I have no idea about the process behind the design of the Maple Set. If I had to make up a story, though, I’d say some dude decided it might be a good idea to try making a knife out of wood. After all, nobody’s ever seen anything like that before. Except, it’s practically impossible. So, after failing for a thousandth time, he decided to just give up and added a strip of metal at the edge instead, resulting in this beautiful pair of kitchen slicers.
Designed by Federal, the knives use wood not just on the handle, but even on the parts that are traditionally part of the blade. The result is a knife that looks like a wooden toy, until you pretend to cut your finger with the edge, which you thought was part of the ruse, and end up with a trip to the emergency room. Yeah, you’re not very good at making choices in life.
The Maple Set consists of two handmade knives: a chef’s knife and a meat cleaver. They use Canadian Maple for the wooden parts and stainless steel for the blade, which happens to be a complete knife all on its own, with the wood merely serving as an enclosure. Each one comes with four visible rivets that ensure the blade stays perfectly aligned even through frequent use. Do note, these knives won’t perform anywhere near the same way as your favorite kitchen heavy-hitters (although you have to admit, they’re way prettier), but they will get the job done all the same.
Originally a design concept that received a Reddot Award in 2013, the Maple Set has just begun its very first production run. It’s now available for preorder, priced at $120 CAD.
