The Crooked Knife Series: Number 1

Those of you who have followed my postings on various forums know I am a lover of the crooked knife and the hook knife as well. In my YouTube video I go into detail as to why I like crooked knives (check my link section if you haven’t seen the video), and so I won’t go into all that here. Let it suffice to say that I seldom use any other type of knife for my woodcarving and I agree with the man who said long ago that anything you can do with a regular knife can also be done with a crooked knife. I’ll add a proviso: The crooked knife can perform even more woodcarving tasks than a regular knife. I understand that some will disagree and I am quite accepting of their opinions. In fact, I usually expect people to disagree simply because most people have little or limited experience with crooked knives. But over the years I have made dozens upon dozens of crooked and hook knives using every dimensional variation imaginable. Constant experimentation has taught me a lot about crooked knife usage.

I make three types of crooked knives. The first are my everyday knives that aren’t particularly fancy but get carried around in my cutting and carving tools bags or in my woods roaming bag or in my glove compartment. The second are my ultra-fancy crooked knives. And the third are my “hybrids” that are essentially experiments in crooked knife design. Truth is I’ve got crooked knives in drawers and bags and boxes. I’ve got crooked knives at the cabin. I’ve given all my boys crooked and hook knives. Last May I gave a young lady who loves pretty wood and unique woodcarving tools one of my crooked knives as a graduation present. Not long ago I let some of my crooked knives go to a talented woodcarver but aside from those I tend not to get rid of my knives. People write me all the time asking if I’ll sell them one of my knives but I invariably suggest they contact a friend of mine who makes beautiful crooked knives and lives in New Mexico. 

Anyway, over the next several days or maybe even the next several weeks I’m planning to post pictures of crooked knives. If you are a crooked knife aficionado then I guarantee you are about to get your belly full. Nearly every post will have a picture of a “crook.” I’ll post pictures of hook knives afterward. Here’s Number 1 in the series: