The Ultimate Pumpkin Carving Knife

Halloween is right around the corner, and one of my favorite things to do is carve pumpkins. The only problem is that store bought pumpkin carving knives are terrible! They bend, they break, and the blades are always really dull, which can make pumpkin carving frustrating. So I made a better one!

Using a few basic tools found in most small garage woodshops, I will show you how to build one of these Ultimate Pumpkin Carving Knives of your very own.

Walnut

1/16th inch Maple Veneer

Jigsaw Blade

1/8th inch Aluminum Rod

Cutting Board Finish

4 Minute Epoxy

Painter's Tape

Double Sided Tape

220 Grit Sandpaper

Scouring Pad

Xacto Knife

Utility Knife Blades

Spray Adhesive

Template

Here are the tools and materials I used for this project. These are either the exact item I used or something very similar.

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I start this project with a small block of Walnut. Using my bandsaw I split the block right down the middle. With the walnut sides cut I work on the inner layer, and for that I'm using a 1/16th inch Maple skateboard veneer. The maple veneer will go in between the walnut sides and will allow me to make a cavity for the blade to sit in as well as provide a nice decorative contrast. I use one of the walnut sides as a template and trace the outline on the veneer and cut it out on the bandsaw. Once all the pieces were cut I use some double stick tape to temporarily attach them together.

**Pro Tip**

The veneer is very thin and would most likely chip when cutting it on the bandsaw. To prevent that I'm using an MDF backer board.

For this project I made a template of the knife handle and attached it using Super 77 Spray Adhesive. With the template attached I take it over to the drill press and drill two 1/8th inch holes. These holes will be used for alignment pins in a later step.

Using my bandsaw I cut the piece to rough shape. The 3/4 inch resaw blade I have on my bandsaw doesn't handle tight curves like this all that well so I stay a good distance away from the line.

Using my combination disk and belt sander I smooth out the rough cut left behind by the bandsaw and bring the shape down to the line. The spindle sander allows me to sand areas my belt sander can't reach. After the piece was sanded I removed the template.

To transform this from just a handle to a completed knife, Ill need a blade, and for that Ill be using an old jigsaw blade. After a couple dozen woodworking projects it's no longer as sharp as it once was, but it should absolutely decimate a pumpkin!

This jigsaw blade has definitely seen better days so I attach it to a scrap piece of MDF and clean it up using a scouring pad. Look at that bad boy shine, it's as good as new!

Using a 1/8th inch aluminum rod I create the alignment pins. I cut the pins a little oversized as longer pieces are easier to work with. Ill just have to cut them down to size later on.

** Note **

Any size blade will work, however I chose to use a super thin scroll cut blade as it will allow me to maneuver inside of small areas and carve super small details that a larger blade may not be able to.

With the handle shaped, the holes drilled, and the pins cut to size I can use a spatula to separate the pieces. With the pieces separated I give them a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper.

**Pro Tip**

I used painter's tape between the layers of wood and the double stick tape. The painter's tape is easier to remove and prevents the double stick tape from leaving sticky residue on the wood

The maple veneer will allow me to make a cavity for the blade to sit in between the walnut sides. With the blade positioned where I want it, I trace it's outline using a pencil. Using an Xacto knife I follow the outline several times. A coping saw would have worked really well here, but I don't have one of those, so I improvised. The Xacto knife was a little slow, but after a few passes you will start to see a ghosting of the outline appear on the underside. Then all you have to do is trace the ghost outline to complete the cut. Once I cut it all the way through I can pop out the piece and test fit the blade.

** Note **

Don't worry if the cavity isn't perfect, the blade just needs to be able to fit inside.

To attach everything together Ill be using Total Boat 4 minute epoxy. I start by applying a thick coat of epoxy to one of the walnut sides. I probably used way more epoxy than was necessary, but I would rather have too much then not enough. I applied some more epoxy onto the alignment pins and inserted them into the holes. The alignment pins made it so easy to keep every piece lined up, all I had to do was slather each piece with epoxy and slide it down into place. Once all the pieces were in place I secured them with clamps. After letting the epoxy cure for 24 hours I removed the clamps.

Once the knife was out of the clamps I cut the oversized aluminum alignment pins to size using a hacksaw. The hacksaw goes through the aluminum like it's not even there, making quick work of this.

I may have been a little heavy handed with the epoxy so there was quite a bit of squeeze out all along the edges. To fix this I scraped it away with a utility knife blade. After a few minutes with a razor blade and some sandpaper the squeeze out is all gone.

With the excess epoxy removed I sanded the handle smooth. Now I need to address the corners which are at a sharp 90 degree angle and makes the knife uncomfortable to hold and use. To fix them I round the corners over using 220 grit sandpaper. With the corners knocked down the knife felt so much better to hold.

To finish the knife I'm using cutting board wax. It's super easy to apply and really brings out the natural beauty of the wood. I slather it on pretty thick and let it sit for about 15 minutes. After letting the wood absorb the finish I wipe away the excess and buff to a nice sheen.

With the finish applied the only thing left to do is get to carving!

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