Black Locust Handled Knives

A few years ago I collected a quantity of Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) storm wood from a planted grove on the grounds of the Ethan Allen Homestead Museum. I was surprised to find it to be figured with what is sometimes called tiger striping, curly or ghosting. This anomaly may be caused by damage or disease. It results in strange light refracting patterns in the wood. The Black Locust tree is extremely adaptive, the wood is hard, brittle, thorned, green/brown, loaded with resin and somewhat rot resistant. The resin makes it difficult to finish as it browns and blackens with the friction of smoothing operations. So in my endeavors to create useful items from found and repurposed material I decided to try to make some knives using this wood and scrap iron. The results are rough renditions and not intended to be gallery objects. Found “metal”, black locust wood, copper rivets and linseed oil are the main components. The second knife from the top is a neck knife I just finished for my Alnôbaiwi friend Aaron. I have carved spoons, crucifixes and awls from this wood but that is another story.

Patrick Lamphere, “Blackhand”, VAAA, St. Francis/Sokkoki Band, Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi, #65954