Make your own hook knife

[Timberwolf]

Here's one I finished yesterday.....Blade is by Warren Cutlery and I bought this one from Smoky Mountain Woodcarvers for about six bucks. They have two styles..this is the smaller of the two..They are razor sharp right out of the box and work like a champ!! Actually they work like a small gouge! ..You can really waste some wood with it...I also bought the larger blade and will be making a handle for it soon...but both blades have a similar size hook..

[Howard Pollack]

Jack-
How did you attach the blade to the handle? Did you bury it in epoxy? Thanks. -Howard

[Aram]

Howard Pollack said:

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Jack-
How did you attach the blade to the handle? Did you bury it in epoxy? Thanks. -Howard

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Also, did you make the ferrule?

[Timberwolf]

I just drilled a 1/8" hole in the end large enough to accommodate the blade to the right depth, roughed up the tang of the blade on the grinder, and encapsulated it in the handle using JB Weld {Steel}..I like the "steel" type because it hardens "black" in color and looks nicer than the "gray" type. Either type will work just fine to secure the blade..The blade wont be coming out...unless I heat it to about 150*...then it will soften the adhesive and the blade can be removed if need be.

The ferrule is just a piece of 1/2 straight copper tubing that I cut off a longer piece from Home Depot...I have a bunch of "thick wall" stainless steel ferrules that I made on my metal lathe a few years ago and may use one on the handle for the larger blade.

I believe the larger hook blade would work well for a long handled "North Coast" type of knife used by the Coastal Washington Indian tribes for carving masks, totems and medium sized sculptures...They can remove wood very quickly and precisely..

Additionally, you could increase the size of the "hook" portion of the larger blades by heating it with a propane torch and forming the red hot steel around a small piece of pipe or some other cylindrical shaped tool...like an old socket wrench. Then it's a simple matter to re-harden and temper it again. The larger blade is much thicker {and wider} than the smaller one, so it will "flex" less...

[eg54string]

Thanks for the post and info.

Eric

[Herebrooks]

Could you link to the bigger blade you bought. Couldn't find it on their site.

[Timberwolf]

Here's the link...It is the one for $6.30...Available in both left hand cut and right hand cut...Scroll down...

http://www.woodcarvers.com/warren-carving-tools/

Here's the Warren online site where you can also buy them.

https://www.warrencutlery.com/product-li...cid51.html

[bgosh]

Looks like a good knife but wow do they get the bucks for shipping it. What is it with these people and there shipping prices. We should buy there products and pay for there handling too, nuts.

[Boatman53]

Lee Valley sells the blades from Warren also. Is there free shipping still?
Jim

[Timberwolf]

They shipped my order in a small flat rate box for 6 bucks but it would have been cheaper if they had used a small padded envelope for about $2.60..but they would have had to buy the envelope...the box was free...

I didn't know Lee Valley had them or I would have gotten them there..