HELVIE KNIVES introduces two more in the Signature Series Knives.  The DRONE BEE ~ # 11 has the traditional straight cutting edge blade.  The CUCKOO BEE ~ # 12 has a variation of the WOOD BEE CARVER designed blade with a curved cutting edge with an extended tang.  Both knife blades are made from specialty steel that has its own unique “feel of cut”.

In earlier years when the Wood Bee Carver accumulated old and junk pocket knives to reshape into carving knives, a discovery was observed in the use of various named knife manufacturers.  No matter the manufacturer nor the country of origin made much of a difference in regards to the carve ability of a sharp blade. What was discovered was there was a slight difference of the “feel of the cut” between various knife makers.  For example a German made knife had a “feel of cut” when compared by an American made knife.  Even among American made knife manufacturers there was a “feel of cut” difference between a Schrade and a Camillus and a Case and a Remington and a Roberson and etc.  The assumed conclusion is that there was a slight difference in the way the steel was made for each manufacturer, foreign and domestic, as well as the heat treating and tempering of the steel blade that contributed to the slight difference in the “feel of cut” between various knives.

With the WOOD BEE CARVER Signature Series knives, there are five different specialty steel blade material being used to make the various knives for their own unique “feel of cut.”  One is not any better than the others because each one makes a good carving knife.  In the end it is still the “feel of cut”, the comfortable shape of the handle and the blade shape that contributes to a knife becoming a favorite to use.

Ninety nine percent of the time the Wood Bee Carver uses a curved cutting edge with an extended tang on the blade for doing Whittle-Carving.  For the other one percent, the traditional straight cutting edge knife is used for its particular “feel of cut” when a straight cutting edge is required.  That is why the DRONE BEE # 11 is available in the Signature Series while all the other Signature Series knives are based upon the WOOD BEE CARVER design of blade with its extended tang, curved cutting edge from the tang to the tip of blade and a concaved curve to the back edge. The CUCKOO BEE # 12 is a variation of that basic blade design.

The choice of which one to choose to purchase and use begins with the appearance, size and shape of the blade. The handle shapes are designed for comfort during long periods of carving time as well as being able to rotate in the hand to guide the blade in various directions of the cutting action. Any one of the WOOD BEE CARVER Signature Series will carve almost any hand held carving project and yet carvers like to have a variety of size, shape and function of various knives that are available. To see what other Signature Series knives are available; go to Main Menu to right of this posting, click on “Blog Index Map” scroll down to “Knives” category and click on any that have “Helvie” in title, in particular, “Second Generation – Helvie Signature Series”.

 Rich Smithson makes each knife one at a time with an artist’s flair and craftsman’s skill that results in an excellent carving knife.  His wife Holli and daughter Skylar are the rest of the Helvie team and all together their generosity of caring contributes to the integrity that makes the name HELVIE stand for quality and reliability.  Contact them at 765-675-8811 for your knife carving needs.