The Hoof Knife

The key to building a better hoof knife is understanding the steel that the knife is made out of and knowing how to push the envelope without exceeding its limitations.

This expertise comes from a quarter century of knife making, experimentation with different steels and ever striving to learn more as new technology unfolds.

It is important to select a steel that is properly matched for the job at hand. But it is for more important to have a good understanding of how to get the most out of that steel through proper heat treating.

We will always be looking for ways to improve our products here at The Double L so that you can be assured that you are using the best tools available at any price.

The hand made handle is aircraft grade machined and hardened aluminum with "Diamondwood" scales. The aluminum frame is slotted to accept blade inserts and held in place with two Chicago screw bolt-sets.

The blades are differentially hardened high carbon spring steel. That means that we took (1095 carbon steel) and carefully heat-treated in such a way as to produce a hard edge with a Rockwell hardness of approximately R58 to 60 and left the back of the blade unhardened and tough. Special attention has been given as well to ensure a very fine grain structure in order to give optimal strength and performance.

We have undertaken much experimentation with this steel in the shop, the lab and the field with farriers who have much experience. As a result of this experimentation, we have developed a superior hoof knife blade that will perform far better than the average hoof knife.

We feel that we have raised the industry standards to the point that only the occasional private knife maker who understands his craft better than most can compare.

Lyle has spent a better part of his life trying to understand the things that make for a superior knife and here is a link to some of his work in his gallery.

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