Antler Knife

Knifemaking has become one of the USA's fastest growing hobbies. This is a book that every knifemaker would love to have.

Antler Knife's detailed step-by-step instructions concern 1) selecting and preparing the material for the knife’s handle and sheath (e.g., the antler, the leather, the wood and the bark), then 2) using the material to build a classic and authentic antler knife the Scandinavian way. Most of the comprehensive and valuable instructions in this book, whose author lives in northern Sweden, concern the intricacies of working with antler, a subject in which the author has over 50 years of experience. The instructions will help you to avoid mistakes and to learn important procedures, tricks and tips so you can develop your own style.

Although the author uses reindeer antler for this knife, he explains you could also use moose or caribou antler.

The author says, “I hope this book will lower the reader’s learning threshold for working with antler, easing the knifemaker into this amazing hobby, and inspire readers to use their imagination and do something new”.

Ulf Avander has been working with antler as a material for knife handles, knife sheaths and other antler craft for more than 50 years. Over this long period he has learned both from the old masters and also from his contemporaries and has developed his own style.

Ulf lives with his wife in northern Sweden, where he enjoys creating antler knives, kosas, and other antler craft. He’s an avid sportsman who loves Sweden’s great outdoors and is often away fishing, hunting and hiking.

“…. well organized. Walks you through the steps of doing a traditional antler handle and sheath in a logical and easy to follow manner. The photography is excellent and includes nice step-by-step pictures to walk you through your builds. I have a soft spot for Scandinavian knives and have made a few with blade blanks myself. Mine are functional but not all that pretty, and I've only worked with wood for handles. After reading Antler Knife, I'm inspired to stretch my skills and give something a little better-looking a try.”