Three piece chef set

Matthew Gregory

Matthew Gregory

Chief Executive in charge of Entertainment
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Jan 12, 2005
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I've been meaning to get around to making a useful boning knife for a while. All the one's I have suck, and with deer season not all that far away now, it'll be called upon for duty. Yet, I put the project off, again and again... until I didn't have any choice, because it absolutely NEEDED to be done. I had a standing request for a set from someone, and had been waiting for the right inspiration (and the right complement of handle material!), and a few weeks ago it all came together.

I acquired a pile of blocks of what looked to be really nice curly maple from my now-in-Europe brother Derrick Wulf, all of which came from his former state of Vermont. I'm supposed to be referring to it as 'Vermont curly sugar maple', I think, as this apparently is really important to people in Vermont. I'll let them believe this, as there's no point in arguing with them - they just don't hear you, and everything from Vermont is superior in every respect.;) I cleaned a bunch of it up, and shipped it to my stabilizer, and asked him to dye some with what he felt was a good choice of color.

This is what I got back, and I WISH I could capture the flame and flash in this with a lens. I've only seen chatoyance like this in a few pieces of the craziest Koa - it's THAT crazy. Kind of shit that keeps me awake at night. Point is, there were exactly three pieces that exhibited precisely the same type of action and figure, so it was high time to commence the project!


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The chef is my usual 8" pattern in .098" AEB-L, full distal taper, and is just over 2" at the heel. The 7" boning knife is of the same stock, but offers a full thickness spine until about and inch and a half from the tip, where it tapers naturally to a point. I think I'm going to try a couple in .080" stock to see if a bit more flex is a good thing. All the boning knives I've used before didn't offer much, but there's a couple folks that have mentioned I should try it. We'll see! The 3.5" paring knife is .052" thick, and full distal taper, so it's flex-y and thin as hell, and slices like a razor.


I'm awaiting the magnets I ordered so can finish the matching magnetic wall holder I'm making for these, then they're off to their final destination.



Thanks for looking!
 
I don't normally like dyed wood but that is a very nice subtle touch. I've never tried to photo chatoyance but there must be a way .
7" boning knife ? are you boning elephants ?
 
I do not have the words to complement these knives correctly. Very very nice work sir!
 
What a great functional and absolutely gorgeous set, Matthew. Mike
 
This is a great set. I still need to pick your brain some more about kitchen knife design because you've definitely got it figured out.

But about this maple. OK I'll concede you can get some good sugar maple in parts of New Hampshire, Maine and Quebec, but not all maples are created equal. For one thing there are lots of different species of maple native to North America, but in terms of hardness and dimensional stability its the northern sugar maple (acer saccharum, also known as rock maple) that produces the best wood. It's why it's so often used for pool cues, axe handles, or original Fender Stratocaster necks. Moreover, the shorter growing season and harsh winters of the northeast produce a tighter and denser grain than even that of the same species when grown down in Pennsylvania or West Virginia. So it's not just hometown pride talking here - this really is some of the best wood you can put on a knife.

Anyway, I'm sitting here typing this post from my old house in Vermont, which I'm currently emptying out for the new owners who arrive here just after Labor Day, after which I'll no longer have a home in Vermont. Or Murica for that matter. But I'm bringing some more pieces of sugar maple back to my mountain hovel in the Bavarian Alps so I can show those Germans what a proper maple knife handle looks like :) And if it looks anything like what you just did, I'm pretty sure even the boys in Solingen will be impressed.

Nice job bud
 
Very nice. I've seen the same comments and desires for flex but never seen much of a need for flex in the boning knife myself. At least not boning out whitetails. Maybe I don't know what I'm missing.
 
Snubbie, as far as I can see, it's all personal preference. I've never used one, either, but that only means I need to try it, right? ;)

Mete, it doesn't feel long in hand, and this is just about identical in length to any good boning knife I've used.

Thanks for all the kind words, gang.

Hoping to get the mounting board finished soon!
 
Wulf said:
This is a great set. I still need to pick your brain some more about kitchen knife design because you've definitely got it figured out.

But about this maple. OK I'll concede you can get some good sugar maple in parts of New Hampshire, Maine and Quebec, but not all maples are created equal. For one thing there are lots of different species of maple native to North America, but in terms of hardness and dimensional stability its the northern sugar maple (acer saccharum, also known as rock maple) that produces the best wood. It's why it's so often used for pool cues, axe handles, or original Fender Stratocaster necks. Moreover, the shorter growing season and harsh winters of the northeast produce a tighter and denser grain than even that of the same species when grown down in Pennsylvania or West Virginia. So it's not just hometown pride talking here - this really is some of the best wood you can put on a knife.

Anyway, I'm sitting here typing this post from my old house in Vermont, which I'm currently emptying out for the new owners who arrive here just after Labor Day, after which I'll no longer have a home in Vermont. Or Murica for that matter. But I'm bringing some more pieces of sugar maple back to my mountain hovel in the Bavarian Alps so I can show those Germans what a proper maple knife handle looks like :) And if it looks anything like what you just did, I'm pretty sure even the boys in Solingen will be impressed.

Nice job bud
Click to expand...


See? What'd I say? Always some line of "superior Vermont BS." :p

We need to catch up soon, bud. I'll try and give a shout tomorrow.
 
Great set. Looks really handy. I should probably do something similar soon for my own kitchen.
 
Is the spine of your chef's knife really curved like that? Or is the dip in the middle an optical illusion? The shape is just amazing, and has just the tiniest little touch of Dr. Suess that I really like.
 
Thanks guys!!

Sammy, that 'swoop' is definitely there - not an illusion. Just adds a bit of grace and flow to the blade, I think, and certainly wouldn't add any advantage if it was flat across right there. Pain in the butt to clean up and polish, this way, but I like the look. :)
 
Gorgeous set Matt.
The chef is especially sweet, love that pattern buddy. :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
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