There is nothing like a custom knife, and particularly one that you make yourself. Making your own from this kit is easy, and can be an enjoyable way to spend an evening, away from the blaring tv. This will be a quality evening, as you learn the basic techniques, and work with your hands assembling and shaping the pieces - all while developing these useful skills. Moreover, you may feel very proud of the finished knife, not only because of its beauty, but because you made it yourself. This will give your knife much more meaning than a store bought one.
The Ray-Way Knife with a Cliff Rose spacer
Knifemaking is one of my hobbies and I find it most enjoyable. Making a knife gets me away from the daily distractions, and affords a bit of personal space and time to think. But most of all, I love making beautiful knives, fashioning them in various creative ways, and using them in the wilds - for preparing food, cleaning fish, making shavings for starting the campfire, carving wooden components for the bow drill method of primitive firemaking, for whittling, cutting basketry materials, and many other uses around camp. These knives would also be indispensable in a survival situation.
So in offering these kits I am introducing this interesting and creative hobby to anyone else so interested, and helping to pass along the art.
How do you make this knife?
Our knife kit is intended as a beginner's project, and can be assembled without power tools. The wooden handle comes in pre-drilled pieces. After gluing them together around the blad, you shape the handle to suit - by rasping, filing, sanding, or by carving with a second, sharp knife. Alternatively, you could use an electric disk grinder or belt sander.
Once you have shaped the the handle, you smooth it with the sandpaper, then apply a special varnish-type oil to waterproof and protect the wood, and to enhance its natural beauty.
That is all there is to it! Simple, yet the knife you create will be very beautiful and meaningful, and one-of-a-kind.
The Ray-Way Knife Kit, Made by Will L.
Each Knife Kit contains complete instructions, written by R.J. These guide you through the construction process, step by step.
The kit comes with a factory-made knife blade, known as the Mora by Frosts of Sweden. This company is world famous for making bades with very sharp and exceptionally durable edges. However, our blades were custom made to our specifications, and have no factory stamp or etching of any kind, freeing your completed project of such distractions.
the blade is stainless steel, 4" in length, and features an extra-wide, 10° bevel, making for easy sharpening when necessary. All this for only 0.9 ounces!
For making the handle, we select exotic woods from the forest in the vicinity of our Connection Camp in Arizona. We choose each piece very carefully, for the best looking knives. Thise woods are not meant to be "clear," or blemish-free. To us, small knots, streaks, and color and grain variations within the pieces give them individuality and enhance the beauty of the finished handle. The more variation, the less the handle looks like plastic.
Cliff Rose handle
From our instructions:
Please do not photocopy our instructions, or loan them to someone else. Our instructions are for ONE knife kit only. Your respect for our work will help keep us in business! Thank you!
WARNING: Working with a sharp blade can be dangerous!
Before starting on this kit, please tape the blade to protect yourself from the sharp edge and point. (We recommend something like Scotch tape.) Leave the tang exposed, but cover the entire blade with at least three layers of adhesive tape. Then leave that tape in place until you have finished your project. Remember: your hands have a host of nerves and tendons that would be very expensive to repair surgically.
With reddish tail-spacer
Optionally, you can add a distinctive reddish tail-spacer, shown above. See our Order Form.
"I want to thank you for the great knife kit that I purchased not long ago. I feel the instructions and everything included made it simple yet a very satisfying and rewarding project." -Steven S.
Eric S.
"Here is the knife I completed recently. An enjoyable project, the instructions were clear, I really liked being able to decide the shape of the handle and work with the wood. Thanks" -Andy S.
Ben B.
We developed the knife kits for use at our Connection Camps. The fall of 2004, each student made one - using no power tools of any kind- and each one turned out fabulous!
"I purchased your knife kit. Got whittling at the dining room table this weekend and came up with the knife in the photo. It's pictured on a woolen cloak from a period Viking costume I also made. I plan to make a sheath for this knife, and think I'd better order some more knife kits for gifts--this was great fun!" -Jordan S. , Ontario
"I finished the knife yesterday. Couldn't be happier with it (I think I've found a new hobby). Thanks for the great kit! I think you can tell I custom fit the handle for my hands. I worked the notches so they weren't real deep, I didn't want to weaken the wood around the tang to much. The notches gave me a better grip with my right hand, improves the grip with the left, and would help keep the knife from slipping especially if wet or my hands are cold. I haven't done the sheath yet, but did purchase one. I used a small rounded rasp, a large flat rasp, and sand paper to work the handle. Once I got it shaped and sanded, I only used the finishing oil you supplied." -Steve K.
