Wooden body/frame knives variety (Opinel style)

[dks]

Wooden body folding knives, knives where the structure, the body, is provided by wood, without any metal liners have been traditionally used and made in Europe for centuries.
They are commonly found in many countries and the style has been exported worldwide (or maybe it was imported into Europe..). 
Some, like the ocapi, will have some metallic structure support whereas others, like the Svord rely mainly on the wooden body.

These knives are still popular, as the success of Opinel proves.

Here are some examples to show the variety available.

The French Opinel is the best known one, locking or not, coming in a variety of sizes, finishes and wood types.




The Portuguese have their own makes
Martins


Mam

Linerlock


From Italy the Old Bear, a new brand


Austria has their own version, the Trattenbacher Zauckerl


New Zealand has the Peasant knife





France has more than just the Opinel
Here is a Nontron



And an example from Greece



Most makes will come in a variety of wooden types and finishes (examples from the Opinel range)



And some wooden beauties together



Generally these are low cost, solid knives, not really suitable for diving, but easily adjusted and repaired. Most people will be able to make a basic wooden body knife with some basic tools.

[enki_ck]

That Old Bear looks interesting. I'm guessing that metal tab is some sort of a lock? How does it work, similar to the Opie or ...?

[dks]

yes

I did not go into details as I have described the various knives previously

[enki_ck]

Don't remember seeing that one, must have been during some of my offline times

[dks]

Don't remember seeing that one, must have been during some of my offline times

http://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,7623.msg1310479.html#msg1310479

[enki_ck]

Thanks, found them. Made by Antonini knives

http://www.antoniniknives.com/en/home.html

[dks]

cheap too, and they feel more solid than opinels

[SAK Guy]

Great thread!!!

[Gohard]

Do agree. Need to add okapi.

[dks]

Do agree. Need to add okapi.

I did mention ocapi, but, the version I have is the CS one, which has a plastic body.

Feel free to post any pictures of the wooden ones.

[Corwyn]

Loving my Taramundi 

[magentus]

Great thread dks  How thick is the Old Bear compared to the opinel? It looks like a lovely alternative and interesting that it feels more solid.

[dks]

Nice knife corwyn

Mag, in the last group picture it is shown next to an opinel 8

here you can see it next to a 9



It feels about the same as a 9 which is a good size for me, but there are other smaller models too

The handle has an ergonomic shape

[ThePeacent]

Nice knife corwyn

Mag, in the last group picture it is shown next to an opinel 8

here you can see it next to a 9

(Image removed from quote.)

It feels about the same as a 9 which is a good size for me, but there are other smaller models too

The handle has an ergonomic shape

Hard to beat Opinels for ergonomic grip and nice feel in the hand



But the drawback is the uncomfortable pocket carry!




They sometimes hurt if you sit on those wooden ergonomic cylinders 

[magentus]

Nice knife corwyn

Mag, in the last group picture it is shown next to an opinel 8

here you can see it next to a 9

(Image removed from quote.)

It feels about the same as a 9 which is a good size for me, but there are other smaller models too

The handle has an ergonomic shape

Sorry dks, I meant the blade thickness  I'm quite taken with that Old Bear (not something I thought I'd be saying today!)

[dks]

http://www.antoniniknives.com/en/product/108/old_beartm_knife_line.html

They have the blade thickness and the length, in cm here, for the various models.

It is a good looking knife and the locking mechanism feel very militaryish, like a gun safety.

[firiki]

dks, in your opinion, is the locking mechanism on the Antonini easy to keep clean? I'd hate it if dirt, lint and whatnot became encrusted in there rendering the lock's operation difficult. The tab looks barely adequate to provide good purchase as it is. Good looking knives though

Loving my Taramundi 

(Image removed from quote.)

I'm loving your Taramundi as well

[dks]

It is a more elegant and "precise feeling" mechanism than the one on the opinel and other french knives.

However, unlike the opinel locking ring, it does not seem to be easily removable for cleaning and adjusting.

I have not really carried it or used it, so I do not know how easy it will be to get the movement dirty.

[magentus]

It is a more elegant and "precise feeling" mechanism than the one on the opinel and other french knives.

However, unlike the opinel locking ring, it does not seem to be easily removable for cleaning and adjusting.

I have not really carried it or used it, so I do not know how easy it will be to get the movement dirty.

dks, could you carry and use it to test that lock for us please? I have some spare lint I can send you if your pockets don't contain enough for a real life trial. 

[dks]

carry it  !!
 get it out of its packaging     that will affect its value, damage the brass collar, dent the blade, scratch the walnut wood..     

Do you have any gold threads/lint - that is what NASA is using for this type of tests.

I will see what i can do, as I avoid wooden knives in the summer. Maybe I can use it for something in the weekend. 

[magentus]

carry it  !!
 get it out of its packaging     that will affect its value, damage the brass collar, dent the blade, scratch the walnut wood..     

Do you have any gold threads/lint - that is what NASA is using for this type of tests.

I will see what i can do, as I avoid wooden knives in the summer. Maybe I can use it for something in the weekend. 

I might be able to help you there. I have an old pair of Gold Lamé trousers from my showbiz days. I'll rummage around the pockets and see what I find. 

[Gohard]

Do agree. Need to add okapi.

I did mention ocapi, but, the version I have is the CS one, which has a plastic body.

Feel free to post any pictures of the wooden ones.

Thanks. Will add them in the morning.

[NutSAK]

Very cool DKS.  I had no idea there was such a variety of these!

[Kampfer]

I couldn't get onboard with Opinel because it's wooden handle swell up after it got wet.

[dks]

try their plastic range

[Kampfer]

try their plastic range

Then it is not really an Opinel anymore, it lost its character.
Maybe they should make them with diamond wood ?.

[dks]

actually, the feel is very similar. they must have spent a lot of time trying to imitate the wood feel, when you open the knife and when you use it.

[dks]

Seeing the interest, finally    , in the old bear knives I decided to post some more, detailed photographs to show the lock, the nice brass collar and pins and the decorations on the collar and the blade.

My favourite part is the perfect alignment between the wood and the metal on the collar, the fact that they are so flush, at the pivot end of the knife. It shows attention to detail. Amazon Italy has them for a good price and they ship them throughout Europe.







Flush...




Wolf....

[enki_ck]

Excellent pics of a very nice knife, thank you.

[Poncho65]

Cool thread dks I like the design of this type of knife and just recently saw the MAM knives It is cool to see a similar type knife around the world produced like these