Making a Small chef knife in a small shed
I got the idea for this knife after watching 'How to make a small kitchen knife' build along on the Simple Little Life channel. I liked the shape of the blade in particular and decided to have a go at making my own version.
I used the same 'Aaron Gough' bevel jig as the chef knife (see my previous video) but upgraded the cheap B&Q file with a Bahco 10 inch Oberg Cut file which effectively halved the time to create the bevels.
I used Yew for the handle from a box of offcuts given to me by a friend - careful to wear a mask while cutting and sanding given that yew has a reputation for being toxic. No need to take chances.
I'm happy with the end result and put the things I learned from making the previous knife into practice - such as being more careful to chalk the file to reduce gouging from steel chips as well as paying more attention to the "fit' of the handle to make it comfortable to use.
I used 1070 steel as I had a piece left from the previous knife.
I used 240 grit sandpaper to start and finished with 400. I used 400, 1000 and 3000 grit whetstone followed by stropping on an old leather belt. I'm not particularly interested in slicing grapes or shaving my arms - if it can cut an onion easily I'm happy enough.
It takes a bit of commitment to make a knife but it's really satisfying to make something practical that you can use in the kitchen all the while telling yourself - 'I made this'.
Awesome soundtrack courtesy of www.bensound.com