# Bread Bow Knife



## chopsaw (Apr 29, 2021)

Was looking around Etsy for a new project , and saw a " Fiddle bow bread knife " Interesting idea . Never saw one before . Pretty basic on the shape , but no reference to size . Be good way to use up some scrap , just have to figure the size and try to find some blades . 
Very next morning I get on the forum and 

 BGKYSmoker
 has posted one that his wife got for him . Perfect . Rick supplied me with some numbers . I made the comment I'll have to see if I can find the blades .  Short time later he also sends  me a link to blades with covers . " Click " 5 blades on the way . 
So into the shop and glued up some scrape . Layout the shape , get it roughed out . Next day I get it to finish size and sanded . So I'm thinking now all I need are the blades . 
Coming up the basement steps , Ding Dong . That's the blades . Back downstairs to finish up . 
Here's what I ended up with . 
Some PA. Maple glued up from the scrap box 






 Roughed out , and pretty close to finished size .









Blades . Insanely sharp . Like a serrated razor blade .





I was hoping the blades fit . I got lucky .









Haven't had a chance to try it yet , but I bet it works great on crusty bread . 
Just funny how this fell together . Went from talking about it to finished in a day and a half . 


 BGKYSmoker
 so thanks for the help with the numbers and providing a link for the blades . 
Pairs up nice with the boards .









Thanks for looking .


----------



## kilo charlie (Apr 29, 2021)

That's fantastic !!! Great work on getting them completed so fast too! 

I'd definitely be interested in the "details " as well.. my hands always need something to do !


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 29, 2021)

kilo charlie said:


> That's fantastic !!! Great work on getting them completed so fast too!


Thanks Charlie . I have the shop set up pretty good . Makes fast work of stuff that way . 
I always make a poster board template when I get things like this where I want it . I can get you the link Rick sent me and some numbers .


----------



## Brokenhandle (Apr 29, 2021)

Looks pretty cool! Now you need to hurry up and figure out what your next new project will be! You are being way too efficient and should start pacing yourself... gonna make the rest of us look bad!   

Nice job!
Ryan


----------



## BGKYSmoker (Apr 29, 2021)

Heck YEAH

Those look awesome.

Now you need to come down here during snowbird season and sell


----------



## kilo charlie (Apr 29, 2021)

Heck yeah! Selling them in combination with a cutting board is a good idea too..  Recently a pal made a bread box for his wife and this would go great with that as well!

It's nice to have a clean and ready to go shop.

I just added some drawers to my work table.


----------



## Wurstmeister (Apr 29, 2021)

Beautiful craftsmanship. Love the simple blade replacement.  Definitely would make a few and sell them locally/internet - *made to order, *additional blades extra! 
John


----------



## Winterrider (Apr 29, 2021)

Very nice craftsmanship.


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 29, 2021)

Brokenhandle said:


> Looks pretty cool! Now you need to hurry up and figure out what your next new project will be!


Thanks . I have a cutting board cut to size and planed down I need to finish . I have a couple more blanks glued up for these knives . Also have another side board in the works for kitchen storage . 
Thanks for the comments


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 29, 2021)

SWFLsmkr1 said:


> Heck YEAH
> 
> Those look awesome.
> 
> Now you need to come down here during snowbird season and sell


Came out pretty good for a proto-type . Thanks again for the info . 
Yeah , I could come down for snow bird season and sell them to people from Missouri . Lol .


----------



## BGKYSmoker (Apr 29, 2021)

chopsaw said:


> Came out pretty good for a proto-type . Thanks again for the info .
> Yeah , I could come down for snow bird season and sell them to people from Missouri . Lol .


HA
Yeah and i see alot of MO plates here.


----------



## Colin1230 (Apr 29, 2021)

Wow! My wife got a bread knife like that from her mom probably thirty years ago. That blade was so insanely sharp that it scared me for her to use it. I've always wanted to get another one to replace the first one. I think it grew legs. Really, really glad to see one again and to know the blades are still available.
Great craftsmanship chopsaw. Be careful, you could get busier than you want.


----------



## normanaj (Apr 29, 2021)

That looks sweet!


----------



## Bearcarver (Apr 29, 2021)

Beautiful Job, Rich!!
So that's how you slice bread without smashing it???
Pretty Board Too!!
Like.

Bear


----------



## mike243 (Apr 29, 2021)

Looks great, so how tall is a loaf of bread? Looks great for short bread but a full size loaf may have to get squashed some maybe?


----------



## SmokinVOLfan (Apr 29, 2021)

Very nice Chop!


----------



## sandyut (Apr 29, 2021)

Amazing work of art!


----------



## Colin1230 (Apr 29, 2021)

mike243 said:


> Looks great, so how tall is a loaf of bread? Looks great for short bread but a full size loaf may have to get squashed some maybe?


Take another look Mike. The frame lays sideways and the blade is perpendicular. The frame only limits the thickness of the slice. Works very well.


