Thread: Sami Knife

Very nice, I’m green with envy, can I adopt your son?

That is a great gift. Much better than the typical mug or t-shirt [emoji6]

I had the pleasure on one of trips to Finland to visit Marttinii's factory outlet. They are pretty well known for their traditional puukko knives in Finland. They had some very beautiful knives. More than €1000. Absolute pieces of art.

I could only afford their base model... I do actually use it every now and then. It's hanging on my tool wall. Would also be a good knife for outdoors I assume. At least that is what the Fins use it for.



Yours is much nicer off course.

Sent from my SM-G781B using Tapatalk

One small nit picky point, but I mention because it may add to your enjoyment of the item. I think the timber is Karelian or masur birch, which has that pattern distributed through the entire trunk rather then being localised like a burl. I think the current thinking is that it is a hereditary mutation rather then being due to trauma or insect damage. I guess Wikipedia will sort it out.

Arron

Thanks for that extra information. I was only repeating my son's information. Karelian did not produce much information but Masur Birch certainly seems to bear out your take on the wood. Using something that is part of the whole tree would be superior to a burl as it has little structural strength.

Regards
Paul

CK

Your Finnish knife has that basic essence to it and exudes strength. At 1000 Euros for top of the line I can quite understand your choice! Thank you.

Regards
Paul

Um that’s called a Score, it also shows your excellent parenting skill, child arrives back at the mother country bringing captive’s[emoji6] an a gift.
To the hallow father.

Well done Paul.

Originally Posted by DJ’s Timber

Very nice, I’m green with envy, can I adopt your son?

DJ

Sure can. I will forward Norwegian address. But......be careful what you wish for! His middle name is Charles, but knowing what we do, if we were naming him now, we would choose "irreverent." This is as he passes into middle age.

Regards
Paul

Originally Posted by Bushmiller

...there are very few reindeer in Millmerran...

Well, now that you have the knives, you'll need to correct that problem - ask your son to bring you some reindeer on his next trip.

Dear Santa,
Just a note, to warn you to be careful in the vicinity of Millmerran on December 25.................

Paul, thanks for sharing.

Nice knives!

Back in 2018 my wife and I joined the 10-day woodturning cruise along the Norwegian fjord coastline. The primary focus onboard was woodturning and for the partners of the woodturners there were several other organised activities, including one on making a Sami knife and sheath over the ten days with two knife making instructors, one of whom I believe was Sami.

One thing I picked up from sitting with the knife making instructors over lunch one day (there was a lot of that on the voyage), I asked about the steel they were using and was told they favoured Swedish steel (Uddeholm or maybe Sandvik), so perhaps one of those steel was used in those knives of yours, Paul.

The other thing I remember is the participants in the knife making workshop sitting about and shaping the hide sheaths over their knives, which they did with small pieces of whale bone. It seemed to an onlooker that that process took quite some time and that a close tight fit was considered important. I can see how that would add to the price that would need to be charged for a completed knife and sheath. I also got the impression that the pieces of whalebone used to smooth and fit the sheaths were also valuable in themselves.

Some Japanese knife smiths like Uddeholm high carbon steel and harden it at +60HRC. They can get away with this when they laminate the harder steel with softer iron cladding. With unlaminated knives the hardening needs to be below 60HRC or they will be too brittle in use and definitely if struck to split wood!

Neil

What a wonderful way to spend ten days!

We are still travelling for the moment so I have not been able to evaluate the knives in anger. When I come to sharpen them, the ease of accomplishing that will give some indication of hardness. However, as you have suggested, if they use them like a froe for splitting wood they will not be super hard like the JP knives.

Your comments on the sheath, I think, are right on the money. The smaller knife is simply retained, but the larger knife is inserted easily to within 50mm and then when pushed harder goes another 25mm in a really snug fit, which is really worth remarking on, except that I didn't. It takes quite an effort to withdraw the knife, although not on the same level as Excalibur. I would describe it as almost a vacuum fit and it is unlikely the knife would bounce out.

Regards
Paul