- Joined
- Feb 28, 2002
- Messages
- 13,348
Part 1
For the modem-challenged, you can see a gallery of the photos here:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/8C5B52C5788A3BD
Grettings all,
This story begins right here on the forums when I was musing out loud (I do that too much, I know) about my favorite woods and mentioned my fondness for lignum vitae - a tough, dense resin-rich wood that also happens to be the national wood of my native Jamaica.
The story then moves to Jacksonville, Alabama, where knifemaker Tom Militano, having read my comments, selected a sizable chunk of the stuff from his supply and mailed it to me - gratis - so that I could try it out on a knife. I've said it before and I'll say it again - knife people are GREAT people. Thanks Tom.
The story then advances some months along when I noticed that the weight of that block of wood was giving my house a decidedly westerly tilt (did I mention that this stuff is HEAVY!!?) and thought it about time that I put it to its intended use.
Now for the confession. (Cross-dressing free, you will be relieved to hear). Though I am a confirmed knife nut and have a couple of real first rate using knives, the knives in my house that see the most use - the kitchen knives - are, oh, what's the word? - oh yeah, crap.
The six knife set is not collectively worth the wooden block in which it resides, and they are all dangerously dull and not worth sharpening. And while my wife indulges my knife fixation, she has been quite reluctant to spend real money replacing our crappy set, as neither of us could be remotely described by the word "chef". Well, I figured it was time for a change. Though if it were to work, it would have to be gradual. Hmmm. What if I slip a quality new little paring knife - the size she uses the most - into the mix and see if she doesn't find it really quite agreeable?
Which brings us to Mississauga, Ontario and the shop of Canadian maker George Tichbourne, where the latter, along with wife Carol, hold a bi-monthly open house for the local knife nuts (George's way of keeping us off the streets and out of trouble).
I joined up with the gang and presented George with the block of wood, cautioning that he not drop it on his foot.
Lignum vitae is some interesting stuff. For those not familiar with it, it is likely the most dense wood there is. It's toughness and natural self-lubricating properties of its high resin content are such tht this wood had been used for:
1) Ball bearings for propeller shafts (As in submerged bearings. Yes, in water. Salt water).
2) Extra heavy cricket bails for use in windy conditions.
3) In 1722, the reknowned John Harrison actually made a clock out of this stuff (he who solved the method by which longitude could be reliably measured and computed at sea - watch nuts here may be familiar with the story). The clock still runs, to this day, by the way.
4) Arthurian legend has it that the magic properties of the wood were such that Merlin used it to fashion his staff. If use of this wood on a kitchen knife turns me into a reasonable cook, then its magic properties will be conclusively confirmed.
George decided to make the construction of my knife the demostration project for our little gathering.
After a quick trip to the band saw, two little hunks of wood were cut from the big hunk of wood. This stuff smells fantastic when freshly cut, though George says that if you don;t have a particularly sharp saw blade, you can quickly find yourself in a foul-smelling smoky fog. Geroges blades were sharp.
The little hunks were then hand-sanded flat. George had a blade already to go - a nice, slim, handy profile that I am sure will serve very well.
Holes were then drilled through the wood blocks and liners for the pins:
For the modem-challenged, you can see a gallery of the photos here:
http://www.fototime.com/inv/8C5B52C5788A3BD
Grettings all,
This story begins right here on the forums when I was musing out loud (I do that too much, I know) about my favorite woods and mentioned my fondness for lignum vitae - a tough, dense resin-rich wood that also happens to be the national wood of my native Jamaica.
The story then moves to Jacksonville, Alabama, where knifemaker Tom Militano, having read my comments, selected a sizable chunk of the stuff from his supply and mailed it to me - gratis - so that I could try it out on a knife. I've said it before and I'll say it again - knife people are GREAT people. Thanks Tom.
The story then advances some months along when I noticed that the weight of that block of wood was giving my house a decidedly westerly tilt (did I mention that this stuff is HEAVY!!?) and thought it about time that I put it to its intended use.
Now for the confession. (Cross-dressing free, you will be relieved to hear). Though I am a confirmed knife nut and have a couple of real first rate using knives, the knives in my house that see the most use - the kitchen knives - are, oh, what's the word? - oh yeah, crap.
The six knife set is not collectively worth the wooden block in which it resides, and they are all dangerously dull and not worth sharpening. And while my wife indulges my knife fixation, she has been quite reluctant to spend real money replacing our crappy set, as neither of us could be remotely described by the word "chef". Well, I figured it was time for a change. Though if it were to work, it would have to be gradual. Hmmm. What if I slip a quality new little paring knife - the size she uses the most - into the mix and see if she doesn't find it really quite agreeable?
Which brings us to Mississauga, Ontario and the shop of Canadian maker George Tichbourne, where the latter, along with wife Carol, hold a bi-monthly open house for the local knife nuts (George's way of keeping us off the streets and out of trouble).
I joined up with the gang and presented George with the block of wood, cautioning that he not drop it on his foot.
Lignum vitae is some interesting stuff. For those not familiar with it, it is likely the most dense wood there is. It's toughness and natural self-lubricating properties of its high resin content are such tht this wood had been used for:
1) Ball bearings for propeller shafts (As in submerged bearings. Yes, in water. Salt water).
2) Extra heavy cricket bails for use in windy conditions.
3) In 1722, the reknowned John Harrison actually made a clock out of this stuff (he who solved the method by which longitude could be reliably measured and computed at sea - watch nuts here may be familiar with the story). The clock still runs, to this day, by the way.
4) Arthurian legend has it that the magic properties of the wood were such that Merlin used it to fashion his staff. If use of this wood on a kitchen knife turns me into a reasonable cook, then its magic properties will be conclusively confirmed.
George decided to make the construction of my knife the demostration project for our little gathering.
After a quick trip to the band saw, two little hunks of wood were cut from the big hunk of wood. This stuff smells fantastic when freshly cut, though George says that if you don;t have a particularly sharp saw blade, you can quickly find yourself in a foul-smelling smoky fog. Geroges blades were sharp.
The little hunks were then hand-sanded flat. George had a blade already to go - a nice, slim, handy profile that I am sure will serve very well.
Holes were then drilled through the wood blocks and liners for the pins:
)
