Glad your finger is doing better. That started a great thread to help everyone from at least learning about the gloves and to really think about what they are doing when grafting.
1 Like
Thanks Mike. I’m glad it reminds other people the danger of grafting.
1 Like
Thank you. I’m doing well. Back to grafting 
2 Likes
read this thread, went out right after to prune and cut the last grafting scions and immediately regretted not putting the gloves on. little deeper than it looks. I’ll have to tape it up all week to keep it closed. non dominant thumb pad. I’ll listen next time
5 Likes
I notice as spring progresses and the bark is closer to slipping, slight pressure in the process of making a cleft graft can really make a cut that takes off. I used the same light pressure I used on all the earlier grafts, but the utility knife just keeps going and the bark and wood is softer. These are times when I think it’s easy to slip and get cut.
My whip and tongue grafts did much better. I held the knife and scion close to my body and did a slow rocking motion to get the tongue started. If the start seemed frayed and fuzzy, I knew I was too shallow. My only issue was sometimes going too deep on the tongue, making it harder to match up correctly.
I’ve have become a huge fan of a small folding box cutter/utility knife. There are definitely differences in different brands. Changing the blade is super easy. I like the weight and handling of the Stanley folding utility knife
I use the zenport tool to make the long flat cuts and the box cutter to make the tongue or the cleft cut. I was never able to make a long flat cut that matched up well. The zenport tool takes the guesswork out for me. You can vary the length and depth of the cut by where you place the wood on the tool. The cut is always dead on flat.
The standard grafting tool never worked for me. The cuts were too short and sometimes hard to center, IMO. The protective gloves seemed a bit cumbersome and I was never a fan. I favor a slow and steady approach and while I’m not the first to the finish line, I make it there eventually.
4 Likes
I’ve learned about knives and grafting from Skillcult, especially the method of making the whip cut with a pulling motion at chest level. I still put on Kevlar gloves when making my tongue cut.
I teach grafting classes to beginners and the only graft I teach is the cleft. Slit cut in stock gets cut with a rocking motion with no hand below the knife. Then the wedge on the scion is cut with motions away from your body and off hand, never toward.
5 Likes
It takes a bit to get used to, but now it seems very simple. It has something like three elevations across the blade face and one for just cutting off ends cleanly. One is made especially for clefts as it only lets the blade cut half way through. Then slide it over to do the next side. There is also an option for chip bud and tongue cuts.
This is probably the best video from someone who is fairly new to the product.
There are other versions of a similar tool. It’s not cheap $100-110. For as many grafts as I’m doing and the difficulty I had with getting flat cuts, I think it’s worth it.
For what’s it’s worth, I have learned tons from Skillcult’s videos. I got the best cut across the chest just as you stated and he demonstrated. I was not consistent though and it took multiple tries. By then that precious scion I had bought was whittled away to a tiny twig with one bud.
5 Likes
I can vouch for the zenport, this made me get a similar cut on the rootstock and scion at great speed but I don’t use it to create tongue because it somehow damages the scion. I still use my grafting knife. Link is down below which I highly recommend.
Amazon.com : Zenport ZJ60 Shears Multi-Graft Tool, Red : Patio, Lawn & Garden
If you have mature trees there is nearly unlimited practice wood to work with. No need to learn on your precious scions.
1 Like
When I make cuts it’s either cutting away from all body parts or in most cases with some form of bracing. For instance on the cleft when cutting the slit in the rootstock there is a hand right below the cutting hand. Cut with right and block with the left. The left hand is in contact with the right. If the knife cuts right in the blade can’t go far enough to cut me.
It’s the same cutting the tongue. In this case the thumb is firmly in contact with the scion on the under side. The knife can’t slip and cut myself.
Cutting without support is asking to cut yourself or cut too deep into the wood.
It’s not easy to explain and I may be off on the positioning but I’ve never seriously cut myself.
3 Likes
Fruitnut, I think I understand what you are saying…position index fingers on the far side of the wood so that they create a block, preventing the knife from continuing on into the thumb during a tongue cut. Never tried that before. Very interesting.
On practicing…I have hundreds of suckers in my pawpaw patch which serve as great practice wood. You can really hone your skills!
1 Like
I’m glad I use the secateur to split the wood for cleft graft, I only use the knife for pealing the bark back for bark graft. For an amateur like myself, I don’t want too sharp of a knife either. My husband just sharpened the knife a little bit, it’s very dull when I purchased it.
So far so good.
Exactly. Include a physical travel limitation or stop to the potential motion of the stroke, and have all body parts outside of the direction of action of the blade, or at least significantly beyond the distance of the travel stop.
1 Like
Yes, you explained it better than I can. It’s all tightly controlled. The knife isn’t free to reach a body part.
Thanks for posting the video. I have one of these I will probably use this spring.
1 Like