2025-05-30 – Beginner Knifemaking and Tool Making (In-Person)

Schedule: 

May 30-June 1 (9:00-5:00 pm CT)

Instructor: 

K.J. Groven

Location: 

This is an in-person class held at Vesterheim Folk Art School in the knifemaking classroom. 

You might wonder where to start if you want to make knives. Maybe you don’t want a fancy Norwegian belt knife that is too nice to use or maybe that is exactly what you want! Either way, this class is for you. The goal is to set you up with some simple and very useful hand tools that can be made from cheap materials found in the local hardware stores and to learn the basics of traditional Norwegian knife making with a pre made knife blank and sheath making.

We will go back to basics and hand carve a handle. This is something KJ still does from time to time. By making one by hand, it will be much easier for you to understand this process when you graduate to power tools, and, yes, you can make a knife without power. The knife project will be more like a knife for carving than a fancy belt knife. Then we will make a traditional Norwegian sheath from vegetable tanned leather, with or without a belt hoop. Decoration and finishes of the leather will also be explored.

For knifemaking tools, we will make an awl and a tool for pauting (modelin) leather. We will also make two tang saws, one will be made from scratch with push and pull teeth.

Level of Instruction: 

Supplies: 

Enrollment Deadline: 

Click here to learn more about instructor KJ Groven.

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