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The Average Antique Crooked Knife

A collection of Antique Crooked Knives

The Crooked Knife Study

    The first ever comprehensive study of crooked knives is complete.  This groundbreaking research is breathtaking in the scope of its findings and will prove invaluable to researchers. Our Study took place over the course of 20 years and documented virtually all physical characteristics of the crooked knife. Our established methodology included forming a Sample Group of knives and subjecting them to stringent criteria.

Here is a summary of  the methodology we employed: 

 

   Methodology :

    1)  Only standardized protocols to weigh and measure each crooked knife is to be used (  Standards )

    2)  Develop criteria for the Sample Group of  knives in our study 

    3) Document and publish our Sample Group Criteria ( see below) 

    4) Weigh, measure and document each knife in the Sample Group using the prescribed standardized protocols ( see No.1 )

    5) Document and collate all measurements

    6) Determine the metrics for use in comparative analysis

    7)  Weights & Measures will be the first published findings.

    8) Continue to develop Study criteria - Tribal affiliation, decorative motifs,  techniques of manufacture, material usage,                    analysis of age related findings, etc. -  and publish as ready

 

    Our Sample Group consisted of  97  individual crooked knives. All the knives were sourced from museums, institutions and private collections. 

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     Although a tremendous amount of information will ultimately be gleaned from the Study Group, as per our Methodology ( No. 7)  we are now publishing only the data related to weights and measurements. An immediate finding, today we are excited to quantify the average size of an Antique Crooked Knife.  Bush-crafters, knife makers and blade smiths please take note; you now have a historical basis for manufacturing that never existed before.  Knowing the size of the The Average Crooked Knife will immediately aid those not only interested in manufacturing crooked  knives but also those seeking to evaluate them.

 

     The empirical data of our Crooked Knife Study  yields new essential information but only a tiny portion of which is shared here. In the future we plan to publish multiple analyses of our findings. These will likely include a comparative analysis of tribal styles and decorative motifs,  differences between knives of various ages, and a study of  blade types and materials to name a few. We believe the results of our study will prove to be extremely helpful to everyone interested in the crooked knife.

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Crooked Knife Sample Group Criteria 

 

    1.) The Crooked Knife must have been made prior to 1900.

    2.) The material used to secure the blade to the haft, need not be contemporaneous to the haft or blade.

    3.) The handle and blade need not be contemporaneous to one another, however they must be deemed to have                    been assembled together as a complete knife prior to 1900 ( see No.1 )

    4.) Any foreign materials- i.e. leather sheath, decorative attachments ( ribbons, tags ) is not to be included in                       any part of the study.

    5.) Regardless of  any institutional labeling or attribution, the knife must be an Eastern Woodlands                                        Crooked Knife and as such 1) be a single-handed draw knife 2 ) have a wooden handle set at an oblique angle to             a metal the blade and 3) be of  Eastern Woodlands origin.     

    6.) The Study Group shall include an equal numbers of 1) non-Native knives 2) Eastern New England/Maritimes            style knives 3) Western Great Lakes style knives and 4)  Iroquoian style crooked knives.

    7.) An equal percentage of knives from the Nine Categories of Design on Mocotaugan Handles  (Mocotaugan;              The Story and Art of the Crooked Knife  p. 58, 59-147 ) along with an equal number un-embellished                           knives are to be represented. 

    8.) Only knives with wooden handles are to be included.

    9.) Any embellished or decorative element must be original to the knife, at the time of its creation.

   10.) No limitation is to be placed on the size, type, source or origin of the  metal  blade                                                                     ( re-purposed file, imported Mocotaugan blades, repurposed metal of any type, etc.), however the blade must                 fit the requirements of  No.1

 

THE AVERAGE ANTIQUE CROOKED KNIFE 

      The Average Antique Crooked Knife
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  • Average Overall Length : 9 11/16"
  • Average Overall Width: 1  1/2 "
  • Average Handle Length: 5 15/16 "
  • Average Blade Length: 3  1/2 "
  • Average Blade Width: 1/2" 
  • Average Blade Thickness: 3.02 mm
  • Average Weight: 90.5 grams
  • Average " Crookedness" : 44 degrees
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The Average Embellished Antique Crooked Knife
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  • Average Overall Length : 9 3/4"
  • Average Overall Width: 1 9/16"
  • Average Handle Length: 6.0"
  • Average Blade Length: 3 9/16"
  • Average Blade Width: 1/2" 
  • Average Blade Thickness: 3.06 mm
  • Average Weight: 102 grams
  • Average " Crookedness" : 44 degrees
The Average plain Antique Crooked Knife
( un-embellished ) 
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  • Average Overall Length :   9 9/16"
  • Average Overall Width:     1  7/16"
  • Average Handle Length:    5 11/16" 
  • Average Blade Length:       3 1/2" 
  • Average Blade Width:           1/2"
  • Average Blade Thickness:   2.96mm 
  • Average Weight:                  77 grams
  • Average " crookedness" :     44 degrees

Initial Findings of The Crooked Knife Study

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  • The size and weight of  crooked knives are remarkably consistent.  Human ergonomics, material preference, and cultural norms are clearly at play here.

  • It is the blade length, thickness, and width that varies the most from knife to knife​.

       

Author's note: The length of a blade appears to be related to Tribal origin. Knives from the Western Great Lakes style knives have the longest blade length. More to come.....

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  • Embellished knives are considerably heavier than unembellished knives ( think lead inlay ).

  • The longest crooked knife was 13"  long.

  • The shortest crooked knife was  6  3/4"  long.

  • Of the 97 knives measured, only one was a  left-handed crooked knife.

  • The heaviest knife was 180.8 grams - a full six and one-third ounces !

  • The lightest knife was 44 grams, just one and a half ounces.

  • The "crookedest" knife ( the angle of the handle relative to the blade ) was 66 degrees.

  • The least "crooked" knife, had a mere 10 degree angle.

  • The widest knife handle ( a very unusual Penobscot knife in the form of a Paddle  ) was 3 1/4" wide. 

  • The narrowest knife handle was 1" wide.

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  • Author's note: Envision, if you would, cutting the crooked knives in our study in half, to create a cross section view of each handle. These cross-sections views reveal a remarkable array of shapes and forms;  ovals, soft-edged pyramids, hexagons, pentagons, kite-like shapes, rounds, etc. The variation appears a matter of personal ergonomics and more research is required to study  of these shapes. without a " cross section " study we cannot at the moment determine the most common shape, least common shape, or identify regional preferences. A study will lead to a better understanding of why so many knife-makers choose different haft shapes and, if  possible, to determine which is might be most  ergonomically "correct."

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