n a cold Marcll morning ir 1968 Y€ung Cban slipped through the bafbed wire Master into Hong Kong rerritorl' and escapcd A ftom Chaamar Mao's cultuml revolurion. He was woodu'orRer poor in possessions. bringing nothtug with him from Clltua but th€ that had guided him T.ttr" out. But he had a ,i-ealrh of knowlcdge abour iarodworking that he hxd been acquiring since childhood. I fACRSALL' At xn ng€ \\-hen most children play with toys, Chan had taughl himsetf to make them. He had grown up poor in Kwangtung ulades lnto Province in Sourh China and his farnily had no money for extras. So when he was I or I0. chan sraned making tools so he could build DeaLtTtItr to)'s fbr his brcthe$. The first tooi was a made f.oor a brcken .rl hacksaw btade and scrap$ ood. With no grinding wheel o. sandpr- IOOIS pef to work rhe metal. the boy had to firsr rcmove xll rhe lecrh bv rubbiog the hacksa$' blnde on a slab of fough concrere. He then shaped dre blade and honed it to ?n cdgc using the samc tabodous nr,l-od I rook d lor o" oJricnr'. lrc rcn ember,. b, qhcn \oU := J'e )uung )ou hdve rorhlng h,I r:rne a \rith th€ first kdfe, he made a s€cond, then a third. each one ber- 5 '::

I siDg dr. sa c sirnptc lrrllnnttrr. an,l n,rterials. ih. arlhor.rr malr r \afior\ ol linircs. rro l.fl ro righl are: r.hidl l.,iti nilll : n ri,!.nootl L.x(ll.: rn eafl$er- rion 01 i flin,l Luili *itl, l 1nr- ro0rl lnrlr: ihort-l,hd(l ({. i,rg lni\.s in rolcrood .rd Dnt)le: {n uti,l'. x,arlitrg l ife rith a slim. ro'rroorl hrlrlle: rnil i nrnIl. .hi..ltu,iii. 'TffiF.r'" .

(cr thiln LlLc hst Tlr(n. lrt uscd hij i(\t hxzrrd()us rlrxn r fcguhr liriti- s h.r r o\r grilrl olf Lhr Lceth ihr |r]l\.\ ro r]rirlic r slrnll l)liu. lnll l l)c.lur. il\ l)l.rdc ls shx|ed n) rou ll rcnrrrrin.r src.l is r()o solL ro holcl lil .hi\el-l)o(lt *i(lt trrcl5i\ lil,rl( (u1 nc\cr !lftls it l()\\rrd \ou .\ncl rhc .dgc (lhrf clln lcLl (hc rlghL liiicl of tn'g e(gcs. lhesc t,!)l\. xr(l r1r)thcf lurg hxn(llr gi\e\ rr,r\iirunr cL!nr(t sr(l br rh( rnlg ir rlxlics qhcn hc iurcl$tr$ bhclc thtrl ltc uscil rL! ir cr!clc .\s $itl liir ofiginrl. thc blldc in \likcs rr. Brr lr. i(L\is€s hcgimcb nr sr\. \efc hi\ \ (xrl\ofliing liil lhis linilc ls rrrdr hr)nr t h:icli:ls .hc.k rh( src(llhe\ \\xnr to u:c bt Sircc th()sc errl\ \.xfs (.lrr! hxs hll(li. but (llrrir n(^\ u\cs thc slighll] .hnrfing ll nr r \isr rtrri:l rtnlg n) mrf c\prncled brl oncl litrilcnirliirlj to rlti.Lef l)h(lc\ lion' i f(^1cf hx.l{:x\ ir ir hrli ir'frlh h,tr(letrcd ii sh(uld l)cconLe ir suc((rrlul lurtrlturc desig! (lrrl lLc cr! plcli uf nscd tfonr brcrk .k unli lrom ..lgc t,) edSe cf r1t(l builclcf i'r (.rli1()rDir. llul I'c !r1(hiDC shop\ Thi\ stccl is c\.cl Lh(r lfnc\ sh()\\r lLere rfe (!rl] r (ontlnuri Lo !'irlic L'ri\c-. 11ij lcr'( 1()f lJtilc blx.lcs bec.'usc ir s hrfd li'\' of.r.nr possiLrlc shrte\ ,u sizcs l,r\ofile nrorlcl (\l'o\o rt lrr le1r. c!ough to holcl rn cdgc rncl nrugh \\ irh rlrc ur(tho(l crpkined in ihc ofpo\itc prgt. ind irr I'c snlcbrf) crlough ro fesist cl'ippinii \cr ii .rr si(l(bf ou rhc lbLlo\\nlg figc, \rN crn hr\ r rosc*ood hrndlc. \cL ir srill still hc g.onnd rnd honrd in r h(rn. Ilrpr this sjLntt( \ersrlilc tool !r it s l I(!ts nruch lilic r pl\\r!)d hrncllecl ihl.! ol b(r!l\ perGcth iitied n) \tr. tfecle.cssor he n'xde l0 lerfs rso. (lLxr srfcsse\ rhc inrfoftx..c tJf Il s rctnrlh .r nrultipuffo\c Lu)l Lh.rl u\irg sLttl lhrL h.: been hxrdcfc(l icsrs xs 1 .|i\(1. r scitcf. rnrl r !c11,\s ilj \holr \ldth l11r\ hx.k Slfi,lON WATTS crring rn(l n'.'fliiog linilc lL crn s.tr\ l)hcles no$ ue bimr l (!- hlt ir. \ rli(i, l \ ll--..r,rll, LrJ,i1. c\cn bc used 1of Driiins hne\ IL is l)cen lrrl\lcncd rlong onh ort cdgc: .. .. .,. .] MAKNE A GHrgEr.KNrEE q. BY YEUNG \ 'HAN

