3.5″ Sloyd Carving Blade with Split Dowel
A sloyd knife is an all-purpose carving knife rooted in the Swedish slöjd tradition of handcraft. When carving a spoon, it’s the knife you reach for to rough out the handle, shape the back of the bowl, and pare away the last few facets.
Why a flat Scandi bevel matters
A Scandi grind has a broad bevel on each side of the blade that runs all the way to the cutting edge. Lay the bevel against the wood and you can feel the angle before you start the cut. That reference is especially useful when you’re shaping the back of a spoon and want to take one more fine shaving without cutting too deep.
How I make it easier to sharpen
I give each blade a 28° flat-over-hollow grind. I grind a shallow hollow into each bevel, then hone it on a flat stone. This leaves two narrow flats in the same plane, one at the cutting edge and one at the shoulder where the bevel meets the side of the blade.
To sharpen, rest both flats on a flat stone and keep them in contact as you hone. The two flats guide you back to the original angle, while the hollow between them means there’s less steel to remove at each touch-up. That makes it easier to maintain the flat bevel that guides your cut.
I use 52100 ball-bearing steel, heat treated following metallurgist Dr. Larrin Thomas’s recommendations. I round and polish the spine so your thumb has a comfortable place to press during push cuts.
Fitting your own handle
The included split dowel lets you fit the blade’s flat tang into a simple round hole. Slip the tang between the dowel halves, then drill a hole in your handle blank slightly oversized for the assembled tang and dowel. The extra clearance gives you room for the epoxy and lets you adjust the blade’s alignment.
Dry-fit the assembly to check the depth and alignment. Once you’re satisfied with the fit, glue the tang and dowel into the handle with two-part epoxy. Check the alignment once more and keep the blade in position while the epoxy cures.
