How to Make a Knife Out of Wood

A wooden knife often seems impractical, but it can be a valuable tool. If you are lost without a steel knife, a piece of wood may save you a lot of frustration. While wood will never be as sharp or durable as steel, when treated correctly, it can be made sharp enough to perform basic tasks. Follow these steps to make your own wooden version of this common tool.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Wood block or tree limb
• Hatchet or saw
• Wood rasps
• Sand paper
• Charcoal

1. Select a blank for your knife. The wood should be a close\ grained hardwood, though any type will do in an emergency. A thin 2-inch tree branch can be worked easily. If you use a processed wood plank or a thick tree limb, you must split the wood into smaller pieces using a hatchet or saw.

2. Remove the bark from the limb and test it in your hand. If your grip is comfortable around the branch, use the widest area as your knife handle. If it is too large, work it down to a comfortable size using wood rasps. If you have chosen to split a plank or large limb, take one of the pieces and round off the edges using a wood rasp or sand paper. Work the wood until it feels comfortable to grip in your hand.

3. Hold the knife blank in your so that 1/4 inch is visible below your fist. Make a mark 1/4 inch above your fist on the blank. This will mark the beginning of the blade.

4. Bevel the blade using wood rasps and sand paper. Sight down the length of the knife periodically to make sure the bevels come together evenly. Be sure to leave around 1/4 inch of wood at the thickest part of the blade for strength.

5. After your blade is beveled, hold the knife over a charcoal fire for two minutes. Spread the coals thin so they will not burn the wood, and pull the knife away if you see any discoloration. The heat from the fire dries the wood and allows the grain to compress, making the wood harder. Once this is complete, sharpen the blade with wood files or on a rock.

Tips & Warnings

• If you do not have access to tools, you can make a knife using rocks. Select a small branch that will not require splitting, and use a coarse rock like a wood rasp to shave away excess wood.
• A wooden knife should not be used as a toy. If correctly hardened, the wood can become quite sharp and may be dangerous for children to handle.

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[GentlemanBill]

on 10/16/2008 It seems to me that if you have a hatchet, hand saw, files, rasp, sand paper, and fire materials one would wonder why there was no real knife available. After all the time required to make a knife this way, you'd have starved to death before it was done. LOL