Knife Stand from Scrap Wood

Over 3/4 of food preparation in our kitchens begin with cutting yet kitchen knives are likely often given the least care. For as long as they continue to cut since even dull knives will cut, we have the tendency to take them for granted. Care seems to stop at just simply keeping them cleaned and washed.  Worse, we keep them in drawers unprotected from each other and other metal tools - scissors and other utensils.  Also, when they're in drawers or stored improperly we often use the wrong knife because rummaging in the drawer means picking up what is easily grabbed.

One ad for a cleaver made in Asia says that the Chinese must laugh at the West because Westerners use way too many knives.  If you've watched them on YouTube Chinese and Japanese cooks pretty much use just one knife - a large cleaver - for everything.  In the West we use a peeler to skin fruit, a fillet knife to cut fish or make thin slices, a paring knife for cutting small fruit, a cleaver, a chef's knife, serrated knives, etc. while in a Chinese or Japanese kitchen a cleaver and chopsticks (to stir and check the pot) are all that are used.  Of course, what is not mentioned is that Chinese and Japanese cooks grow up honing their skills with just one tool - the cleaver -  for all their cutting needs in the kitchen. It is amazing to watch how they peel, dice, fillet, cut bones and vegetables with just the cleaver.  They're just simply very skilled with that one tool.  You may check the vlogs on YouTube the following young Chinese artisans such as Dianxi and Li Ziqi who highlight Chinese cooking and arts and crafts.  Both routinely use just one cleaver for most of their food preparation.

So in the West there are just way too many specialty knives in the kitchen and we must admit that each is quite good for  the specific job each was designed for.  Nothing beats a good peeler even in the hands of a novice and a fillet knife is unequaled in slicing thin wide and long strips of meat and to fillet fish.  That is where we folks in the West are.  Therefore, let's deal with it then.

A favorite paring knife of mine is a puukko knife that I bought forty years ago.  Puukko knives come from Finland.  They gained popularity in the U.S. after WWII when American soldiers who saw the knives used by Finnish commandos brought them back home with them.

It is my favorite paring knife (shown below) but I prefer it on jack fruit because the handle is almost impervious to the sticky gum.  Its simple structure is easy to clean and the handle shape is ideal for a good grip even if it is smooth. All puukko knives come with leather sheath (case) that encloses all the way to the handle end.  Protected as such it was actually kept in a drawer.  But time to make a stand for it so it can claim a spot on the kitchen island with the other knives.

I used some of the scrap wood lying around.  The easiest way to begin is to create a channel just slightly wider than the width of the blade on one piece. A dado blade is ideal but any saw blade can be used with several passes until the desired width is achieved.  See photo below.

Glue another piece to to it thus creating the flat narrow slot for the blade.

Constructed the same way but wider still is a stand for a folding diamond sharpener which, by the way, is ideal for quick honing of kitchen knives. And ideal too for those not experienced with sharpening or are in a hurry.

Note: This knife was made by  Hackman Finland Stainless, Tapio Wirkala.  I'm sure I did not pay more than $20 back then in the 80's.  It is a collector item now and depending on condition, it is now priced at between $295 to $400 (with original sheath)

Folding diamond sharpener (clear plastic handle showing)

My wife says this is the last of the knife projects.  Could be.  But that Chinese or Japanese cleaver is very tempting.  If I can convince her that it will take the place of all the knives shown below.  You may check previous blogs on how the other stands shown below were made.

One more word on another puukko knife.  A friend of mine visited Finland about twenty years ago.  He brought back for me a puukko knife shown below.  Note the leather sheath all the way to the heel of the knife. This is a very sharp knife.