Tommythewho 'd My Potbelly

**wasatchdan** · 05-27-2012, 06:02 PM

I've had the JAB Potbelly for a few weeks now, and wow, what a great knife. I convexed the knife with my Work Sharp and gave it a nice, sharp edge that goes through wood like jello. It's an amazingly good chopper for such a short blade.

The one thing I didn't really care for was the standard brown zytel scales. They feel kinda funny at first, although admittedly I always prefer the Becker handle for a chopper, but the Potbelly handle works pretty well. I think the factory scales could use a good stippling to keep it more secure in the hand. Despite the pebbling on the plastic, I could still feel the scales move around a bit once my hand got sweaty.

I thought that the Potbelly could be a great candidate for a nice set of scales from Tommythewho. Tom has done a few sets of scales for my Beckers, and I've always been impressed with the fit and finish of his work. I blame C Tanner for my desire for some good wood on this thing.

Tom made me some scales in figured walnut. They came out just amazing. They look great and are surprisingly grippy. I've chopped the crap out of a bunch of trees and my grip has yet to be compromised by the smoothness of the grip.

The right side scale is off a bit. I need to loosen the screws and adjust it until it's even.

Now I just need to strip and etch this thing. The factory finish is fine, but it's been a little abused. It needs to go.

A big thumbs up to Tommythewho and Ka-bar. This is a great knife.