I must admit I copied the design a bit, but not exactly. I went with a sheep-foot blade and the other a claw shape. I had to rush to finish them, and made the sheaths two nights before leaving on vacation (a canoe trip). There is still a bit of finish work to knock out before I can call them done, but they worked well on our trip.

The sheaths hold the blades in securely. So secure in fact that Bridgit asked me if there was some trick to get it out. The sheath is then securely affixed to the PFD lash tab with a couple of sex screws, so it won’t fall off.

The Belt Rack

I looked for some options, but didn’t really find anything that fit my needs. Then I remembered seeing a post online about someone who used magnetic strips to hold tools, but not on the wall. He put them on the garage door. GENIUS!!! Using some 1 1/2″ PVC and some 2x3s I had lying around I cam up with a solution.

They are accessible with the door open or closed and are now living in a space that would have been wasted.  I love it.

This article is one in a series of articles entitled: The Garage. To see all the parts so far CLICK HERE.

The Garage

So like most people my garage is in a constant state of chaos. It is pulled between a place to keep stuff, a workshop, and storing a car. So a bit of background. We have an 1.5 car garage that is about 60 years old. It has the foot print of  a two care garage though with one of those weird garage porch things on the side.  It has been reinforced to keep it from falling apart and the door needs replacing. If I could afford it I would raze the garage and build a new one. It is that bad.

Some of the problem stems from the fact that the garage was designed to hold a car and I want to do more. I want it to be my wood and metal shops, bike storage, canoe storage, garden shed, and hold a car.

Trying to fit it all in is an adventure. There was a time when we could fit a car in with 4 canoes. The canoes (most of them at least) have moved to a rack on the back of the garage, so there is only one inside now. Hopefully the 5 will become 4 and they can all go outside. We recently remodeled the basement and almost all of my tools have moved to the garage. Additionally it has all the other garage stuff like garden tools, lawnmower, oil, windshield washer fluid.

Since it is such a big task, and still a work in progress, I am going to do a multi-post and break each section down. Look for them to come soon.

This article is one in a series of articles entitled: The Garage. To see all the parts so far CLICK HERE.

Doing a restoration would allow me to brush up and practice my rusty skills on a rusty knife. The project is a big, old, cleaver.

My maternal Grandparents ran a store that included a meat counter. After they passed a few knives found their way to our house. The one I remember most was a slicer whose blade had been sharpened so many times it was half gone. The other was a big cleaver that was covered in rust and had most of the handle missing. the remaining wood was wrapped with tape of some kind. I wasn’t sure if that was to keep the handle from falling off or for grip. It sat in my parents garage for as long as I remember. Sometimes us kids would use it as a hatchet, and it worked pretty well. A year or two ago I stumbled on it and thought that it would be nice to restore it.

The steel was pitted pretty badly from the rust and it would take a long time to grind away enough steel to remove it completely. I decided to clean it up…most of the way. The knife is old and has history and I wanted to keep it that way. If I made it useable, but not new looking people would see it and know that it has a story. I removed the rust, but left some of the pitting. The blade is defiantly not stainless steel. While grinding a water bucked it used to cool the knife. One afternoon I was working on it and noticed it was rusting where I had ground 30 minutes ago. Rust never sleeps. It also appears to be heat treated harder along the edge and softer in the spine and handle. I noticed it ground differently, leaving slightly different textures where it was harder of softer.

For the handle I used walnut Dymondwood to keep the original look and didn’t polish it so it has a worn and used look to it. Dymondwood is really cool stuff that I have used on many knives before. It is great for when you want the look of wood, but zero work to maintain. Basically it is wood veneer and resin composite plywood. It is dense and looks good; it can be finished to any level of polish using sandpaper or a buffing wheel and requires no sealing or oiling. Perfect stuff for a kitchen knife.

I didn’t spend too much time on the cleaver, but it was enough to get my knife skills polished (or honed, either pun works). It came out well. I got a small crack in the handle, but it adds to the character of a well used and loved knife. I don’t think I will need to use it that often, but will keep it around as a family heirloom. I am also guessing that having it hanging in the kitchen will prompt questions and stories.
The knife is huge tipping the scales at 2lbs. 2 3/8oz. To get a sense of just how massive it is here it is next to a big chef knife.

Yeah I know, that pretty much runs the whole spectrum. They all boil down to the outdoors and here is how: knives, canoes, and outdoor gear. Usually I flow between them. I get too focused to do anything else. Right now it is too cold to work in the garage, and because of basement renovations there is no sewing area or inside work area. I have pretty much been focused on the basement, but since it is wrapping up my mind wanders to other projects.

Knives: There are a few knives I have been wanting to make. Also some that I need to make. Most recently I made a couple cheese knives, but that was a few years ago. I hope I get to spend a good bit of time grinding this spring/summer.

Canoes: This one has been on hold for a while. I haven’t been pining for a new one and have kinda given up on making paddles for the time being.

Sewing: I would like to work on a small pack for me. Also a smaller portage pack to accompany the larger one I made a while back.