Woodcarving Knives and Father/Son Time

Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything here on the Robinson Edge.  I haven't done much work on any folders for the last couple of weeks.  I've been itching to get back into doing some woodcarving, so I decided to make myself a new carving knife to maybe spark my interest again. Since I was making one, I decided to make a bunch and sell them to my woodcarving friends over on my sister website at The Old Stump.  They have been well received and I've already sold half of them.  Here's a crummy group photo of the knives and a couple closeups of my favorites:

Admittedly, they are kind of blaw and primitive when compared to my handmade folders, but this is where I got my start into knife making.  Still, they are kind of cool in their own right and you won't find a better carving knife anywhere.  The blades are made from 1/16" thick O1 tool steel which are mortised into the handles with dovetails and epoxy, so there's no way these blades are coming out of their handles.

This last weekend I had the privilege of spending a few hours in my shop with my oldest son.  He asked if I would teach him how to build a knife, so I jumped at the chance to pass on some knowledge and spend some quality time with my boy.  He picked out one of my folder patterns and started roughing things out.  In fact, we got his blade through heat treat, so he's well on his way. We'll see if he can stick with it to the end.  He's a great kid and I've enjoyed helping him along.  Best few hours that I've spend in my shop in a long time.

-  Brandant Robinson