"I just wanted to show you my completed Ray-Way knife and sheath. I found your instructions to be very complete and easy to follow. Both the knife and sheath were much easier to craft than I had imagined and my friends can't believe that I actually made them!
"The sheath was easy to sew. I enlarged the holes as you recommended with an ice pick. I couldn't believe that such large holes would ever shrink closed but they did.
"And talk about light! The completed knife only weighs 2 ounces - the same as an Opinel #8! The knife and sheath together weigh just under 4 ounces. This is the perfect backpacking knife!
"All in all, this was a great project, aided by your superb materials and instructions. Thanks again," -Brent P.
"I loved the kit and the instructions and the way everything went together just as the instructions said. The alligator juniper in the middle of the handle is much more beautiful than the pictures can show--it has fiddle and the colors change from a glowing golden yellow to a light brown as it is tipped in the light. I hated to use the sealer on it because now I can not enjoy its smell which was wonderful.
The color of the sheath was a great surprise--I had an old bottle of leather dye that was labeled "dark brown"--but upon application and drying it came out a navy blue. At first I was really disappointed because it wasn't what I was expecting at all, but now it is kind of growing on me. At least it is unique! Also if you look closely at the sheath you can see where I added a belt loop so that I can carry this beautiful knife. The belt loop was the final step of the sheath so the bottom of it had to be top stitched.
I'm looking forward to ordering more knives! Thank you so much for putting the kits together." -Dick M.
We always encourage everyone to experiement, but the reason we did not include a belt loop in the sheath's design was that if the knife is sharpened to an extremely fine edge, it would pass through the leather sheath (any leather sheath) with surprising ease. Such a knife & sheath could not be worn safely on the belt, carried in a pocket, or hung around the neck.
"I loved the kit and the instructions and the way everything went together just as the instructions said. The alligator juniper in the middle of the handle is much more beautiful than the pictures can show--it has fiddle and the colors change from a glowing golden yellow to a light brown as it is tipped in the light. I hated to use the sealer on it because now I can not enjoy its smell which was wonderful. I'm looking forward to ordering a backpack kit, one person quilt, and more knives! Thank you so much for putting the kits together." Dick M.
"I appreciate your wonderfully designed kits, and continually marvel at the simplicity and genius of the directions. My knife has been complete for a while now, and every time I see and hold it I am overcome with joy. It is just as beautiful as anything I have ever seen on a trail." Nate O.
"The leather sheath kits are superb! The instructions and materials are flawless. Thank you for the continued inspiration and integrity you bestow to this wonderful life. This art is highly rewarding. With gratitude" Will L.
"I finished my knife yesterday. Couldn't be happier with it. I think I've found a new hobby. Thanks for the great kit!" Steve K.
"The instructions were well written and the sheath went together easily." Ken C.
"I am buying these as the perfect gift for an outdoorsman." George H.
"These knife and sheath kits look great. My husband and I will each make a set. Thank you!" Cora H.
"I have been looking at the photos of the gorgeous knives with sacred wood from the connection camp, and could not resist ordering one." Richard M.
"My son and I made our first knives and sheaths with your kits. We now want to get some other folks into it. Here is my order for two more sets. Thanks for a good product." Todd P.
"I am writing to thank you for providing an excellent service. I ordered your knife and sheath kits on Tuesday, and received the order on Thursday. This proves that you processed my order extrememly efficiently. I have put the knife together and have just started working the handle into shape. I look forward to finishing the project and putting the tool to good use. Thank you very much for your great products." Eric C.
I finished the knife kit this summer. This is the first knife and first whittling project I've ever done. I wasn't sure what to do with the blank block of wood, so I just started cutting and looking at other knives. The handle just worked it's way out of the wood. Your instructions were perfect. We've used the knife around the house and it's surprisingly
sharp! -Steve S.
Questions:
"Ray, I wanted to ask you some advice on my knife handle. I sharpened the blade the other night and then I sliced on a piece of Juniper to test it. But while I put pressure on the contoured butt-cap with my out stretching pinkie-finger, the buttcap broke off. The break showed 3/4 of the glue surface, and 1/4 with the adjacent piece towards the blade. My suspicion is that I might not have used enough epoxy on that piece. I've used the knife for months, cutting out spindles and notches and such, with great success. I want to repair it, so should I use the same glue? Do you have any additional advice?" -Nate O.
Nate: The butt cap breaking off would indicate that the epoxy had gelled (partially cured) prior to being applied to the joint. This is easily repaired by sanding off most of the cured epoxy, applying a fresh coat of wet epoxy to both surfaces, and repositioning them back together. Gelled epoxy is a very poor adhesive because it does not bond to anything very well. Even though it might still seem reasonably wet, the moment it shows the slightest signs of thickening it must be discarded.
