A new JK knife...The Tool.

[mykel m]

So after 81 days of dry weather,we finally get some rain the day after I received my new Tool in the mail from JK Knives.
Rain be damned,I had to get out & give it a test run,so I headed up to Cabin Creek yesterday.
It's only my 2nd custom designed by myself & I borrowed aspects of many different knives in the design.
It was also my submission for the JK Anniversary Knife contest.
It didn't win,but I had to have one made.Hats off to tlovesknives for winning with the Stubs.
I wanted a do all type knife with the blade length for light battoning,food prep/camp chores & defense if ever needed and the Tool is what I came up with.

It's made of 1/8" 01 Tool steel,just shy of 9 1/2" OAL,with a 5" blade.
Heat treat finish with a satin saber grind half way up on the 1 1/8" high blade with a rounded spine up to the jimping which is left squared.
I wanted an exposed tang & had John put a radiused notch in the tang for striking a firesteel,but I found it to be pretty awkward holding the knife in such a way to strike the steel.(not to mention keeping the lanyard out of the way)
Not to worry,the jimping does the job just fine & it's much more comfortable using the spine anyhoo,so I ground the notch out for a nice flat end on the tang which is better suited for hitting on if the need arrises.(then blued it & the top & bottom of the spine)

John also sent along some scrap mic. & G10 so I could make the matching handle for the fire steel.

I know some say a 4" blade is optimal for a bushcrafting knife,or the handle & blade need to be the same length,but I wanted a bit more length for battoning,defense & food prep purposes.
I also know the chances are slim to none that I'll ever need a knife for defense against a bear or cat while out woods wandering,but like they say..it's better to have it than not & I don't always carry my 6" GP100 because of the weight.










The sheath by John,with my fire steel.

And a couple pics of the creek



Here's John's pic of the handle,the spine is now blued as mentioned.


There you have it..the newest in John's lineup.The Tool.
I love this knife!
Thanks John.

[droptyne]

Nice looking blade you got there!

[jw2n]

A well thought out and executed knife. It has many features I like in a general woods knife. Pretty cool!

[CellerDrummer]

Looks like it would work fine for cleaning fish and skinning small game as well...That with a SAK or leatherman would be a perfect hiking combo..CD

[JK Knives]

Glad to see it out getting some use, nice area you are in.

[pap11y]

Cool knife and pics

[KYenglish]

Thanks for the pictures Myke, nice design, I'm glad you braved the rain, doesn't look like too bad a day from here

[trevytrev]

I'm really digging that design! I may have to pull the trigger on one of those!

[TPVT]

great pics myke. thanks for the review.

[pitdog]

Great design buddy, I've never really understood the '4" blade for bushcraft thing', I can get just as much control using a blade around 5" or so and find the extra chopping potential much more useful. That extra inch or so also lets you split larger rounds with a baton !

PS. Love the pics !

[schmittie]

I like it!

[TheGame]

Good looking blade. Really like the creek, reminds me of a place I used to visit almost every weekend.

[rwc53]

Great-looking knife, Myke! I, too, like 5" blades...find them very useful out in the bush. An excellent design that I know will give you a lot of years of great service out in the "wilds" of the PNW!

Congrats!
Ron

[mistwalker]

Very nice Mykel! I like the profile and the tang extension. It looks like a great knife, maybe my favorite JK so far. I too like something more in the 5 inch range for woods carry and all around use.

[22-rimfire]

Nice blade. Looks like a cross between a Condor Bushlore and ESEE-4/5 but with better steel. I like the sheath.

[Thomas Linton]

Nice-looking - graceful. Very practical. I really like liners to prevent corrosion under handle slabs.

[1066vik]

Thanks for the pics -- I'm really liking the looks of that puppy!

[mqqn]

Great design, Mykel - and I am happy to see the Tool out getting some woods time!

Thanks for the pictures -

best

mqqn

[protourist]

There is a lot to like about that knife. Great design and a cool firesteel as well.
Thanks for sharing. John makes a great knife for those of us that like to get out and use them.

[tknife]

Great design. it's simple, straightforward and handy looking. I like the handle shape and the nice and pointy tip Most of my knives are between 4" - 6" blades and I love them all. Most fall around 4" but there's nothing magical about any length blade. Use what you like, that's all that matters!