To make this rosere'ood knife, nrst lay oln as the adjrceni. end &:ain srl|tlce ol rhe bft! the blade shape on a piece of rool st€ct (A paste rvl\ so dle epoq'\l on r stick to it l'hen power hacksaw biade \rorks \\ell.) Then . eporrr sprringl,! to thc keeper heh-es. ake shape th€ stcel biant and rolrgh out the cu$ing none ge$ in rhe rccesses. Clmp drc pans €dge on a bcrch grinder. r ,vou i:q)f ].oul nght lidlth aftl push rhem finllr o.!.cr r1r hand, Sfind the bei€1 as sho{ni it left}andcd, grirld so thc kccper ber^ snugl] againsl fte hmdc $lllc the epoxT cln cs Cut thc handle blaflk ftom .tin. rhick st.)ck and bandsar the blant in half. Then, flaten the sa$rl sulaces so thc r$'o Finishing pieces fit together p€decd_v. wre'r thc glu€ is d{ cl€.u1 up I \I'hen routing Lhe recesses iirr the bldc, usc a ,;h srai$r dae, on rhe txblcsar \\lth rhe kccper in bir sct so the depth of.ut is haff drc thlcllcss of the blade pl.,, e. l-.'s ,r.,r.,r.(t,.r', lhc '-m( You can prc\'icle suppon for the r)Lrtcr b\' chmprig rhe pms hard$ood ro cach en.i to co\-cr rhe end gftnr 'ftcn. lrinl fluslr in the R'ooden jaws of \ ou \isc. of in ihc iaws of I lirrge these cnd5 on th€ trblesr\t or disc sander untilonhxbour rt wooden hanci scre\y climp. Clea. up thc rourcd comcrs \rirh e chisel. Dn fit the blxde a11d hdves tugedrcr. mxkirE sure fie Rourd orcr th€ lory eclses of thc h rdle nnd kccpcr wlh blade js held n-nnlr turl d1e joht closes complctcly r block planc md s ldpafd lhish the s'i!b rung on. Separ e the keeper on dle tablesa$, usnrg a bnking blocl< Yori cxn sharpen rhe blxde just as lou would a chiscl to mininize tearcul. YEUNG CHAN Assembling the Knife J,"u,, *,J n, It -,,1"" ",,"t.", {'",;t*" N.n/,.. You'll gct a better bond \!ith the epora ifl.ou first clean '-

STIP 2. SIEP 3, t+

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SIEP 4. Clanp STEP 6. sfEP 7. STEP 8.

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