Something Unique: Grafting Knife

oldmanwilly

oldmanwilly

Gold Member
Joined
Mar 7, 2014
Messages
3,301
Good evening,

I've been quarantined at my ranch for a few days and started digging around to pass the time. I came across this nifty little oddity I forgot I received from my Opa. See if you can guess what it is (it's on the left, the 8OT is for scale):

AnSFDw4.jpeg


A quick Google search tells me it's a pecan budding/grafting knife.


eStcdkg.jpeg

JzhtBkN.jpeg

uQBcsZI.jpeg


I recall Opa telling me (years ago) that these were used on pecan trees by cutting out square patches of bark and grafting on sapling branches from more desirable trees. I'm not sure exactly why he had this knife as he never worked in a pecan orchard; they are common in the Texas hill country but usually a little further north of where Opa lived. I have a vague memory of him saying he used it to cut even straps of leather to make belts. I think it's likely he saw it in a hardware store, purchased it out of curiosity and found a use for it (Opa liked to accumulate knives for work and play alike and is directly responsible for my membership here).

I am particularly fascinated by the tang stamp which appears to say "MAHER & GROSH TOLEDO." Both blades have the same stamp.

CXb1mpZ.jpeg


To my knowledge, this is the only M&G knife I have ever seen in person. It is not much but I find it a neat bit of regional and family history I thought y'all might not have seen before. I wonder if these turn up near orchards elsewhere around the country.

Thanks for looking.
 
oldmanwilly said:
Good evening,

I've been quarantined at my ranch for a few days and started digging around to pass the time. I came across this nifty little oddity I forgot I received from my Opa. See if you can guess what it is (it's on the left, the 8OT is for scale):

AnSFDw4.jpeg


A quick Google search tells me it's a pecan budding/grafting knife.


eStcdkg.jpeg

JzhtBkN.jpeg

uQBcsZI.jpeg


I recall Opa telling me (years ago) that these were used on pecan trees by cutting out square patches of bark and grafting on sapling branches from more desirable trees. I'm not sure exactly why he had this knife as he never worked in a pecan orchard; they are common in the Texas hill country but usually a little further north of where Opa lived. I have a vague memory of him saying he used it to cut even straps of leather to make belts. I think it's likely he saw it in a hardware store, purchased it out of curiosity and found a use for it (Opa liked to accumulate knives for work and play alike and is directly responsible for my membership here).

I am particularly fascinated by the tang stamp which appears to say "MAHER & GROSH TOLEDO." Both blades have the same stamp.

CXb1mpZ.jpeg


To my knowledge, this is the only M&G knife I have ever seen in person. It is not much but I find it a neat bit of regional and family history I thought y'all might not have seen before. I wonder if these turn up near orchards elsewhere around the country.

Thanks for looking.
Click to expand...
Very cool. Not gonna lie. I scrolled over the pic that shows the width of the body of the knife a few times before I realized that was the actual knife.

Pretty nifty idea for cutting consistent bark peelings.

Thanks for sharing this!
 
MolokaiRider said:
Very cool. Not gonna lie. I scrolled over the pic that shows the width of the body of the knife a few times before I realized that was the actual knife.

Pretty nifty idea for cutting consistent bark peelings.

Thanks for sharing this!
Click to expand...
I’m with you! I thought maybe it was a belt sheath for the knife. oldmanwilly oldmanwilly As others have said, great knife and thanks for sharing. Very interesting.
 
Thanks for the replies and interest in this one. As nifty as it is, I'm frankly mystified as to why someone would go through the trouble of making such a uniquely purpose built knife as a slipjoint - I figure such a knife would see lots of rough use and would be sturdier as a fixed blade knife. Perhaps 1) convenient carry was as important in the past as it is now, and 2) craftsmen have always known how to use their tools effectively without damaging them.

I'm not complaining, I'm glad to have it as it is even if it's ungainly for normal use.
 
I am purely speculating, but I wonder if they close the blades down on a branch and work it back and forth? You would still have to cut the graft patch lengthwise though.
 
oldmanwilly said:
Good evening,

I've been quarantined at my ranch for a few days and started digging around to pass the time. I came across this nifty little oddity I forgot I received from my Opa. See if you can guess what it is (it's on the left, the 8OT is for scale):

AnSFDw4.jpeg


A quick Google search tells me it's a pecan budding/grafting knife.


eStcdkg.jpeg

JzhtBkN.jpeg

uQBcsZI.jpeg


I recall Opa telling me (years ago) that these were used on pecan trees by cutting out square patches of bark and grafting on sapling branches from more desirable trees. I'm not sure exactly why he had this knife as he never worked in a pecan orchard; they are common in the Texas hill country but usually a little further north of where Opa lived. I have a vague memory of him saying he used it to cut even straps of leather to make belts. I think it's likely he saw it in a hardware store, purchased it out of curiosity and found a use for it (Opa liked to accumulate knives for work and play alike and is directly responsible for my membership here).

I am particularly fascinated by the tang stamp which appears to say "MAHER & GROSH TOLEDO." Both blades have the same stamp.

CXb1mpZ.jpeg


To my knowledge, this is the only M&G knife I have ever seen in person. It is not much but I find it a neat bit of regional and family history I thought y'all might not have seen before. I wonder if these turn up near orchards elsewhere around the country.

Thanks for looking.
Click to expand...
That’s a interesting knife.
Whatever your opa used it for, i’m sure it served him well.
 
What a treasure!
I came across something similar while looking for horticultural knives a couple of years ago, and remember thinking that it was a pretty neat idea.
I think Tina still makes one. Though, as you suggest, I think it’s a fixed blade.
 
oldmanwilly said:
Thanks for the replies and interest in this one. As nifty as it is, I'm frankly mystified as to why someone would go through the trouble of making such a uniquely purpose built knife as a slipjoint - I figure such a knife would see lots of rough use and would be sturdier as a fixed blade knife. Perhaps 1) convenient carry was as important in the past as it is now, and 2) craftsmen have always known how to use their tools effectively without damaging them.

I'm not complaining, I'm glad to have it as it is even if it's ungainly for normal use.
Click to expand...
That is an interesting knife, never saw one before. It may have been made as a slipjoint so it could be used for more than one purpose. Close one blade and you'd have a more usable, standard cutting tool.
 
Nature Boy said:
What a treasure!
I came across something similar while looking for horticultural knives a couple of years ago, and remember thinking that it was a pretty neat idea.
I think Tina still makes one. Though, as you suggest, I think it’s a fixed blade.
Click to expand...
It seems it would be dangerous to sharpen a fixed blade Pecan Grafting knife!!
 
waynorth said:
It seems it would be dangerous to sharpen a fixed blade Pecan Grafting knife!!
Click to expand...
Haha! Yes, that would seem to be a hazard of the job!
Now I’m curious if the blades are chisel ground? Maybe with the unbeveled sides facing each other?
 
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