Last year I made a small kitchen utility knife to give to my dad for Christmas. He usually uses an old crummy serrated steak knife for everything, so I thought it would be cool to give him something that cuts much better. I'm pretty sure he only used it between zero to two times because he told me it was "too sharp". 
This year I made him a wooden knife that wouldn't be "too sharp" with the hope that he'd use it for cutting sandwiches, brownies, cake, or even open envelopes. I would've made a different design steel knife but been too busy at the paying job to even start one.
What I gave dad last Christmas (not very good, 3rd knife I ever made lol):
https://i.Rule #2/6UWdwpuh.jpg
Dad's Christmas gift knife v2.0:
https://i.Rule #2/XAOCit0h.jpg
Started as a 1/2 x 1 1/2 stick of red oak from the home improvement store:
https://i.Rule #2/j0r9S4Zh.jpg
After some hacksawing and belt grinding it's somewhat stabby shaped:
https://i.Rule #2/D7RB15Th.jpg
I got a little carried away and charred the handle with a propane torch then brushed it with a wire brush. Really grippy handle, probably will try this again if I make a hunting knife in the future.
https://i.Rule #2/BX2CZh1h.jpg
https://i.Rule #2/FyVhNvVh.jpg
I'm kinda in a rut on handle shape but honestly I really like how this coke bottle shape looks and feels in hand.
https://i.Rule #2/loZY0d2h.jpg
Oak is fairly open grained, so I wet sanded CA glue a bunch of times to seal the wood. It also helps to give the wood a little more durability.
https://i.Rule #2/dDe56aHh.jpg
If I could go back and do it over again, the one thing I'd change is to not char it so high up toward the blade. Otherwise I'm pretty happy how it came out. I'll probably make these regularly as a change of pace and to have some available inventory for my online store (which is totally empty now
).
https://i.Rule #2/o7BoCVjh.jpg
https://i.Rule #2/iFwkUCCh.jpg
This year I made him a wooden knife that wouldn't be "too sharp" with the hope that he'd use it for cutting sandwiches, brownies, cake, or even open envelopes. I would've made a different design steel knife but been too busy at the paying job to even start one.
What I gave dad last Christmas (not very good, 3rd knife I ever made lol):
https://i.Rule #2/6UWdwpuh.jpg
Dad's Christmas gift knife v2.0:
https://i.Rule #2/XAOCit0h.jpg
Started as a 1/2 x 1 1/2 stick of red oak from the home improvement store:
https://i.Rule #2/j0r9S4Zh.jpg
After some hacksawing and belt grinding it's somewhat stabby shaped:
https://i.Rule #2/D7RB15Th.jpg
I got a little carried away and charred the handle with a propane torch then brushed it with a wire brush. Really grippy handle, probably will try this again if I make a hunting knife in the future.
https://i.Rule #2/BX2CZh1h.jpg
https://i.Rule #2/FyVhNvVh.jpg
I'm kinda in a rut on handle shape but honestly I really like how this coke bottle shape looks and feels in hand.
https://i.Rule #2/loZY0d2h.jpg
Oak is fairly open grained, so I wet sanded CA glue a bunch of times to seal the wood. It also helps to give the wood a little more durability.
https://i.Rule #2/dDe56aHh.jpg
If I could go back and do it over again, the one thing I'd change is to not char it so high up toward the blade. Otherwise I'm pretty happy how it came out. I'll probably make these regularly as a change of pace and to have some available inventory for my online store (which is totally empty now
).https://i.Rule #2/o7BoCVjh.jpg
https://i.Rule #2/iFwkUCCh.jpg
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