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Ray Mears Crooked Knife



Ray Mears Bushcraft

Ray Mears Crooked Knife

£80.00

Weight: 120 g         19 reviews
The Ray Mears Crooked Knife is a high quality woodcarving tool made from O1 carbon steel and finished with a beautiful ash handle. Each knife is handmade to a design of Ray's own specification by the esteemed British blacksmith Andy Kirkham.

Ray requested Andy's help in the summer of 2013, when he needed a number of custom crooked knives made for use on Woodlore's first ever Birch Bark Canoe Building course. These specialist tools performed so well during the intensive week-long project that it was an obvious choice to begin stocking them for other budding woodworkers to get their hands on.

The blade of the Ray Mears Crooked Knife has been designed with a far mellower curve than is often seen, meaning it functions more like a one-handed drawknife than your standard crooked knife. It is this feature which makes the Ray Mears Crooked Knife better suited to projects where long, flat panels of wood are needed, such as when building canoes, paddles or snowshoes, to give just a few examples.

This tool comes complete with a fitted handle of oiled ash. The handle has been carefully designed and shaped to aid easy carving over long periods of time.

Andy Kirkham produces a number of items for both Ray and Woodlore, including our ever-popular Steel Strikers.

Details:
  • Blade length: 95 mm
  • Overall length: 280 mm
  • Handle circumference: 100 mm
  • Steel: O1 Carbon Steel
  • Handle: Ash with oil finish
  • Weight: 120 g
  • Handmade by Andy Kirkham
  • Exclusive to Woodlore
  • Subtle Andy Kirkham engraving

  Under UK law, this item can only be sold to persons over 18 years of age. Woodlore will need to verify your age before your order is dispatched and a check will also be carried out upon delivery. This item cannot be delivered to a locker.

Out of Stock in one size:

•  Left Handed


This item is out of stock in one size. To be notified by e-mail as soon as new stock is released in a particular size,  please sign up for a restocking notification below.

Shipping

  Delivery in 1-2 days within the United Kingdom
  UK Orders placed before 2PM GMT will be dispatched the same working day
  Overseas delivery times will vary depending on the destination


Please note that our offices are closed at weekends, so any orders placed after 2PM GMT on a Friday will not be dispatched until the following Monday.

Orders with a total value over £300.00 will be dispatched free via a next day delivery service within the UK at no extra cost.

Please note that in some instances, orders for heavy items may take an extra day to arrive.


  Overseas deliveries
For overseas deliveries, please refer to the following estimated delivery times:

  • Europe: 3 - 5 working days
  • Rest of the world: 5 - 7 working days

Returns

A full refund or exchange will be given provided that the items have not been worn or used, and are returned to us within 30 days of purchase, together with all relative labels and packaging. You are responsible for the cost of returning items.

Please ensure that you include a copy of your invoice, along with an explanation of why you have returned your goods. If you wish to return your goods for any reason, please do so to the following address:

Woodlore Limited
PO Box 3
Etchingham
East Sussex
TN19 7ZE
United Kingdom

Product Reviews

Ray Mears Crooked Knife is rated 5/5 based on 19 customer reviews.

All of our product reviews are from customers with verified purchases.

Overall Rating:

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  1 of 19

  Beautifully made and finished item with great functionality. The blade profile is suited to a number of wood shaping tasks. The gentle curve makes it versatile, so that it has use for both curved and straight pieces. Fast delivery. Thank you. Highly recommended!  

  Lindsey Hill
7th January, 2024

Rated: 5/5

  2 of 19

  Wanted to try one of these for a while but funds and stock prevented me. It arrived in a jiffy bag with multiple layers of bubble wrap and yellow/black electrical tape around the blade. Unlike most carving knives I have tried the handle is actually big enough to grip properly with out the fear of griping the blade. The whipping around the handle feels like there is a lot of glue, but considering coping on to a couple other caving knives. The blade is clean and mirror like with a single bevel, ground like a chisel, have yet to check the angle, though plenty sharp enough to start with, sharpening will be interesting. My complaints are the price and no sheath, a soft leather (4mm) double stitched edge sheaf, was made so I had something. As for use and durability I have only used it for a couple afternoons (greed wood), the edge is still alright and no complaints from my hands. With most things I would want to use for a while before I know if I would recommend or not. If not for my complaints then I would be leaning to recommend this knife.  

  Dragokats
16th August, 2022

Rated: 4/5

  3 of 19

  From Canada, I received the best crooked knife. Nice build, I love it. Also fast shipping, thank you.  

  Daniel Whissell
15th August, 2022

Rated: 5/5

  4 of 19

  An interesting variant to my other crooked knives with a blade that doubles up for a draw knife on smaller pieces. The workmanship is superb and a beautifully mounted to the aesthetically pleasing handle. I may need to rework the angle on the handle just a fraction to suit my personal grip. The blade was sharp straight out of the excellent protective packaging requiring just a few strops and it was ready for use.  

