Whittling a knife

Debra and I spent last weekend with our friends at their property near Ranger, TX.  We spent two days just kicking back and relaxing:  reading, talking, and playing with the camp fire.  I took my sharpening stone and three different knives that I’d been neglecting for too long.

After putting an edge on my old Buck knife, I grabbed a piece of firewood from the pile and started whittling on it with no particular idea to make anything.  At some point the idea of making a wooden knife struck me, and I ended up spending several hours on it.

Whittled knife and the knife that whittled it

The project started out as a piece of juniper (what they call cedar around here) about 18 inches long and 1-1/2 inches in diameter.  The finished piece is right at 12 inches long and 1-1/4 inches in diameter.  The blade is 3/4 inch wide.

I toyed with the idea of spending more time on it—sanding it down and making the blade thinner at the edge so I could use it as a letter opener—but in the end decided against it.  I like leaving it in this rough form.

It’s been 30 years since I picked up a piece of wood and started whittling on it.  I forgot how relaxing it can be.  I for sure won’t wait another 30 years before I try making something else.  Think I’ll use a different knife, though.  The Buck is a handy tool, but it’s too large for detail work.

That knife, by the way, is sharp.  My old Scoutmaster would be proud.  He’d also be appalled at my clumsiness.  I ended up sinking that blade about 1/4 inch into my thumb on Sunday.