Abstract: A knife sharpener including a scabbard for receiving and protecting a knife blade, and a sharpening device mounted on the scabbard for engagement by the blade cutting edge during movement into and out of the scabbard. The sharpening device is supported by a carrier member which is pivotally mounted within the scabbard so that the sharpening device can be moved towards and away from a top wall of the scabbard. A pivoted reaction member is located between the scabbard top wall and the carrier member, and has front and rear reaction zones which are engageable with a knife blade and/or the adjacent surface of the carrier member, at opposite sides respectively of the carrier member pivot. The reaction member pivot is located rearward of both reaction zones and is parallel to the carrier member pivot. A U-shaped biasing spring engages both the carrier member and the reaction member to resist separation of their front end portions.

Abstract: A nut cracker having a pair of pivotally connected jaws and a pair of handles, each of which is connected to a respective one of said jaws so that opening and closing movement of the handles causes corresponding movement of the jaws. Each jaw has a working face which is disposed in opposed facing relationship to the corresponding face of the other jaw, and the two working faces diverge generally in the direction of the jaw pivot axis so as to define a wedge-shaped crushing space between them. Stop means is provided to limit the opening and closing movement of the jaws, and resilient means acts between the handles to bias them outwardly and thereby normally maintain the jaws in an opened position.

Abstract: A knife sharpener of the kind having a hollow scabbard or housing for a knife blade, and a blade sharpening device arranged to be engaged by the blade cutting edge as the blade is moved into and out of the housing. The sharpening device is mounted on the front end of a carrier member which has its rear end pivotally connected to the housing so that the front end can be swung towards and away from a top wall of the housing. A biasing spring urges the front end of the carrier towards the housing top wall. A reaction member is disposed between that housing top wall and the carrier member and is pivotally connected to the housing for movement about an axis which is parallel to the carrier pivot axis and is located between the ends of the reaction member. A rear end of the reaction member engages an upper surface of the carrier member at a location between the carrier pivot and the zone at which the biasing spring acts on the carrier member.