A new mortised tang/lignum vitae

A

ANGRYMOB

Joined
May 26, 2005
Messages
325
with brass guard last one for a few days...gotta get back to work
10 1/2" with 6 1/2" blade...O-1
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Well I probably dont deserve to comment but...It looks really good...but...both sides dont match up. From what I can tell you are suppose to take a block, split it, and grind out an area so that when you put it back together its like you never split it. Other than that it looks pretty clean!

Ryan
 
FlaMtnBkr said:
Well I probably dont deserve to comment but...It looks really good...but...both sides dont match up. From what I can tell you are suppose to take a block, split it, and grind out an area so that when you put it back together its like you never split it. Other than that it looks pretty clean!

Ryan
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i have discovered this is much more difficult than it looks......maybe if the wood was all one color it would be easier, but I think this is a skill that probably takes a long time to perfect...or maybe i just stink at mortised tang knives
 
BuckyKatt said:
I like it. That looks like a solid user.
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hacked a two by four in half and still shaves...and that is no small task with a 6 1/2" blade........cool looking piece of wood, I think...
 
Get a square piece of wood, cut it in half on a bandsaw slowly useing a fence. Sand the cut sides just a little to take the high spots off cut out tang aera with a router( with a small bit, or dremmel or chisell). Draw tang outline on outside as well as inside to help you shape things out later. Glue together with wood glue or epoxie. Sand down or cut again with bandsaw to rough shape and then sand. With outline you know you will not cut into tang The grain should match up quiet well. I have done more wood working than knives. I have made some wodden sheaths this way out of cherry, oak , maple, and ash. Sorry I have no ditial to show you photos.
Cheers Ron
 
Mungo Park said:
Get a square piece of wood, cut it in half on a bandsaw slowly useing a fence. Sand the cut sides just a little to take the high spots off cut out tang aera with a router( with a small bit, or dremmel or chisell). Draw tang outline on outside as well as inside to help you shape things out later. Glue together with wood glue or epoxie. Sand down or cut again with bandsaw to rough shape and then sand. With outline you know you will not cut into tang The grain should match up quiet well. I have done more wood working than knives. I have made some wodden sheaths this way out of cherry, oak , maple, and ash. Sorry I have no ditial to show you photos.
Cheers Ron
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Thanks...my problem is I need a better saw for one...I can't get a straight line cut....
 
ANGRYMOB said:
...or maybe i just stink at mortised tang knives
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As with so many things in life, practice makes perfect (eventually ;) ).

Proficiency in most anything comes in incremental steps. After you master one level or step of the process, you can progress from there to working on (and eventually mastering) the next step. All those little steps add up to big progress over time...... assuming you keep practicing and working at the process.

You've got a good start on the mortised tang handle, now it's just a matter of doing a few more of them applying the tips from Mungo Park. Also, check out this multi-page tutorial for mortised tang handles on the website of Terry Primos:
http://www.primosknives.com/articles/mortised_tangs/mortised_tangs_1.htm

I like the shape of your blade as a utilitarian design. The way the front of the handle fairs (blends) into the the guard looks like it would be comfortable in use. I like the look of the wood, disregarding any mismatch on the grain.

My concern on the handle would be the very slick looking (high-gloss polyurethane?) finish if/when the handle gets wet or greasy in use. Did you notice any slipperyness of the grip in your tests of the knife?

As a purely design consideration, I find the crowding of the pins toward the front of the handle a "red flag" visually. It makes the design look even more blade-weighted than it already is. Spreading the pins out along the length of the handle would put some visual emphasis toward the butt of the handle and make the knife look more balanced IMHO. Also, the handle length to blade length ratio seems to be heavily blade-heavy. Pardon my asking, but what are the blade length and OAL on this knife?

ANGRYMOB said:
My photography skills are lacking when it comes to knives
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Check out the photography link in my sig for tips 'n tricks related directly to knife photography.

Keeping notes on how you set up photos and camera settings can be educational in reproducing results when you get photos that you like. It is also good to pick apart technically photos you like from other photographers..... try to reverse-engineer pictures you like. See if you can figure out where/how they placed the lights, diffusers, reflectors, props, etc that appeals to your eye. Once you've analyzed and identified what makes a picture "click" for your tastes, you can focus on trying to reproduce that kind of effect in your own shots because you've quantified what the goal you're aiming for actually is.

Keep shooting lots of blade pictures, especially if you've got a digital camera, to improve your photographic technique and compositional arrangements. Did I mention yet how important practice is? ;)
 
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