Damascus Meat Cleaver with Olive Wood Handle and Tooled Leather Cover

A meat cleaver works by weight. The blade is tall and rectangular with a straight edge, so it comes down under its own mass rather than being drawn back and forth, and that tall face gives the pattern room. This one is a 7 inch Damascus blade over a high carbon core, 12 inches overall, with olive wood scales on a full tang and a hand tooled leather cover.

Specification

The blade

The steel is Damascus, pattern welded over a high carbon core and etched so the light and dark layers stand apart. The layers run as a raindrop pattern across the tall face, rings pulled through the flat, with the wide bevel polished mirror bright below. The blade stands about 4 inches tall, which is where the weight comes from, and a hanging hole is punched near the top rear corner. Under the etch it is carbon steel, so it darkens with use and can rust if it is left wet.

The handle

Olive wood is the reason people stop at this one on a shelf. The grain runs in strong wavy lines of honey and brown, and no two sets of scales come out looking alike, so the handle carries as much as the steel does. It is hard and close grained, and it warms in the hand quickly. The tang runs the full length and shows as a bright line all round the scales, with three brass pins through it.

What it is for

This is a chopping knife for the kitchen. It portions meat, takes a chicken down into pieces, splits a squash, and flattens a cut with the side of the blade. The wide flat also carries chopped onion to the pan. Let the weight fall and steer it rather than pushing hard. It does not suit fine work, because there is no useful tip for trimming or peeling.

The leather

Cleavers get a broad blade cover rather than a sheath, cut to the outline of this blade so it sits close and stays put. The leather is vegetable tanned. A welt is sewn into the edge so the stitching stays clear of the steel, the seam is closed with cream thread by hand, a belt loop is stitched to the back, and a snap strap holds it shut. The face is hand tooled with a carved olive branch inside a stamped border, cut and shaded into damp leather.

Who it suits

This is the cleaver people buy when the look matters as much as the work, and it is the one most often bought as a gift.

• Cooks who want a cleaver they will leave on show
• Buyers who own carbon steel and want Damascus next
• Anyone breaking down whole birds at home
• People shopping for a wedding or anniversary gift

What comes in the box

• The Damascus meat cleaver
• The tooled leather blade cover
• A care card

Every piece is different

Each cleaver is forged, ground and finished by hand, so runs stay small and no two come out the same. The Damascus pattern, the olive wood and the depth of the tooling all vary from the photographs.

Looking after it

Hand wash it in warm water and dry it straight away. Never leave it in the sink and never put it in a dishwasher. Damascus is carbon steel under the etch, so the gray patina that comes with use is normal. Wipe on a light coat of food safe mineral oil before storage, sharpen on a stone following the existing bevel, and use wood or plastic boards. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it here on the product page. Around 30 characters fits, and clean line art engraves better than a photograph. On Damascus we set the text on the handle so the pattern stays unbroken. We send a proof image first, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a meat cleaver used for? It chops meat and heavy vegetables with the weight of the blade.

What is Damascus steel? It is layers of steel forge welded together and etched, so light and dark bands show.

What is the hanging hole for? It lets the cleaver hang on a hook.

Will my cleaver look exactly like the photo? No. The pattern and the wood differ on every piece.

Can it go in the dishwasher? No. Hand wash it and dry it straight away.

Will Damascus rust? It can, since the core is carbon steel. Dry it and oil it after use.

In plain carbon steel there is the meat cleaver in rosewood, and in antler the Damascus cleaver in stag antler. More sits in cleavers and butcher knives, in Damascus steel, and in olive wood handle knives.