A hornet’s nest is a thing of beauty in the keen eyes of a craftsman, a military veteran who turns nature into keepsake knife handles in a knife-making process that serves to ease his post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I am a veteran and this is my therapy,” said Jeffrey Lewis, of Natural Cut Knives. “This is what I do when I’m completely stressed out or I’m having panic attacks; I’ll go down and tinker, and it takes my mind away.”

Lewis served in the U.S. Air Force. “I served in both wars — Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom.