I know its not the ideal size but the high carbon steel my friend used to make this knife keeps a real sharp edge for a very long time. Much longer than the cheap stainless steel grafting knife i received in a kit, standard paring knife, case knife etc. A bit overkill for grafting but it only takes one low effort swipe. The entire knife is about 6.5 inches, but i have big hands so its comfortable.
17 Likes
The best knife is the on that works for you, and your friend made you a wonderful one.
It looks like it is a double edge design. Are you having troubles with certain graft techniques? Iāve used both double edge and single edge knives in the past and with a bit of care you can pull off most cuts well enough to get a decent pairing of scion and rootstock.
8 Likes
Victorinox Fixed Grafting Knife Victorinox Fixed Grafting Knife
AM Lenord has some nice ones to choose from.. some cost more then 200.00.
When I started grafting.. like 4 years ago.. I bought their cheap option.. (link above) and found it to be all I need. It sharpens really wellā¦ bevel on one side. It cost like 9.00 back then.
I do mostly .. whip n tounge, modified cleft, and bark grafts.. many many successful grafts with this simple inexpensive knife.
TNHunter
6 Likes
Thank you sir! I assume the blade is single bevel. If so ill probably be ordering one soon.
1 Like
What do you think of the blade length of yours? From A.M. Leonard it looks like it is 3.25". When I went looking on the Victorinox website they have ones around the price you originally paid. I really liked the one with a blade only 2.4" long as I think it would be easier to use safely.
In the kitchen Iāve been using one of their longer paring knives, and Iāve been buying and using Victorinox chef knives for my own use and as gifts for others. Thank you to Americaās Test Kitchen and Cooks Illustrated for turning me on to the kitchen knives Victorinox makes.
5 Likes
My knife is 7 inches longā¦ the blade 3 inch.
I sharpen it with a Lansky sharpener kit/box.. it has a couple of med grit diamond rods and a couple fine grit ceramic rods.
I finish it on my old Amish leather beltā¦ and it is shaving sharp.
TNHunter
8 Likes
nice handy work for a olā fella. 
4 Likes
I pruned my greengage plum today and did some whip and tongue grafting for practice with my bladeā¦ there is no way im achieving your type of cuts with it, i get it now. Double bevel is great for bark grafting and even cleft if done with a steady hand and only doing one side of the scion, but ive never really practiced whip and tongue graftingā¦ and theres no way im making those flat of cuts for both sides with my bladeā¦ ive got a steady hand and as a barber im great with a bladeā¦ but i can admit defeat lol. I can get 1 side of a whip and tongue graft matching nice about 70% of the time, but getting both sides to match on a whip and tongue graft with my blade isnāt going to happenā¦ so i want single bevel for whip and tongue. It seems 100% worth it now to buy a blade just for grafting.
Just to make sure, the blade you recommend and linked is single bevel, right? It doesnt say online if its single or doubleā¦ and ai cant confirm, so i just want to make sure before i purchase one. Thanks
*sorry i was distracted earlier, totally missed how you said it was single bevel already . Thanks
2 Likes
Just a short side note on single bevel: depending on the technique you use and your handedness make sure to get one with the bevel on the correct side.
I sometimes graft with the blade facing away from the body since I donāt particularly like the funky ādraw blade in between thumbā movement. I know its all practice but both techniques can be done with precision if you practice enough. In that case though you need a left handed grafting knife or the bevel will be on the wrong side.
I once watched some grafting video on youtube where it showed some professional grafters modifying cheap (large) kitchen knives by grinding the blade down to the preferred shape. The advantage is a big, strong handle which allows you a firm grip. I have modified a smaller kitchen knife like that as my left hand bevel. I donāt have access to it currently so unfortunately no pictures.
All the best for your grafting and be careful to not cut yourself!
4 Likes
I have never tried grafting with a thick bladed knife (double bevel)ā¦ but do see that could be trouble making those finer flat cuts.
My blade is somewhat thin and has bevel on right side onlyā¦ the left side is flat. I am right handed.
It works very well on W/T and modified cleftā¦ which are the large majority of the grafts I make.
Occasionally when I have small diameter scion.. and rootstock that is 3-4-5 times largerā¦ I will do bark grafts. It works fine for that too.
TNHunter
3 Likes
In a different thread it was mentioned how much A.M. Leonard was charging for shipping a Victorinox āgrafting knifeā (what is actually a kitchen paring knife). Directly from the manufacturer the shipping is much more affordable. This one is the 2.4" long blade that seems to me to be enough length for grafting purposes.
2 Likes
My comment has nothing to do with knives (I use a standard utility knife/ box cutter with frequent changes of new blades), however, very impressed with the tight fit of your cleft graft. It looks like you make one edge straight vertical while the other is angled 30-45Ā°. Might explain why my grafts donāt sit so well because I try and angle both sides of the cuts on the scions.
1 Like
Im glad you made this comment. I had this concern last night. Ive never held a blade towards me and cutā¦ but i realized id have to once i saw the location of the single bevel for right handed users. So for the first time last night i tried making cuts that wayā¦ and they were consistently more smoother than cutting away from me. So i will change my technique. I feel more confident because that thick carbon steel knife was cutting scions smoother than it ever had when i cut towards me(or pulled the scions wood away) and with a thin single bevel blade, im a little more confident and hopefully ill have decent grafting success rates.
2 Likes
The red handled Victorinox fixed blade linked is quite flexible. I found that knife was tough to get good results with and I became frustrated with it. Their āfolding florist knifeā is what I use now - single bevel and unyielding. One pull bench grafts now.
This is a standard Victorinox offering and theyāre found cheaper on other sites.
2 Likes
looks like a good knife. if it works for you that is all that matters!
I donāt graft, although I will be trying this year with a grafting tool (not a knife).
I have a small collection of pocket knives, and I like to use this one in the garden when I need use of a fine task where my mora bushcraft would be overkill.
Based on most peopleās description of a sheepsfoot blade with more stiff handling characteristics, it might work well for grafting. just a guess though.
1 Like
Agreed, and I had initially searched the Victorinox site for āsheepsfootā given the shape of the blade on the knife that A.M. Leonard is offering. Other threads had suggested that blade shape for grafting purposes.
@Mcjuj.. I used a box cutter type utility knife the first year I started grafting..
1 mulberry and 4 apples.. all successful.
Andā¦ I made this nice little contraption to help me get some nice flat whip cuts on apple scion and rootstock.
I only used that the first year and only on 4 apples.
A modified cleft is a little different than a regular cleft. On the rootstock you donāt split it down the middleā¦ instead you go to one side and make a thinner split. I find modified cleft very easy to doā¦ easier than whip/tounge. I have had very good success with them too.
It works well when your rootstock is like 2 or 3 x as large as your scion.
There is a guy on youtube that demonstrates them well.
TNHunter
8 Likes
@TNHunter thanks for the video. I will try this method. He makes a very short cut on the back of the scion. And his front side scion cut is long and vertical, not angled like an arrow point. Looks pretty straightforward.
2 Likes
I just figured out your contraption lol. Very clever
2 Likes
@Mcjuj.. cant take credit for that.. saw a guy on youtube making one.
TNHunter
3 Likes