Glenn Kleckers son, Nathan, came up with this idea for a pre-cut, easily assembled softwood knife kit. Naturally, we named it Nathans Knife Kit in his honor. Not only is it an easy first woodworking project, but it is an excellent way to acquaint children, seven years of age and older, with the fundamentals of knife safety and responsibility. The kit is slightly oversized for easy assembly by young hands, and comes with complete instructions and knife safety education tips. Depending on the skill of the child, the knife can be assembled from the bag by press fit, or it can be sanded, glued, sealed, stained, painted and decorated as desired. We expect to receive many digital photographs, and well post them on our Facebook page. Many of us at CRKT were part of the great tradition of responsible knife ownership and education. It never occurred to us that our knives could be weapons, so we never used our knives to threaten or harm anyone, and we certainly would have been severely disciplined by our parents and had our knives taken away if we did. We learned that it was an honor to carry a knife, and that we were duty bound to use it responsibly. Sadly, in todays culture, knives have been demonized. Despite Americans clear Constitutional right to bear arms, knives continue to be regulated and treated as evil by some. Of course, in the hands of the wrong people, knives can be used in destructive and evil ways. So can a baseball bat. But that is not inherent in what has been called mans earliest and most useful tool. We encourage all parents to continue this tradition of responsible knife ownership, and Nathans Kit is an excellent first step. We especially recommend the American Knife & Tool Institutes free downloads on knife education and selection. For more information, we recommend that you visit www.AKTI.org and www.kniferights.org and join each of these excellent organizations.
