Curly Maple Knives

I have a fondness for Maple; maybe because it is a species indigenous to the Pacific Northwest.

The following is from the Wood Database:

Curly Maple is not actually a species, but simply a description of a figure in the grain—it occurs most often in soft maples, but is also seen in hard maples. It is so called because the ripples in the grain pattern create a three dimensional effect that appears as if the grain has “curled” along the length of the board. Other names for this phenomenon are: tiger maple, fiddleback maple, (in reference to curly maple’s historic use for the backs and sides of violins), or flamed maple.
Unlike quilted maple, curly maple is most pronounced when the board is quartersawn, and the curls usually become much less pronounced or absent in flatsawn boards. Hence, on wide boards where the grain tends to be close to vertical (quartersawn) near the edges and horizontal (flatsawn) in the center, the curly pattern will be most evident on the edges of the board, with the figure diminishing in the center.


Below are two Caping Knives with Instrument Grade Curly Maple Handles. The handle on the upper knife has been dyed brown. The lower knife shows the natural color.

 I can be contacted by e-mail at baumgartknives@gmail.com

BOTH KNIVES ARE SOLD.

Merry Christmas!

I want to wish everyone viewing this blog a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Almost a year ago to the day I completed my first knife. A few minutes ago I epoxied the handles on knife # 18. I have learned a lot between that first knife and the one I am currently working on and hope to continue to learn and improve my knives in the New Year.

I especially want to thank those of you that provided feedback and sent photos. Customer feedback is essential for improving my knives and the photos were just plain enjoyable. Thank you!

Looking forward to 2014, I am planning on adding a flat platten attachment for the grinder, a buffer, and an etcher to my little shop. At some point I would like to make the transition from O1 tool steel to CPM154CM. You should see more Loveless and Herron style knives from me in 2014. Lastly, I am hoping to get some hunting in and shoot a few rounds of international/bunker trap. I haven't been able to do either as much as I would have liked.

Have an enjoyable holiday season.

God Bless,

Lee

Cocobolo Caping Knife

Below is the latest knife, a Cocobolo handled caping knife. I changed the design a little bit by "grafting" the blade of my original caping knife to the handle of the General Purpose knife. I think the lines flow better. I purchased the Cocobolo locally at Gilmer Wood Company. www.gilmerwood.com  They have an extensive selection of exotic hardwoods, to the point that it is almost confusing. I would have a piece of wood in hand, then see something else really nice, put the first piece of wood back, pack the newest piece around, then see something else and repeat the process! Needless to say, I will be purchasing my wood from them in the future.

Cocobolo is a beautiful wood, but because it is so oily I found it very difficult to work. Within three strokes of sanding the handle the sand paper would be completely loaded and not doing much of anything. I think I went through two knives worth of sand paper on this single knife.

This knife is available for $99.00, sheath included. If you are interested I can be reached at baumgartknives@gmail.com

THIS KNIFE IS SOLD.

I also have the same design with a curly Maple handle in progress. The Maple is instrument grade purchased at Gilmer and has tremendous figure. Price will be the same as this one.

Testimonial

I have made it a practice to request feedback, both positive and negative, from the owner of each knife I have sold. My reason for requesting feedback is to improve the design and construction of my knives. As I have stated elsewhere in this blog, my goal is to create knives that are functional, as well as good looking. I don't think this can be accomplished operating in a "bubble".

Below is a recent e-mail I received from a customer concerning two of my early skinning knives. I share it with permission of the sender.

Lee, 

You will find attached some photos of my brother J., who has been hunting for many years, evident by the antlers attached on the pole at his farm. He loves his knife, claiming that it is the sharpest, most functional hunting knife that he has ever used. He described skinning with it was "just like a hot knife going through butter" His is the Thuya Burl, mine is the Kauila. We skinned a deer with them today, which took no time at all. Amazing.

R.R.

.

Jeff Cooper

Over the past couple of weeks I have been reading the works of the late Jeff Cooper. So far I have read "To Ride, Shoot Straight, and Tell the Truth" and "C Stories". I am working on "Another Country" and have "Fireworks" in reserve. Mr. Cooper's books are a mixture of politics, philosophy, history, hunting lore, and observations on the practical application of weaponry. He was a keen observer and a fine writer. His books can be purchased at jeffcooperbooks.com or you can get them through the inter-library loan system.

Three of a Kind

Above are the latest General Purpose knives. The top knife is handled with Wenge, the middle knife has a Zebra wood handle, and the bottom knife has a Myrtle wood handle.

