Knife for stroke victim, ideas?

[Raymond Richard]

One of my brother in laws called about a knife for a niece that had a stroke and only has use of her right arm. He's thinking along the lines of a ulu. Just looking for some ideas. The knife will be used to help her prepare her own meals. Thanks!

 

[jim moyer]

having experienced something similar Ray - you are right on. Slicing is very difficult to do with one useful limb.

 

[Big Smitty]

I have seen a couple of knives that did not handles in the traditional set up. What they had was a handle attached to the back 1/3rd of the spine. The blade was fairly wide. The set up allowed for chopping and slicing. You want a curved blade, but not quite like a ulu, only curved at the 1/3rd tip end. The user can then rock the knife to chop and it can be used as a slicer. Also, you might want to consider a nail board. This is a board with scution cups on the back and 2 nails sticking up through the board to be used to secure items to be sliced. There should be info on the internet regarding this topic. I'll see what I can find.

 

[A. Brett Schaller]

There was a type of knife called a "one-armed man's knife" that was popular after the Civil War (since a lot of veterans returned minus a limb.) It had an upswept point ending in fork tines, and was designed to cut using a rocking motion. I did a quick search, but couldn't find a picture. If you ask in the Bernard Levine forum, I'm sure someone will have a pic.

 

[Karl B. Andersen]

emailed a picture to you Ray.
Also, for stroke victims, currently being sold is what it called a "knork"!

 

[jacktrades_nbk]

Spyderco Maddox ?

 

[Ed Schempp]

The Maddox was discontinued in about 2003, but it was designed exactly for this need.

My friend Grace Horne has made knives for her mother to use one handed in the kitchen. She posts on British Blades forums. I'll see if I can get her to register and post some pictures of knives that she has modified and others that she has made for her mother....Take Care...Ed

 

[Will Leavitt]

Who was that knifemaker from Texas that was one armed? He was well known as a maker before then had to relearn after his stroke... Fisher, Fischer? He made quite a few of the "one armed knives" iffen I remember correctly.

Schuller described what I remembered from pictures, was a short, heavy bellied blade with a safe zone then ended in fork tines.

What is the knife to be used for though? Other than eating and some food preparation tasks a knife would normally be one handed anyways.

 

[mdoyle]

Ray
Very nice of you to help.:thumbup: You're a good egg! On a side note to your question... I would think that stainless would be much more appropriate in this use because of the trouble someone minus a limb may have in taking proper care of a carbon blade. Can't wait to see pics!!!
Matt Doyle

 

[Beile]

I don't know if this would help or not, I made this last week and I was just playing with it in the kitchen chopping stuff and it works pretty well, you can apply a lot of pressure in one place and rock the blade and it's very secure in the hand. I haven't sharpened it all the way yet but it cuts very well. It measures 5"X2'' and the hole is 1 1/8". Cutting edge is 2 3/4".