  Darrel Singh
24th March, 2022

Rated: 5/5

  5 of 19

  I bought this in the hope of replacing a draw knife for bow making. Can’t say it proved as efficient as a draw knife for my purposes, but it’s sure lighter than a shaving horse. I have no other crook knives to compare this to, but I do know it’s very sharp, cuts like a dream and feels great in the hand.  

  Aron Browne
2nd September, 2020

Rated: 5/5

  6 of 19

  It is a truely beautiful knife, it sits well in the hand. I am not used to this knife yet and it is going to take some time to really develop my skills, to get the best from it. The knife was sharp, lovely polished surface, the handle is a comfortable shape, smooth wood, the binding is beautifully done, my arm and hand tires easily using this knife, because it's a different movement for the arm and hand. I am sure that as I use it more, I will truely be able to get the best from it, like anything it's a learning process. My ultimate aim for buying this knife is to make some snow shoes, small ones first, not much chance of using them in the south of England, but its having and developing the knowledge to make whatever you desire. I'm sure knife and myself will get on great. Woodlore, would it be possible to get leather covers for this crooked knife to protect myself and the knife, something like the spoon knife sheaths. That would really finish the whole product off beautifully.  

  Caroline Light
15th December, 2019

Rated: 5/5

  7 of 19

  My knife was delivered promptly, and I was highly impressed by the overall high quality of the tool; everything from the very high attention to detail of the finished product, the use of a lovely piece of ash wood for the handle and the quality craftsmanship of the blade which was as sharp as a razor out of the package. So much so that it took the most tiny and exquisitely painful sliver of skin of my finger as I was unwrapping it. As it is an unusual tool to use to begin with, it took a little while to master the intricacies of it, but I've got the hang of it now without too much more blood being shed. The main reason I bought it was that I am a great admirer of Ray Mears, especially for the programme he made in Canada where he lent his assistance to the construction of the Birch Bark Canoe, which I could watch endlessly and without boredom as a sort of relaxation or calming therapy. I never bother doing any sort of a review for anything that I buy but as you had the professional courtesy to follow up on your request for a review I thought o.k why not; and Ray Mears programmes generally have given me immeasurable pleasure over the years, so I hope that the review will be helpful as feedback to the obvious highest quality control that you have exercised over the manufacture and final delivery of the Crooked Knife.  

  Kevin Walsh
7th August, 2019

Rated: 5/5

  8 of 19

  Very well made mocotaugan. Came decently sharp, and after use has now been resharpened, which was nice and easy. The steel seems really good (it is still early days but the initial signs are positive). A great tool to have in the tool kit at home or in the bush, as it’s so versatile. Very happy with the purchase and the always great service from Woodlore.  

  Dominic Campbell
19th March, 2019

Rated: 5/5

  9 of 19

  Very nicely done and well crafted tool. The blade comes nicely sharp, has great steel and a very comfortable handle with beautiful grain. The binding is glued, so the whole assembly is really durable too. The handle size is great even for bigger hands. Although I have normal sized hands, it's comfortable even with gloves, so I like the way it is. The blade is just slightly offset, thus making work easier. Could be a bit more, but the way it is designed, is functional and historically correct too. The 'flat' part of the blade near the handle has a very slight curve, so it takes off shavings easier I guess, but it's not exactly a 'wood planer'. I would describe it as an all around carving tool / draw knife for flatening surfaces, carving handles, building canoes, etc. The curved tip is even fine enough for carving spoons I would say (not yet tested, but compared to my spoon knife). What I like too, is the fact that the knife is very light-weight and not bulky, so it doesn't add much to your carry load. Brilliant invention by the american first nations and well crafted design by Woodlore. Thank you for the fast delivery, too. God bless you!  

  Ralf Kuprasch
15th January, 2019

Rated: 5/5

  10 of 19

  This is an awesome little tool, well designed and fits the hand very well you also have the ability to refit if blade or handle are damaged, this is very handy if you're out, just pop the binding, resharpen or carve another handle and bind up again. I had to think outside the box a little when I first picked it up because you can use this tool for different applications somewhat beyond basic carving jobs. Another point to mention is the balance and ergonomics, obviously traditional, yet brilliantly functional, as if an extension of the hand, it's very comfortable and not fatiguing to use once you become accustomed to using it. For example if you suffer from aches and pains or tendonitus in the hands, the way this tool is designed is very forgiving of such conditions and will allow you to extend your carving sessions beyond normal expectations. Everything I've purchased from your shop has been such high quality and its obvious you put a lot of passion and effort into your work, respect and admiration to your team and the craftsmanship. If you are interested in handcrafting wooden items or carving of any kind you should order one of these at the nearest opportunity, very highly recommended.  

  Daniel Spain
24th July, 2018

Rated: 5/5




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