how it should be done by trail and error...

Apparently even the offcuts and trimmings are good for smokers.

 

[h-dom]

If you want to rid it of the splits and cavities now you've cut it (if there are any, I can't actually see any even zoomed in) then it will need stabilising, but the proper stuff isn't cheap.

I would test sand a block and polish it up and see what it looks like.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Been a bit ill....

Hope you're completely over whatever it was, this is not a good time to be carrying an unresolved 'lurgy' into Winter.

As for the scales, I'd not worry too much about your work - have you seen the abortions some of the contestants on 'Forged in Fire' turn it to the judges? I'm no wood-botherer but I reckon I could make a better stab (sorry) at it. Keep up the good work.

 

[Screwdriver]

Hope you're completely over whatever it was, this is not a good time to be carrying an unresolved 'lurgy' into Winter.

As for the scales, I'd not worry too much about your work - have you seen the abortions some of the contestants on 'Forged in Fire' turn it to the judges? I'm no wood-botherer but I reckon I could make a better stab (sorry) at it. Keep up the good work.

It's a long story. An horrific side effect (viral infection) after a lifechanging "boom or bust" medication to sort out a chronic illness I have been carrying for years/decades. It "worked" spectacularly too, until I became ill from the side effects of wiping out my immune system! Anyhow. Not sure if this forum really needs another "back story" though there are a few on here (with you among them) I'd be more than happy to share the news with.

I love forged in fire but be in no doubt, there are some seriously good knifemakers on there who simply cannot operate under the pressure of a TV show. Having said that, I do sit there shouting at the telly: "Don't do it! Don't do it!" then of course they go and do it anyway.

The funniest part is spotting the "B roll" where the judges pontificate on the "potential outcome" of an action when you know damned well the they've already seen the result and they'll just time shift those predictions in post production for the show.

I am less worried about making some decent handles out of this stock than I am about possibly wasting this precious material due to my ignorance in managing relatively fresh lumber. It is a learning curve though and great fun.

 

[Screwdriver]

Well this particular project is a bit of a write-off. I can make the thing fearsomely sharp but it does not keep an edge. Also, it is not a suitable material for foodstuffs. I chopped a few mushrooms and the steel went black...

So the pressure was off but it since it did come in dead handy for cutting foam blocks, I'm finishing it off anyway..

Needed some 5.5mm brass pins.

That amount of stickout was bound to turn a small taper which was perfect for this application so long as I bang them in the right way!

I had prepared a few blanks from my precious plum cherry so I used one of those. Drilled 5mm holes through the blade first then duplicated onto part 2.

I "finished" the front of each handle scale where it runs into the blade because it would be tricky after fitting.

Line up ok, epoxy time...

So that's it, done for the night. Had a bit of a 'mare with the glue going off within seconds(!), dropped one of the pins at a crucial moment and scrabbled around like a madman trying to find it in time. Then issues with holding the goopy mess together while trying to hammer in those tight pins.

But it got there and I look forwards to finishing this off tomorrow. I will definitely be making another one but from genuine knife stock. Looking for something in the 1-2mm thickness range so if anyone has any recommendations, I'm all ears. Needs to be supplied annealed because such a wide bevel is really tricky to grind and sand. Plus it gest super hot and the edge super thin.

For anyone waiting for me to do them a knife, now is the time. I'm back in the shed, doing it!

 

[Onoff]

It's a long story. An horrific side effect (viral infection) after a lifechanging "boom or bust" medication to sort out a chronic illness I have been carrying for years/decades.

My mate was cured of Hepatitis C...

 

[Screwdriver]

My mate was cured of Hepatitis C...

Glad to hear it, sadly mine is incurable. MS or sarcoidosis, jury is still out.

I suddenly realise I had better crack on with all those “things to do”. “Tempus fugit”.

 

[Onoff]

Not sure if this forum really needs another "back story" though there are a few on here (with you among them) I'd be more than happy to share the news with.

If ever there was a "a man barely alive / we can rebuild him" forum, surely this is it?

 

[Screwdriver]

Meh. Nobody gets out alive….

I’m still fit as a fiddle and I know there is a treatment that will help (corticosteroids) but the side effects are horrendous.

Think I’ll just crack on with the shed and get that infinitely long list of things to do, done.

 

[Screwdriver]

Well it's sort of done...

I mean look at that amazing grain from my home grown Cherry Plum stock. Amazing yes but also no.

It has a flaw, a shake, call it what you will it's right on the handle edge and because the scales are bookmarked, it's on both edges. It doesn't hugey matter because this is a prototype (I have decided) and I have ordered up some O1 tool steel for the main event.

So this is as good as it gets.

Though I might experiment with finishes...

 

[Onoff]

I'm in awe of your chopper!

 

[Maker]

That looks great. Shame it's no good for food, hopefully the next one will be suitable.

I had a go at making one over Christmas from a piece of 1/16" thick O1. Unfortunately I couldn't harden it, I don't think I was getting it hot enough, I'll have to get a bigger torch and have another go. I also didn't put nearly as much effort into finishing it as you did, so it's full of scratches.

It looks like this picture of it in my very professional bevel filing fixture is the only picture I have.

 

[Screwdriver]

Well I assume O1 is food safe, I haven’t actually looked yet!

It is a devil of a job to grind a two inch bevel into a four inch blade and finishing it is a real chore. Worth I thought because I really think it will get me into the kitchen chopping actual food and not preparing processed tat.

I can barely resist playing with this one but it has revealed a number of issue with this size of blade so I am hoping the next one will be much better. I’ll also make sure I select some better examples of cherry plum for the scales. I actually chose these pieces because I didn’t want to use my best….


<edit> Google says yes. O1 is a very good steel for kitchen knives. ’Course I knew that all along really.

 

[Maker]

I think O1 will still blacken, you'll need something stainless-y to keep from discolouring, but as long as you wash and dry it after each use it shouldn't rust. I don't think it would be dangerous, or leach anything into the food, the knife just won't be as shiny as your G2.

If I manage to harden mine, I'm making the scales from Tufnol for a bit of engineering geek factor.

 

[Dcal]

Most of my knives are carbon steel, some I've had for over 35 years and as as good a new (well almost they are a bit smaller from sharpening)
I'm by no means fastidious, but if you clean them after use and keep them out of the dishwasher they will be fine.

Scotchbrite is your friend for the times you don't.

 

[h-dom]

A carbon steel kitchen knife won't stay shiny for long, just let it develop a patina and it will be fine.

 

[rosinante]

Here's our Chinese chopper, been using it for 25 years, it's not at all hard, sharpens easily with a smooth file, cuts all you comestibles easily