Creating A Homemade Knife Block

We frequently receive inquiries from customers looking to create homemade knife blocks. However, due to the unique variables of each project, it can be challenging for our team to provide tailored advice. Here’s a summary of key considerations to help you choose the right magnet for your knife block:

1. Air Gap: Any gap between the magnet and the knife’s surface can significantly reduce the holding strength. While customers often prefer to embed the magnet into the back of a wooden block, ensuring minimal space between the magnet and the knife will yield the best results so we recommend to rout out the wood so there is no more than 3mm’s between the magnets and sur surface they are attracting to.
2. Weight Consideration: Large knives can be quite heavy, so it’s crucial to select a magnet with sufficient holding capacity to securely support your heaviest knife. Our Neodymium block magnets make the ideal solution here.
3. Magnet Type: We recommend exploring our range of knife blocks for inspiration on standard designs. Ceramic blocks are commonly used for holding objects such as steel knives and steel tools however, Ceramic magnets are weaker than Neodymium magnets so when it comes to holding low grade stainless steel knives, Neodymium is your only reliable option.
4. Pull Force: The pull force listed for each magnet is based on lifting 10mm thick steel vertically. When magnets are placed on a vertical surface (such as 10mm thick steel), they generally hold about 30% of the indicated pull force due to gravity and the lack of traction between the shiny magnet and the surface. For instance, a magnet tested with a pull force of 1kg will typically hold around 300 grams when applied to a vertical surface.
5. Material Consideration: Keep in mind that not all cutlery is made from iron; therefore, some knives may not be ferrous and may not adhere as well to magnets or not at all.