The Myrtle wood is from a "scrap" a friend gave me and has lots of character. It is spalted, has some fiddle back, several small knots, and the grain is all over the place.

Below is the Wenge knife in its sheath.

You will notice that the back of the sheath has a number stamped on it. I began doing this on knife #9. The knives in the first photo are numbers 12-14.

These knives are available for $99.00 each + shipping. Sheath is included. If you are interested in purchasing one, I can be reached at baumgartknives@gmail.com.

ALL ARE SOLD.

Knife Sharpening

 As an FYI, when I sharpen these knives I use diamond hones and a DMT aligner blade guide. Occasionally I will finish with a Ceramic Stone. There are a number of knife makers that sharpen their knives entirely on a slack belt sander, creating a convex edge, opposed to the "V" edge created by the hone. Using the belt sander certainly appears to be faster for the knife maker and when using extremely fine grit sanding belts, it produces a fine edge, but what happens when it needs to be resharpened? The only way that I know of to maintain the convex edge is to use the belt sander again. Of course not everyone has a belt sander and you certainly aren't going to pack one around in the field if you do own one. Its my understanding that when you try to sharpen the convex edge on a flat surfaced hone, you end up with a "blunter" edge profile and eventually, over time, change the entire profile to the "V". Anyway, the reason I sharpen the way I do is so the knife can conveniently be resharpened by the user, in the field, if necessary.

Latest Knife and another Customer Photo.

Below is the first of four General Purpose knives that are in progress. This one is complete except for the final edge and sheath. The handle is an African wood called Wenge. Wenge is very porous, so I finished it with multiple coats of super glue.

The others in progress have handles of Zebra wood, Lacewood , and Myrtle wood. Price is $99.00 + shipping. If you are interested in purchasing a knife, I can be reached at: baumgartknives@gmail.com

Customer Photo

The photo below of a successful hunter and a beautiful buck was sent by my customer in eastern Washington. This is the second deer for the knife and it's performance has been flawless. The knife is a caping or bird/trout knife with a spalted Tamarind handle.

This is what it is all about...

The photo below was sent to me by a very good customer living in eastern Washington. The knife hanging from the antler of this archery buck was commissioned by him as a gift for his son-in-law, who harvested the deer. I am told the knife made short work of skinning the deer.

To me, this is what it is all about. My intention from the very beginning has been to create working knives that are functional as well as  good looking. After all, a knife is first and foremost a tool.

That being said, I have to admit that I don't particularly care for "art knives". I admire the expertise and craftsmanship that  go in to them, but the end result doesn't do anything for me. However, looking at working knives made by Bob Loveless, Bob Dozier, George Herron, and others transports me mentally to the wild places. Whenever I pick up and examine the Schrade Pro Hunter I have owned for over 20 years, I am taken back to the places I carried it. Places like the Alaska Range, Coastal Alaska, and the breaks of the Salmon River in Idaho. For me "art knives" lack that elemental feeling.

New Knives

Today I profiled five General Purpose knives, which you can see completed examples of in my July 14th "New Knives" post. I haven't purchased any handle material yet, so if anyone would like to request a specific handle material, I am more than happy to oblige. Base price is $99.00 with sheath. I can be reached by e-mail at baumgartknives@gmail.com

Welcome to Baumgart Handmade Knives!

Welcome!

I have had a lifelong passion for the outdoors and an interest in handcrafted objects. In 2012, after reading How To Make Knives by Richard Barney and Bob Loveless, I began to acquire the tools and equipment to make knives. I have been influenced by the knives and methods of Bob Loveless, Bob Dozier, and George Herron.

 I start with precision ground  flat steel and use the stock removal method to profile the blade. After the blade has been profiled, it is heat treated and hollow ground on an 8" contact wheel. When grinding is complete, the blade is hand polished and scales are attached,

 Because of its natural beauty, I prefer wood for the handle. Once the handle has been epoxied to the blade, the handle is contoured on a small belt sander. After the initial contouring, it is hand sanded and a finish is applied. The finish is dependent on the wood used.

Next, a sheath is made from 8-9 oz shoulder leather. The sheath is cased (dampened and hand- formed to the knife), then hand stitched.

 Lastly, the knife is sharpened.

Below is a recently completed caping or bird and trout knife. The blade is 3" long and is made from O1 steel. The handle is Desert Ironwood. Overall length of this knife is 7".

THIS KNIFE IS SOLD.