Presentation box for knife

[Mike Davis]

My son is learning to butcher meat, they use a very sharp knife that he wants to protect with a locked box.

I found some nice hinges but a lock is a little more challenging, I found one on Amazon sold by UNIQANTIQ HARDWARE SUPPLY.

Anybody heard of them? This lock any good? Know of something better? Must be small to fit in the box.

https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B0788RCPFD/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=AC0BY86XEXQO7&psc=1


Instead of the hinged box, I'm thinking of maybe doing a semi-puzzle type box that has a slide out end and slide out sleeve. I'll try to sketch something later.

 

[Chris C]

Did you check Lee Valley.... They have all kinds of box/chest locks.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/Garden/page.aspx?p=52881&cat=3,43631,43632&ap=1

http://www.leevalley.com/us/Garden/page.aspx?p=41906&cat=3,43631,43632&ap=1

 

[Phil S]

I have used that type of lock and it worked fine But I like your sliding type box lid better as it just does not seem wise to mount any metal device that could accidentally be hit with the knife

 

[ehpoole]

I have used that type of lock and it worked fine But I like your sliding type box lid better as it just does not seem wise to mount any metal device that could accidentally be hit with the knife

Actually, any non-ferrous metal will be much softer than the hardened steel of the knives and so will do no meaningfully significant damage to the knife -- it would take a lot of impacts to dull the knives and even then the briefest of honing will restore the edge. That's why we can use HSS and carbide to safely cut brass and aluminum and why we use either brass, aluminum, or plastic gauges when setting up knives in our tools as they will not harm the sharp leading edges of our (planer, jointer, router, etc.) knives. It's like trying to dull a monocrystalline diamond with a piece of steel -- eventually you would succeed but you'll have to really work for it for a good while before you do much damage to the diamond edge due to the considerable difference in hardness between the two materials.

But, Mike, I've really got to ask... What did that meat ever do to your son that he would be so determined to butcher it? Must of been some spoiled rotten meat to earn that fate!

 

[Mike Davis]

Well, I don’t want to get into a religious discussion. But he converted to the Jewish faith and has been taking a course on kosher slaughter of small animals. He is in school in Jerusalem and will be continuing in NYC when he returns from Israel. He will be a Rabbi when he finishes school. And , no, I’m not Jewish. But, my great-grandmother was.

The first three weeks of the course were devoted to sharpening this knife. It is not your normal everyday butcher knife and it is not just sharp, but surgically sharp. Any slight nick requires a complete resharpening. Not a quick hone.

But the reason for the box is to keep curious youth from getting hurt. Every summer he teaches wilderness survival at a mountain camp in Colorado. He has been a Cub and a Boy Scout since he was 6 yo and reached the Eagle when he was 17. He worked at the Scout camp in New Mexico for two summers, worked repairing trails in three National Parks, canoed in Canada for two weeks, camped three days in the desert in Israel, and is certified in Leave No Trace and wilderness medical emergency response.

 

[ehpoole]

Well, I don’t want to get into a religious discussion. But he converted to the Jewish faith and has been taking a course on kosher slaughter of small animals. He is in school in Jerusalem and will be continuing in NYC when he returns from Israel. He will be a Rabbi when he finishes school. And , no, I’m not Jewish. But, my great-grandmother was.

The first three weeks of the course were devoted to sharpening this knife. It is not your normal everyday butcher knife and it is not just sharp, but surgically sharp. Any slight nick requires a complete resharpening. Not a quick hone.

But the reason for the box is to keep curious youth from getting hurt. Every summer he teaches wilderness survival at a mountain camp in Colorado. He has been a Cub and a Boy Scout since he was 6 yo and reached the Eagle when he was 17. He worked at the Scout camp in New Mexico for two summers, worked repairing trails in three National Parks, canoed in Canada for two weeks, camped three days in the desert in Israel, and is certified in Leave No Trace and wilderness medical emergency response.

I was just giving you a hard time as the wording just happened to leave me with a funny visual. I'm just happy to hear that your son has found a path that works for him and I think we all wish him the very best on his journey.

What I do know for certain is that whatever you come up with will be a work of art in its own right and I should think your son would cherish it very much.

 

[Jeff]

The first three weeks of the course were devoted to sharpening this knife. It is not your normal everyday butcher knife and it is not just sharp, but surgically sharp. Any slight nick requires a complete resharpening. Not a quick hone.

I was curious about this and began searching "Kosher slaughter", etc. These are not your everyday knives and they've gotta be kept absolutely flawless and impeccable to be used in a truly kosher slaughter (aka, Skechita).

http://www.thekosheromnivoresquest.com/blog/deconstructing-kosher-slaughter-part-2-the-basics

http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/160862/kosher-slaughter-knifemaker

 

[Bear Republic]

Thanks Mike and Jeff, that was very interesting. As for German and his craft, you can always learn from a Craftsman. I'm off to go look up Hala butchering and see the differences.

 

[TENdriver]

Really neat discussion.

 

[Graywolf]

I'm finding this one to be very interesting, I knew that kosher butchering was very specific, I just never have looked at it that close before. Honoring and maintaining tradition in all cultures is important to maintain the knowledge of craft.

 

[Mike Davis]

I have a friend that spends hundreds of hours every year researching and studying native crafts, he is a Human Being. Only a few will know what that means without google.

He teaches non-natives the craft in a limited way, thoroughly but not completely. For natives he teaches all the history, the stories, direct lineage of the way it was passed down through family, and much of it in his native tongue. Not only do they learn how to make an object, they learn why and who passed it to them. And most importantly they learn the same way their ancestors did.