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Hand Forged Wood Carving Knives Since 1987

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Features of Bent Knives

Sharpness and Edge-holding

The edge of a splitting maul can be made razor sharp; but you wouldn't want to carve wood with it because, although it is sharp, it is too blunt. The finer an edge is, the easier it pulls through a cut, but the more quickly it will dull (or chip, if it is too hard).
The challenge to the knife-maker is to provide the best steel, forging processes (assuming the blades are forged at all) and heat treatment to yield as fine an edge that will be tough. This has been a major focus of my work. I've developed a process that allows me to use an incredibly fine 10 to 12 degree primary bevel with a 4 degree micro bevel at the very edge. Because of this fine bevel, my tools cut much easier than most carvers are used to. Another benefit of this bevel geometry is that it also allows for quick and easy sharpening, because very little metal needs to be removed (ie. the micro bevel).

There are several reasons why these blades, even with edges that fine, stay sharp so long. (Several of my customers have told me they have never sharpened my tools, even with many hours of carving.) I start with the best grade of high carbon tool steel and forge it with dozens of repeated hammer blows. This refines the grain structure. The final forging "packs" the edge.


Picture on left shows peining marks on mini bent knife blade. Picture on right shows finished blade. Although I try to leave as much of the peining marks as possible, the final buffing (especially along the micro-bevels) removes some of them.

After the initial grinding steps to establish the profile and bevel, the blade is cold work hardened with a process of peining that I developed about ten years ago. This peining involves rapidly hitting the blade with a very small hammer, about a hundred hits per square inch. The results of this operation can be seen on the finished blade. Testing has shown me that this adds considerable to the blade's toughness and final edge holding

Heat Treating

The most important process to give the blade the best edge holding possible is the heat treatment. This is a two step process. The hardening is done first, by bringing the steel to just the right temperature (too hot results in grain growth, but it has to be hot enough to harden) and quenching in oil. The blade is now very hard and brittle. The second step, tempering, relieves the stresses and results in the final hardness. The critical (and little known) fact about the tempering is that it is time dependent. I continue to be amazed that many well known knife makers perform their tempering quickly, when I know it should be carried out over several hours. The molecules in the steel need more time to transform to the proper tempered state. My tempering process is the same as the commercial heat treaters, tempering hugh gears and shafts for engines. The blade must be held for at least a few hours to achieve the full benefit.

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Bevel Geometry

Pictures above show the bevel on the bottom of the blade.
The bottom bevel is most important because this is the bevel that contacts the wood being cut. This geometry allows the blade to round through a curving cut (such as hollowing out spoons and bowls) without chattering. It is difficult to carve out the insides of rounded surfaces with bent knives that are flat on the bottom (ie. no bevel on the bottom) because they "chatter" or jump as they are made to try to round through a cut. Ambidexterous and Bidirectional I'm not trying to suggest carving with two hands. Double edged bent knives are quite versatile, used equally well right-handed or left-handed. There is no right or left handed version - one tool instead of two. They are also "bi-directional". When the grain changes direction (at the bottom of a bowl or spoon, for example) there is no need to change tools or position, just use the other edge to carve in the other direction. The typical way the bent knives are used is with one hand, palm up, the thumb on the far end of the handle, and the work piece held in the other hand. In this way there is no need for a clamp or vise to hold the work (and have to reposition). By using the whole arm (not just the wrists), very powerful cuts can be used to remove a lot of wood quickly. Shearing cuts (where the edge of the blade is at an angle not 90 degrees to the direction of cut) allow for assimilation of a wide variety of radius cuts. This is not generally the case with gouges which are not usually used for shearing cuts. Bent knives are at home in just about any kind of cut (except against the grain - just use the other edge!). Handle Design Handles are widest where they should be. They taper out in all other directions. Somewhat flattened bottom, so they won't roll. My straight knife handles are very similar, just a bit shorter. The handles look like they fit comfortably in the palm of your hand - and they do! They are Eastern Cherry, finished with a light oil so as not to be slippery

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My carving knives are intended for serious wood carvers. They are razor sharp and can be very dangerous if used improperly. Please be careful and don't allow young people to use them unsupervised.

Your satisfaction is fully guaranteed. If you have a problem of any kind with one of my knives, please let me know. I will make it right with you.

Features of Bent Knives

Sharpness and Edge-holding

Heat Treating

About the Knives

Galleries

Bevel Geometry

Ambidexterous and Bidirectional

Handle Design