Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
At Nils Olsson Dalahästar in Nusnäs, Sweden, every carved horse depends on a sharp knife.
The wooden horse blanks are picked up by local carvers and shaped by hand at home using Morakniv knives. When the finished horses are returned to the workshop, the knives are swapped out for freshly sharpened ones.
Around a thousand Morakniv knives are in circulation — and all of them are regularly sharpened by Roland, who collects 60–70 knives at a time, three times a week. Each knife is sharpened on a Tormek to a precise 27-degree angle with a micro bevel,, to keep the edge sharp without becoming too fragile.
Some knives are used for up to 200 horses, others for just 20 — depending on technique and experience. Then the cycle begins again.
At Nils Olsson Dalahästar in Nusnäs, Sweden, every carved horse depends on a sharp knife.
The wooden horse blanks are picked up by local carvers and shaped by hand at home using Morakniv knives. When the finished horses are returned to the workshop, the knives are swapped out for freshly sharpened ones.
Around a thousand Morakniv knives are in circulation — and all of them are regularly sharpened by Roland, who collects 60–70 knives at a time, three times a week. Each knife is sharpened on a Tormek to a precise 27-degree angle with a micro bevel,, to keep the edge sharp without becoming too fragile.
Some knives are used for up to 200 horses, others for just 20 — depending on technique and experience. Then the cycle begins again.
