WS Woodlore

[rapidboy]

There has been a lot of discussion about Woodlore's and the difference's between the 3 version's.
From Alan Wood's hand made "original" to the "mass produced" budget WS Micarta (if you can ever call a £115 knife "budget" ) .

Having just received my third WS Micarta i am surprised at the differences between these "mass produced" versions.

All 3 here are quite different.
Obviously the difference in the micarta colour (from a dark black through grey /black to an almost green/grey/black) are understandable.

However the blade grinding is slightly different on all 3 ,the metal finish is different ranging from brightly polished to a dull matt finish and the scales are various thickness's.

All this indicates a high degree of hand finishing and each of these has quite an individual and unique character.

The description on Ray's site ,"but is more affordable as it is not hand-crafted." would lead you to believe these are all made by machine and will be identical and without character.

Just an observation.....

rb

 

[innocent bystander]

Interesting that. If you check the ws site :
http://www.wilkinson-swords.co.uk/knives/woodlore.html

For the maple, it says both 10.6cm AND 11CM ( ) , AS WELL AS hand stitched sheaf.

The micata, having machine stiched.


Apologies for the capitals, i have no idea why the keyboard on the laptop is doing that..

 

[leon-1]

Interesting observations guys

I note that it does say that the micarta version is hand rubbed which would explain the variation in finish of the blade, but it does not explain the variation in the scales

RB just curious, why 3 of them??

Are you going to re-scale one or two of them???

 

[rapidboy]

Interesting observations guys

I note that it does say that the micarta version is hand rubbed which would explain the variation in finish of the blade, but it does not explain the variation in the scales

RB just curious, why 3 of them??

Are you going to re-scale one or two of them???

One on my belt ,one baldric style and a spare in my pack - you can't be too careful out there

Seriously ,I have been thinking about a project woodlore for a while but i can't put all my idea's into one knife so I'm planning a second.
I haven't sourced all the materials yet but at least the knives are here.
I don't suppose they will be happening any time soon because i have so many unfinished projects to clear up but i will get around to them eventually.
It actually started as a drunken dare to rescale a mate's knife ,he chickened out but i decided it wasn't such a bad idea.

rb

 

[leon-1]

One on my belt ,one baldric style and a spare in my pack - you can't be too careful out there rb

What you mean like this :

"...I found it particularly ironic, my lord, because I've got a thingy
that's shaped like a turnip!...I'm a great use at parties."

"Are you."

"Yes...I hide in the vegetable rack and frighten the children..."

-- Baldrick and Edmund , Blackadder, Beer

 

[rapidboy]

What you mean like this :

"...I found it particularly ironic, my lord, because I've got a thingy
that's shaped like a turnip!...I'm a great use at parties."

"Are you."

"Yes...I hide in the vegetable rack and frighten the children..."

-- Baldrick and Edmund , Blackadder, Beer

 

[Andy]

I have a bit of a theory on this one.
I know WS outsource some work to other companies, it would make sense that they may do that for the lower cost macarta version of the knife and make the wooden one in house. It's come up in the past that the micarta and wooden ones had differences and earlier on people said the micarta ones didn't have the same quality of blade grinds.
When were these bought? Could it be that WS do outsouce them and have changed companies in between the purchase of the different knives. Maybe they just get scales made somewhere else, somewher close to where the mciarta is made for example.

 

[snag68]

I received my micarta W/S Woodlore this week. I was very impressed with the standard of finish. Could the scales be attached to the tang and then shaped and polished by hand. This would account for the slight difference in dimensions. The blade on my knife has a brushed matt finish which I prefer to the highly polished version. It only came 'semi' sharp, not a problem as a few strokes with the Syderco sharp-maker and it's like a big fat razor blade. Incidentally the handle is jet black and a lot more attractive than I imagined it to have been. The sheath is almost ox blood red.

Dazz

 

[eraaij]

rapidboy,

I would be interested to know if you encounter any differences in the RC hardness of the blades. I have one that seems to be a bit softer en the edge than my Alan Wood version. Not a big problem (it sharpens very well - no edge rolling), but still a noticable difference.

For handles - I like the WS Woodlore very much, but will probably rescale it in the future. The handles on my WS version might be a bit thicker at the back.

-Emile

 

[rapidboy]

I would say the scales are shaped on the knife ,the first and second i bought new with about 1 year between them and the third was s/h but it's unused and im not sure how old it is.
Im not saying one is better than the other ,they just all feel different in the hand.
My first has been used and sharpened a lot and i realise i have lost a little steel when i compare it to the others.
I don't have a AW Woodlore but i do have one of his bushcrafters and it doesn't seem to hold an edge better than my original WS although it does throw sparks from a firesteel better than anything else i have tried (except a grinding disc in a dremmel but please dont try that at home kid's ).

rb

 

[Andrew Middleton]

Just got hold of a micarta handled one too. I already have a AW Woodlore. I have to say I am seriously impressed with the "budget" one. The handle is beautiful and the blade came shaving sharp. I seem to have got one of the highly polished ones, as the tang looked almost stainless.

I have smaller hands and I can see the handle becoming a bonus after long-term usage. I have cleaned the AW version up and will keep that for special occasions, or until my eldest pinches the micarta for a camping trip!

 

[Doc]

Maybe someone who knows about these things will correct me, but I believe that some makers will charge more for a micata handle than a wooden one?

I too have found the workmanship of the WS Micarta to be reassuringly good. Now coming up for a year of regular use and no complaints.

 

[Andy]

Maybe someone who knows about these things will correct me, but I believe that some makers will charge more for a micata handle than a wooden one?

Yep, I guess it depends on the wood

 

[mojofilter]

Yep, I guess it depends on the wood

Or the maker

 

[zackerty]

Normally Micarta costs more, and it is harder to finish, but I prefer Micarta, as I get less hassles from unhappy customers complaining of warped wooden handles...
I do charge more, but only slightly