Replies

1. 
   ysu65 | Apr 13, 2022 11:43am | #1

   Can't read NYT's article.

2. 
   john_c2 | Apr 13, 2022 01:16pm | #2

   Wood? Phhhtt. I've gotten nasty cuts from paper.

   I read the article, and thought it was lacking in details. Just click bait.

   I've been doing stuff with resin-infused wood lately. Put wood in a tank full of resin, under vacuum, for a day or more. Vacuum removes all the air from the wood. Let it soak for a few days, and the resin replaces the air. Then heat the wood in a 210 degree oven for a couple hours to cure the resin. Then I turn it on the lathe.

   It makes the wood incredibly hard. I can pound things with the mallet without it being dented. I suspect this is how they treated their knives, but the article didn't say.

   It's interesting they chose basswood for their knives. I've done about 15 different species, and the very heavy exotics aren't penetrated by the resin at all. The lighter the wood, the more resin it absorbs. Cherry and the softer maples almost doubles in weight. Douglas fir almost triples. I haven't tried basswood or pine, but now I want to.

   But still, they aren't steel. I have no doubt I could make a knife with a razor edge -- and I am going to try. But I can't imagine the edge will hold up for long.

   The article was implying that wooden knives might be "greener" than steel. I don't buy it. The amount of electricity and chemicals that went into resin infusing wood should lay that claim to rest.

3. 
   john_c2 | Apr 13, 2022 01:22pm | #3

   I should be better at taking and posting pictures. I had asked MJ a while back about "cooking" cherry to darken it. I did so on a thick piece and turned a mallet. It darkened it a lot. It took a long while, being about 3 inches square and a foot long. It seemed to do nothing, and then bam, dark chocolate cherry.

1. 
   _mj_ | Apr 13, 2022 01:56pm | #5

   I would love to see it. Ask a grandchild about "photos", they'll hook you right up. I bet your VCR is still flashing "12:00".

4. 
   user-6962411 | Apr 13, 2022 01:47pm | #4

   I read the article-the claim was that the wood knife was 3x sharper than a "commercial table knife" (my table knives are blunt) and the vid shows someone not really cutting, so much as mashing a piece of meat food into two pieces. I read the article and thought it was a waste of internet space.

1. 
   john_c2 | Apr 13, 2022 03:59pm | #6

   And, the steak was the tender end of a ribeye -- the part that falls apart easily.