Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Knifetree Orchards

Grow knife blanks into tree
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Knife makers sometimes use small slabs of wood for knife scales; These are attached to the tang of the knife with epoxy and pins.

These knives are implanted tang-first into young trees and are allowed to be consumed by the tree. The knife tree is then cut down and allowed to dry. The knives are cut out and the handles are shaped and formed from the wood surrounding the blanks.

nomocrow, May 13 2019

The Garden of Weapons https://www.fantast...rden-of-weapons.htm
Prior Art ? [8th of 7, May 14 2019]

Arborsmith image. https://static1.squ...ols.jpg?format=750w
[2 fries shy of a happy meal, May 14 2019]

[link]






       How do you prevent corrosion ?   

       The tang will need to penetrate the sapwood, which will be wet and have compounds in solution that may attack the metal.   

       The blade isn't a problem as it can be left unfinished and subsequently ground to profile (and can be dipped in polymer anyway) but the tang needs to be exposed metal.   

       And don't suggest stainless steel, please ... stainless blades don't keep an edge.
8th of 7, May 13 2019
  

       Weld a carbon steel blank to a stainless tang.   

       I'd be more concerned about the wood splitting as it dries, or otherwise being structurally less sound than a cut billet.
pocmloc, May 13 2019
  

       //How do you prevent corrosion ?// - make a ceramic knife?
hippo, May 13 2019
  

       That's a possibility.   

       This idea would work better with tools such as scythes, pickaxes and adzes where the haft passes through a hole in the blade; just hang the blade over a suitable branch and let it grow into a very tight fit.
8th of 7, May 13 2019
  

       Don't trees produce callus around injuries? If so, it won't be much good as part of a knife scale.
MaxwellBuchanan, May 13 2019
  

       A field of trees fruiting axeheads, surreal.
wjt, May 14 2019
  

       Surreal, but not without precedent (of a sort).   

       <link>
8th of 7, May 14 2019
  

       Also baked but not widely known to exist by the Arborsmith folks. [link]   

       They say just lean any old shovel-head or un handled tool up against a sapling... and wait.   
      
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