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Zebrawood Paring Knife
Every kitchen needs a paring knife. Well technically, this knife was designed as "camping/outdoors" knife, but I have found it quite useful in the kitchen. Small, sharp and agile, this knife makes light work of the finer and more delicate peeling tasks. I used Zebrawood for the handle and finished with generous and frequent coatings of Tung oil. A matte finish on the blade matches the knifes utilitarian aesthetic.
Required Resources: 5 hours, $30
Size: 6" x 1" x 0.625"
Materials: AEBL Stainless Steel, Zebrawood, 2 Part, Quick Cure Epoxy
Finish: Tung Oil
Tools: Band Saw, Belt Sander, Orbital Sander, Hack Saw, Whetting Stone, Water Jet
New Techniques:
See the Cutlery Set break down for the knife making process.
Lessons Learned:
Zebrawood Whiskers: This is actually I lesson learned from the Orca Knife project which also had a Zebrawood handle. After a layer of Tung oil, I washed the Orca knife, handle and all. To my dismay the silky smooth finish from the oil had dissipated and the handle appeared grow fuzz.....mysterious. After a little internet sleuthing I found the answer. Some woods, zebrawood included have ray and grain structures the become turgid/more pronounced when wet with water. In essence, the wood grows whiskers when soaked. There are two solutions to this problem. 1) Apply frequent coats of Tung oil for the first month of use. The Tung oil dries into a hardened coating and when enough layers are applied it should become water resistant. 2) De-Whiskering, which involves intentionally getting the wood wet, allowing the whiskers to stand proud of the surface and then sanding them off with some light grit paper. Once sanded off, there are no whiskers left to poke out when re-wet.