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 29, 2021)

Wurstmeister said:


> Beautiful craftsmanship. Love the simple blade replacement.


Thank you sir . The ones I looked at just had screws holding the blade on . I had the trim rings on there because all I had was bugle head screws . 


Winterrider said:


> Very nice craftsmanship.


Thanks for the comment .


Colin1230 said:


> Great craftsmanship chopsaw. Be careful, you could get busier than you want.


Appreciate that . Thanks .


Colin1230 said:


> That blade was so insanely sharp


Yup . That's an understatement . Scary .


normanaj said:


> That looks sweet!


Thank you Norm .


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 29, 2021)

Bearcarver said:


> Beautiful Job, Rich!!
> So that's how you slice bread without smashing it???
> Pretty Board Too!!


Thanks John . I'll be using it tonight . Should work good . 


mike243 said:


> Looks great, so how tall is a loaf of bread? Looks great for short bread but a full size loaf may have to get squashed some maybe?


Thanks Mike . The slice goes thru the " bow " part , or turn up and down to rip bagels or rolls .


SmokinVOLfan said:


> Very nice Chop!


Thank you bud . 


sandyut said:


> Amazing work of art!


Thanks for the comments . Just put the finish on a second one .


----------



## mike243 (Apr 29, 2021)

hard to look at purdy stuff on such a small phone screen lol I can see much better on the laptop


----------



## civilsmoker (Apr 29, 2021)

Very nice (top shelf stuff right there!) Chop!  That thin blade will be the ticket for sure!


----------



## pc farmer (Apr 29, 2021)

Wow  Looks great Chop.   Can I make one with a chainsaw?  That the only wood working piece I have.  LOL


----------



## chef jimmyj (Apr 29, 2021)

That's too Cool! Ok...How much with shipping to PA?...JJ


----------



## SmokinEdge (Apr 29, 2021)

You are a craftsman Chop, no doubt. Very nice and in such a short time from idea to item. Looks perfect. Do you have pricing?


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 30, 2021)

civilsmoker said:


> That thin blade will be the ticket for sure!


Yup . That's the reason for the  design . Needs 2 attachment points . 


civilsmoker said:


> Very nice


Thanks for the comment . 


pc farmer said:


> Wow Looks great Chop. Can I make one with a chainsaw? That the only wood working piece I have. LOL


Thanks Adam . I bet you could , or just use the saw to slice the bread ?


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 30, 2021)

Used it last night on some " take and bake " bread from the store . Crusty outside , soft in the middle . 
Almost can't believe how good this works . So sharp , and the thin blade is the ticket . Really like this . Goes thru like butter . No smash , and even slice . 
Made another one last night . Shorter frame . More to the size of the one Rick showed me .


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 30, 2021)

chef jimmyj said:


> That's too Cool!


It works great too . I was shocked . Thanks for the comment .


SmokinEdge said:


> You are a craftsman Chop, no doubt.


Well I appreciate that comment . I like simple , clean lines . I shape all this kind of stuff by hand . Files , block planes and sand paper . Nothing is perfect or 2 exactly the same . 
Thanks again .


----------



## Steve H (Apr 30, 2021)

Beautiful work! I would be very interested in where you get these blades so I can make a couple for gifts.


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 30, 2021)

Steve H said:


> Beautiful work! I would be very interested in where you get these blades



This is the one Rick sent me . They came in less than 24 hours . I saw some others that came with screws . These came with blade guards . You NEED the guards . 
Thanks for the comment .


----------



## Bearcarver (Apr 30, 2021)

These things are so cool !!!
I only have one knife that I cut bread with, and even that one I have to still lean on it a little too hard, smashing the loaf.
And Excellent Workmanship !!
Like.

Bear


----------



## civilsmoker (Apr 30, 2021)

chopsaw said:


> This is the one Rick sent me . They came in less than 24 hours . I saw some others that came with screws . These came with blade guards . You NEED the guards .
> Thanks for the comment .



Bingo thanks Chop, I was going to ask......I think one or two of these are going to find there way to the kitchen and trailer!


----------



## Steve H (Apr 30, 2021)

Thanks Chop. They are ordered. I have some pieces of Oak in the garage that should do the trick.


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 30, 2021)

Steve H said:


> Thanks Chop. They are ordered. I have some pieces of Oak in the garage that should do the trick.


The screw size needs to be a bit smaller than the hole in the blade , and the mounting holes  need to be pretty close to the ones in the blade  . If not and they are to close together it will cause the blade to warp .


----------



## Steve H (Apr 30, 2021)

chopsaw said:


> The screw size needs to be a bit smaller than the hole in the blade , and the mounting holes  need to be pretty close to the ones in the blade  . If not and they are to close together it will cause the blade to warp .



Ok, thanks for the tip. I'll post my results when I'm done.


