Making a Wooden Sheath (Saya) - WIP in Pictures

Custom fitted wood sheath (saya) offerS the best protection for a kitchen knife. Wooden sayas don't leave marks on a contact with the metal as the plastic edge guards do, they are durable and when made from highly figured woods, they greatly compliment a knife aesthetically. Even as the knife's profile changes from years of sharpening and thinning, the knife will continue be secure in a sheath with a pin.

The steps in making a saya are the following:

- Splitting wood in two halves and flattening them

- Carving the cavity for an exact fit (no movement of the knife inside a saya)

- Shaping and sanding

- Finishing with oils and varnishes

- Making a pin