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Matt Estlea

Snakewood & Bronze Marking Knife

Snakewood & Bronze Marking Knife

Regular price £115.00 GBP
Regular price Sale price £115.00 GBP
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Expertly crafted, the Snakewood Marking Knife is a must-have for woodworking enthusiasts. The stunning wood handle and metal ferrule provide a comfortable grip and improved precision. Indulge in the exquisite quality of this marking knife and elevate your woodworking projects to the next level.

Every marking knife comes with 2 blades and a hex key for easy blade changes.

Years of testing, prototyping and development has gone into this, and it’s finally available for you to experience.

SKU:SW15

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Marking Knife - Additional Info

Age Restrictions (18+)

To purchase knives from this site you must be over eighteen years of age. It is a criminal offence to sell knives, knife blades or razor blades to anyone under the age of eighteen.

Thin Blade

The blade this handle is made to fit is roughly 0.7mm thick meaning it can get into the thinnest of gaps with ease. The situation I find this is useful is when transferring the tails to the pins when dovetailing. But in reality, it can be used for all sorts of woodworking applications, both fine and rough.

Rigid

Despite being thin, the blade is still surprisingly rigid compared to a normal scalpel blade. There is a small amount of deflection if you're comparing it to a thick Japanese marking knife, however you quickly get used to it. You will be surprised how little pressure it takes to score a thin, accurate, crisp line with this thing.

Double Bevel

I've often had people questioning how easy it is to use a double bevel knife as opposed to a single bevel. Mainly, how do you run it up against an edge, and how do you stop it from digging in? Realistically, this comes down to practice and gaining muscle memory when holding the knife at a particular angle. It doesn't take long to master. I can vouch for this both in my personal experience, and when I've observed my students switch to this design.

Sharpening

Sharpening knives often has to be done freehand, meaning it's very easy for a beginner to quickly make a dogs dinner of a marking knifes bevel. These blades however are easily sharpened. Simply dispose of the blunt blade in a safe manner, and replace it with a new one! They cost pennies when you buy them in larger packs and will last you for years. It also means you no longer have to feel guilty about opening packaging, removing glue, or cutting up sausages with your shiny marking knife.

Custom Handle

The material of the handle and ferrule is entirely up to you. Do you need it? Absolutely not. You can just as easily buy a cheap handle from Amazon to suit your blade and it will work fine. But purchasing one of my handles will help support me in what I do, and provide you with the luxury you deserve!

Finish

Your knife is protected in 3 different finishes, each serving their own purpose in adding to the durability, the feel, and the aesthetics of the knife. It takes a long time and a lot of care. If you'd like to know more about this process, see my blog post here.


I really don't want to sell this as a product you need to own. It really isn't. However what I can promise you is upon opening the box for the first time, you will be blown away by the look, feel and control this tool will provide you. It really will be a tool you can treasure for life.

Customer Reviews

Based on 52 reviews
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E
Eleri Cusick
Generous delivery

I ordered 2 lots of 10 blades to go with 2 knives I was purchasing. I received a box of 50! Thanks for the generosity. They should keep us going for quite some time.

E
Eleri Cusick
A joy to use

Bought this as a present to myself (at the same time as buying one as a present for a friend). They are beautifully packaged adding to the joy in use. It feels lovely in the hand, and is a delight

E
Eleri Cusick
Beautiful knife

I bought this as a Christmas present for a friend who hasn't seen it yet but it is beautifully packaged and as I bought one for myself I have already experienced the joy of using such a tactile tool

G
Glen King
So nice I've bought it twice!

The title says it all really. Last year I pulled the trigger on buying a Purple Masur Birch Marking Knife from Matt and the craftsmanship and quality was outstanding. Finding out he's decided to make some newer knifes in conjunction with the woodland heritage I couldn't turn down buying another one. He's definitely a master of his craft as these knives are pristinely made, well worth the money. This marking knife lives in my workshop at work whilst my masur birch one lives in my home workshop. I could probably find an excuse to get a third one. Cheers Matt ... Ohh and Rob!

j
jef grainger
Lovely marking knife!

Complete package - beautiful wood that looked exactly like in the website pics, a fab design - clearly a labour of love to get 'just so' - beautifully ergonomic and weighted in the hand, and offers a level of precision above and beyond anything else i've used (and i've tried a few...). So good i immediately bought a second, so i could have two different blade styles (i prefer shape SM01 for dovetail marking but SM03 for general marking). Beautifully packaged too - Matt has really thought about all aspects of the presentation and finishing - for an unassuming product, it packs a punch.