----------



## Steve H (Apr 30, 2021)

Hey Chop. I have some white and red oak pieces I can use. I have some 3/4" and 1". What was the thickness you used? It looks like 1" or perhaps 5/4"


----------



## chopsaw (Apr 30, 2021)

Steve , I started with rough stock . Still had the bark on some . Milled but un sanded . If you have S4S - 3/4's that will work . The blades I have are 7/16 wide . Mounting holes are 10 3/8 CL to CL . 
I had to surface mine , and they ended up about 5/8 thick . You can use either one you have . The blade needs to be set to one edge so the frame doesn't bottom out before the cut is finished .


----------



## MJB05615 (Apr 30, 2021)

I'm late to see this, but that is great craftmanship, Rich!  Excellent work and you did it in 1 day?  I've stated elsewhere I have no wood working skills, so this is very impressive.  Thanks for sharing.


----------



## chopsaw (May 1, 2021)

MJB05615 said:


> I'm late to see this, but that is great craftmanship


Thanks Mike . Appreciate the comments .


----------



## BGKYSmoker (May 2, 2021)

The blade slices right thru. No squishing the bread.












I went to the bread knife guy today and asked about a longer one, he told me that he did make some but the longer blades wanted to bend.


----------



## chopsaw (May 3, 2021)

Made a loaf for yesterdays supper . Loaf was really lite and soft . Knife goes right thru , and like said no smashing or tearing the bread .


----------



## MJB05615 (May 3, 2021)

Nice job Rich.  That bread looks delicious too.


----------



## JLeonard (May 3, 2021)

Man that knife is gorgeous. Wish I was handy at making stuff like that.
Jim


----------



## JLeonard (May 3, 2021)

chef jimmyj said:


> That's too Cool! Ok...How much with shipping to PA?...JJ


And Mississippi for shipping.
Jim


----------



## chopsaw (May 3, 2021)

SWFLsmkr1 said:


> I went to the bread knife guy today and asked about a longer one, he told me that he did make some but the longer blades wanted to bend.


How much bigger Rick ? 
That bread looks fantastic BTW . 



MJB05615 said:


> Nice job Rich. That bread looks delicious too.


Thanks mike . The bread was really lite . I cut back on the flour . 


JLeonard said:


> Man that knife is gorgeous. Wish I was handy at making stuff like that.
> Jim


Jim I had a Dad that did it , so I started early . Spent several years adding to the shop . 
I put the finish on another one Saturday , and roughed out two more yesterday . 
Thanks for the comment .


----------



## BGKYSmoker (May 3, 2021)

chopsaw said:


> How much bigger Rick ?
> That bread looks fantastic BTW .
> 
> his bow opening was 20"
> ...


----------



## chopsaw (May 5, 2021)

Made up a few more since I had the blades . Solid cherry ones are the final design I think . I've been using the heck out of mine . 









Drilled the cherry frames to be right or left handed .


----------



## BGKYSmoker (May 5, 2021)

Looking Awesome.


----------



## chopsaw (May 5, 2021)

They work great as you know . I sliced maters yesterday.  Goes thru like butter .


----------



## MJB05615 (May 5, 2021)

Rich, again those are awesome!


----------



## mosparky (May 5, 2021)

Nice work. My mind wants the handle turned 90 deg , but I'm sure there is a reason for this way. I was also going to suggest a left hand version, but I see you got that covered.


----------



## Steve H (May 5, 2021)

I made one. I think I made the bow a touch too thin. But, man, is this thing sharp! Thanks for posting your build. I never seen one of these before you posted it.


----------



## chopsaw (May 5, 2021)

Looks good Steve . The cherry ones are thicker so I can flip the blade . The maple ones are thinner . I like both . Yes very sharp .

Edit . 
You talking about the top bridge on the bow being thin ? As long as it works I don't see a problem .


----------



## Steve H (May 5, 2021)

Yes, I'm thinking the top bridge is a bit thin. I'll know soon enough. We're having  a meal with crusty bread over the weekend.  If it breaks, I'll do one a bit thicker.


----------



## MJB05615 (May 5, 2021)

Steve H said:


> I made one. I think I made the bow a touch too thin. But, man, is this thing sharp! Thanks for posting your build. I never seen one of these before you posted it.
> 
> View attachment 495397
> View attachment 495398


That also looks real good Steve, nice workmanship.  I have no woodworking skills, lol.  So I'm in awe of you Guys that can do this stuff.


----------



## chopsaw (May 5, 2021)

mosparky said:


> My mind wants the handle turned 90 deg , but I'm sure there is a reason for this way. I was also going to suggest a left hand version, but I see you got that covered.


I've seen one that has a turned handle . Most are like these . The fit and function is really good . 
Just have to get tension on the blade .


----------



## Steve H (May 5, 2021)

MJB05615 said:


> That also looks real good Steve, nice workmanship.  I have no woodworking skills, lol.  So I'm in awe of you Guys that can do this stuff.



Thanks Mike! I'm just happy chop turned me on to this knife.


----------



## gmc2003 (May 27, 2021)

Very late to the game on this one Chop. Beautiful workmanship on that knife. You've got some serious skills my friend. 

Point for sure
Chris


----------

