“My name is Antti Silvennoinen and I’m 57 years old. I live in small town called Mäntyharju in South Savo, Finland. I’m a carpenter and construction worker, I’ve also worked as instructor at the local workshop and I’ve arranged a carving course for children. I’ve practiced carving and wood work since I was six years old when I got my first puukko, which have hooked me on knives and carving ever since.
My grandmother had a huge influence on my enthusiasm for handicrafts: during the childhood summers I spent with her in the countryside, she let me carve as much as I wanted, got me all the wood and supplies I ever needed and encouraged me on my hobby.
People in the old days were very skilled and inventive as there wasn’t a shop at every corner where you could get everything, thus having to craft from themself a lot of what they needed. So I’ve always been also interested in used tools, crafting of consumables, constructions, fishing gear etc.
I crafted my first puukko in the first 80s when I was attending handicraft and artistic school in Lempäälä. During the forging course I made a couple of knife blades and chisels. Then, for about twenty years I crafted some knives buying the blades elsewhere. In the early 2000s I participated for three years to knife making courses held by Taisto Kuortti: he’s been my biggest inspirer to puukko making and his thorough and professional teaching has given me good capabilities in knifemaking. He also encouraged me to join the Suomen puukkoseura and to participate to the Fiskars competition. After the courses I made myself a forge and started seriously hammering steel.
Apparently I’ve inherited my handicraft skills from my grandfather, who was a skilled blacksmith, carpenter and construction worker, but unfortunately I don’t remember him, since I was only two years old when he passed away. Nevertheless I’ve seen some of his works and heard stories about him, then, a couple years ago, I got his anvil which hadn’t been used in over fifty years.
Knife making is currently a hobby of mine, besides woodworking, fishing and music: I play the guitar and create a lot of my fishing gears myself.
When making knives I’m fascinated by the diversity and possibilities you can get by combining steel, wood, leather, bark etc, leading to both aesthetic and working items. But you’re never completely done in knifemaking, there’s always something new to learn!
For my blades I use traditional carbon steel, recycled steel, silver steel, 80CrV2 plus some stainless steel. For the handles I use curly birch, birch burl, birch bark, moose antler plus a small amount of oak, mahogany etc. Almost every bolster is made with recycled materials.
I don’t have a traditional smithy or a workshop: I forge all my blades during the summer at our cottage, then I craft handles, sheath liners and bolsters. In winter I finish the knives and sew the sheaths in the apartment. I try to use power tools as little as possible, so for my knives to be really hand crafted. Beside traditional puukkos I also crafts filleting knives, leukus and hunting models. I like clean lines in my works and the more I craft, the simpler and leaner my knives have become.”
nordiska knivar 