Carving knife with curly maple and walnut handle. The leather sheath has a wood insert to anchor the stout blade. The knife feels right because it was designed by and for the hand that made it.

... if the final product, the character of the of the things itself, is shaped by hand it is an object of handicraft.

The crooked knife, or mocotaugan, has been known as biketagenigan, pekarakenigan, wahawknigan, and many other names by the indigenous people who invented it. Along with an axe and an awl it allows one to carry an entire woodworking shop with them.

I used to use a two-handed drawknife. That goddamned thing. You've got to use a vise to hold the work. With the crooked knife, I can work in the woods if I want. It almost feels as if it's part of me. If anyone ever comes out with a tool that rivals a crooked knife, I'd like to know about it.

Helle blade with curly maple handle. Bolster and heel of bronze with leather backing.

If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.

Saddle stitching a bridle-leather sheath for a knife. The work requires careful planning and is an exercise in patience. The eye can, and will, pick up on minuscule inconsistencies in the stitching.

Disregard all attempts at speed ... learn to sew properly, as instructed.

Scandinavian-inspired, fillet knife with birds-eye maple and walnut handle. The pieces of the handle are first held together by hide glue, then the tang of the knife is peened over the hilt to draw the everything tight.

So let go of your old knives, bring your tools down from the attic, and allow your imagination to take over.

Bushcraft knife inspired by a puukko made by Ray Mears. The blade is by Swedish blacksmith Julius Pettersson. The handle is layers of birch bark between leather and bronze. The birch handle remains warm and compliant the touch even in sub-freezing temperatures.

In the forest, a knife can literally mean life... keep it sharp and clean.