A stock knife is a large, straight bladed long handled
knife
A knife ( : knives; from Old Norse 'knife, dirk') is a tool or weapon with a cutting edge or blade, usually attached to a handle or hilt. One of the earliest tools used by humanity, knives appeared at least 2.5 million years ago, as evidenced ...
with a hook at the far end. The hook is engaged into an eye in the workbench and allows the workman to exert great force when required. The knife back and handle were made of
wrought iron
Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag Inclusion (mineral), inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a ...
to give flexible strength, while the blade had a thin sheet of
blister steel
The cementation process is an obsolete technology for making steel by carburization of iron. Unlike modern steelmaking, it increased the amount of carbon in the iron. It was apparently developed before the 17th century. Derwentcote Steel Fur ...
on the top side to give a razor sharp edge. It was used solely in the production of
clog
Clogs are a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. Used in many parts of the world, their forms can vary by culture, but often remained unchanged for centuries within a culture.
Traditional clogs remain in use as protective f ...
soles. The Carter family at High Burton had a virtual monopoly, almost all surviving blades are stamped Henry Carter, though other family members also left their mark.
The stock knife is distinguished from other such knives, for instance pegging knives, in that the blade chamfer is on the underside in order to achieve concave cuts. It is also notable for having the smallest gap between blade and hook to facilitate carving the clog heel. Stock knives used by the block cutting gangs, who carved rough cut crude blocks to be finished in clogmaking shops, often had a few more inches of offset set into the handle arm.
References
External links
Jeremy Atkinson British clog making videosRough cuttingHollowingUppersClaspsClog and Pattern
Knives
{{Knife-stub