About John Jacobs
John Jacobs established his range of handmade chopping boards and knives in 2016, for kitchen use and entertaining. Some customers shared with him their concerns that their steel kitchen knives would damage their beautifully crafted boards, so he designed and created a range of wooden bladed knives to solve their dilemma. They can be used on all sorts of food – cheese, charcuterie, bread soft fruit and vegetables.
John knives are designed to be functional pieces of art and are purchased not only for their practicality but for their innovation and intrigue. He now infuses many of the resin handles with aromatic herbs and spices which will emit lovely fragrances when held in the warmth of your hand.
“Wood is biodegradable, recyclable and has a lower overall energy usage to produce.
Our wooden blades will cut food but not skin. If dropped they are much less likely to damage your tiles or kitchen floor surface.
Our wooden bladed knives won't mark your boards in the way that steel knives do.
There are so many variations in the woods that we use - the colour and textural visual effects which can be achieved are aesthetically pleasing when used.”
Sourcing Of Materials
The high quality wood John uses would often otherwise go to waste and is given to him by small businesses near him. The English woods are often supplied by local tree loppers and dried in his on-site kiln.
He only purchase woods which are not listed in the CITES Appendices (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) or on the IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) of Threatened Species.
All wood must pass a strict set of standards to be used in his wooden blades. Through trial and error, he’s determined the minimum levels of the following tests needed to meet requirements:
Janka Hardness level – this test measures the resistance of a sample of wood to denting and wear.
Modulus of Rupture – this is a measure of strength before rupture. It can be used to determine a wood species’ overall strength.
Care Instructions
“Our Wooden products do require some TLC occasionally. We recommend a light oil from time to time and, after much use, a light grade sandpaper can be used to smooth any furriness caused by repeated exposure to water.
Washing in mild detergent and thorough drying is all that is needed otherwise.
Our wooden bladed knives will last for many uses without sharpening, but if used with ‘wetter’ food they may need this more frequently. Again, a light grade sandpaper, or a simple emery board can be used along the edge to re-sharpen. Follow this with a food safe oil or an approved wood care wax and it’s ready for use again.”