Bored Panda got in touch with knife-smith George Dirk Britz from Britz Knives to learn more about being a craftsperson and he was kind enough to share about his profession and experience. 

“I'm an artist by nature, and also draw, paint, and sculpt. Always been a knife and weapons nerd, so it just sort of came naturally to want to make knives. Learning the craft of bladesmithing/knife making, YouTube videos, and trial and error. There was an old knife maker near me, so I worked out of his workshop for a while and learned a good few things from him as well.”

So we wanted to hear him talk about his process a bit. “What I found best for me is to figure out your own ways of doing things, as long as it's good practice and still produces great knives. I do research daily basically. It never stops. I'll get an idea of what I want to make, or in some cases the client wants, draw up the design, and then figure out ways to make it.”

Many of the creations here and on George’s Instagram look deeply complicated, the culmination of years of learning, practice, and experimentation. Indeed, many of us hardly make anything physical anymore besides dinner, so the task seems daunting. So we wanted to know how one would even go about starting. “You can basically make a knife with a hand file, hammer, and fire, lol.”

“The minimum to get started I would say is to have a 2 x 72 belt grinder (there are smaller ones but I don't think it's worth it), a bench drill, and then a way to heat treat your blade, like an electric kiln, gas forge or even a coal forge. Proper heat treatment is one of the most important things in this business. Each steel is a little different so a lot of research and also trial and error goes into it,” He shared with Bored Panda.

Lastly, he left us with some other tips about how to get into knifemaking, if that suits your fancy. “There are many bladesmiths that have open anvil/forge days where people can go there and try it out for the first time or, to keep learning more and improve their skills. Probably a good place to start.” You can find more of George’s creations on his Instagram page. 

Humans have been carving pieces of wood for over ten thousand years, as the oldest wooden sculpture that has been found is thought to have been made around twelve thousand years ago. Called the Shigir Idol or Shigir Sculpture, it depicts a face atop a long, wooden pole. Researchers believe that stone tools were used to fell the tree and carve out this ritual object. 

While the annual rings from the tree (a larch) are still visible on the Idol, those ancient humans did take the time to carve out “ribs” and facial features to designate that this represents a human or humanoid figure. Some anthropologists note that the arrangement of the idol is similar to Native American totem poles. 

In general, woodworking is among the oldest of human “hobbies” although we have to assume much of it was practical. Nevertheless, items like the Shigir Idol do indicate that some early humans took time out of their day to make something without a tangible benefit. This means that the artistic spirit that many of the creators in this list possess is a time-honored human tradition. 

Our ancestors were often a lot more creative than we might give them credit for. Unfortunately, wood is a lot harder to preserve than metal or stone, meaning that a lot of early woodwork is irreversibly lost. Nevertheless, archeologists have found everything from coffins to folding chairs, all made in pre-metal cultures. Many existing examples are from ancient Egypt, where wooden creations would be preserved in tombs. 

So if you are feeling inspired, perhaps look into a class or just get a knife, some wood and start whittling. If you truly do hate it, you’ll find out pretty quickly, but you may also discover that you actually love it. And if you are in the mood for more woodworking creations, Bored Panda has got you covered, check out our other article on creative woodworking designs.