I'm a 63-year old retired federal Civil Servant who took up woodworking as a means to express my creativity. I hope to use natural materials and original designs to create objects which will be used and admired by others long after I'm gone.
I like to build tool chests. I modeled the first ones I built after an antique oak chest I bought 40 years ago. My chests can be used as tool chests - obviously - but they can also easily be used to house collections, or as sewing chests, or as jewelry boxes. I'm keeping my handguns in one right now, and my knife collection in another.
In the past year or so, I’ve re-discovered knife-making. I buy quality blades, fine tune them and make the handles and finish the knives and make the presentation cases and leather sheaths. Lately, I've learned some skills in "file working," that is, embellishing my knives with patterns and shapes actually carved into the edges of the tang, finger guards and blade spines. This is demanding work using miniature diamond grit grinding/polishing tools. There is nothing so permanent as a piece of art carved in stainless steel, huh?The knife-making is challenging and rewarding and the finished product doesn't take up nearly as much space in my house as all these wooden chests!
Shawn Bucy - Enon, Ohio
Please do not copy without written permission from the craftsman.
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