Am I the only one in the world who hates tapered tang knives?

Goosey said:
Gays usually have the best fashion sense... I know one who bought a pair of $900 shoes by Salvatore Ferragamo.

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And he has knives, too.
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How is not wearing socks good fashion sense? :)
 
LARRYZ10 said:
A lot of you like the balance of a lighter tang. I can do that by drilling multiple holes in the tang without tapering it
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I like tapered tangs because when I started buying custom knives the better makers were doing that. IOW that was one mark of distinction between the more expensive custom knives and the less expensive custom knives.

I think tapered tangs are also a trend that happens in knifemaking. There is a reason for them, to achieve the proper balance, but it can be done easier by cutting holes in the hidden part of the tang. In more recent years I've noticed other trends, particularly the trend of leaving a hammered finish on the flats of the blade. This is a trend that I don't like. Another trend- more widespread use of non-stainless steels like 1095 in hunting knives. Almost all of my custom hunting knives are ATS34, a few are 440C.

If tapered tangs are less prevalent these days I would be more likely to accept non-tapered tangs. But actually if I bought fixed blades these days I would be more interested in utility knives than fine hunters so I would not be expecting tapered tangs anyway.
 
Twindog said:
Do you ever run into a situation with knives with shorter blades where you have to use both a tapered tang and tang holes to achieve a forward balance?
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Twindog, If the knife has a shorter blade the difference in weight and balance is less in the first place but you can only remove so much steel anyway to get a forward balance. A flat grind or a hollow grind that only goes up about a third of the blade will keep steel in the front end. Secondly when you make a smaller and shorter knife you generally use a thinner piece of steel to start with...say 1/8th or 5/32 nds so the tapering might be unnecessary to begin with. If a backpacker wants a super light but strong knife I would start with 5/32 inch steel and "swiss cheese" the tang . The wood is also a big factor . Some scales weigh a lot because of their density like Arizona Desert Ironwood while California Buckeye burl is light a a feather. These are my opinions only. I like the look of full thicknes tang...in fact on my personal knives the knife is thickest at the back of the tang and tapers forward all the way to the point. It's what you like really. I only submitted the question in the first place to get a rise out of the tapered tang fans and see what they thought. I didn't the word gay would wind up some so much but I live in Southern California where you have to check with the authorities before you say anything they don't like. I don't play that. Larry Lehman
 
If it achieves a better forward balance yet doesn't weaken the knife then I'm all for it.
P.s. if I spent $900 on shoes, I couldn't afford socks either! Lol!;)
 
For $900 they better be shell cordovan, which is okay to wear barefoot. Still slap some silk on those puppies, Hanamori if you can find it...
 
I could buy a decent car for $900. Spending that much on shoes doesn't make any sense, fasion or otherwise.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Ummmm you DO realize that tapered tangs are TOTALLY traditional, don't you? :confused:
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That's true. The "popular" lack of proper tapers and bevels has much more to do with ease of mass-production than it does with any performance benefit. Quite frankly, so do deep, low hollow grinds... but that's a whole other can of worms.
Twindog said:
Do you ever run into a situation with knives with shorter blades where you have to use both a tapered tang and tang holes to achieve a forward balance?
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I certainly do. If anything, proper balancing techniques are more important on small knives than larger ones, because you don't have 6 (or 10) inches of blade to counter-weight the tang and handle material. It does depend on the stock thickness, of course.

Regardless of size, I dislike a knife that feels like a brick in my hand. I use a lot of synthetics like G10 and micarta, which are on the heavy side, so evening that weight out is important. I do leave some knives with full-thickness tangs, when the client may want to thump on things with the butt, or if it's going to be a "skeleton" or cord-wrapped handle.

It's not magic, but aesthetically a nicely tapered tang does help separate the "craftsmen" from the guys who "bolt some slabs on a sharpened prybar", in many people's eyes.

EDIT: back to TwinDog's question... on some blades you'll never achieve a balance point forward of the guard or handle. But you can generally develop a balance point right where the index finger rests on knives with a 3" blade or more.
 
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Make knives and think anything you like.

If a customer asks for a design, I try not to insult them...

That is all.
 
One name.........Bob Loveless.

Only in General would you ever read something like this, oh wait, we have pry-bar love sub-forums too.
 
Other things I hate:
sheepshead grinds, wharnclipps, non-cerakoted blades, distal tape worms.
 
I have an early R.J. Martin hunter with a beautifully done tapered tang. Wonderfully balanced knife. But of course, R.J. Martin probably doesnt know much about making quality knives.;)--KV
 
james terrio said:
That's true. The "popular" lack of proper tapers and bevels has much more to do with ease of mass-production than it does with any performance benefit. Quite frankly, so do deep, low hollow grinds... but that's a whole other can of worms.


I certainly do. If anything, proper balancing techniques are more important on small knives than larger ones, because you don't have 6 (or 10) inches of blade to counter-weight the tang and handle material. It does depend on the stock thickness, of course.

Regardless of size, I dislike a knife that feels like a brick in my hand. I use a lot of synthetics like G10 and micarta, which are on the heavy side, so evening that weight out is important. I do leave some knives with full-thickness tangs, when the client may want to thump on things with the butt, or if it's going to be a "skeleton" or cord-wrapped handle.

It's not magic, but aesthetically a nicely tapered tang does help separate the "craftsmen" from the guys who "bolt some slabs on a sharpened prybar", in many people's eyes.

EDIT: back to TwinDog's question... on some blades you'll never achieve a balance point forward of the guard or handle. But you can generally develop a balance point right where the index finger rests on knives with a 3" blade or more.
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Quoted for bolded text that seems very fitting for this thread. :D
 
Loveless? What did that guy know about making knives?

From Wiki,
Robert Waldorf Loveless (January 2, 1929 – September 2, 2010 [1]), aka Bob Loveless or RW Loveless, was an American knife maker who designed and popularized the hollowground drop point blade and the use of full tapered tangs and screw-type handle scale fasteners within the art of knifemaking. He is cited by other knifemakers and collectors as one of the most innovative custom knife makers in the world.
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And for the record, your "gay" comment is out of line, and I'm about as far from politically correct as one can get.
 
LARRYZ10 said:
I have made and sold over 200 knives in the past 3 years including 2 tapered tang knives and I hate the way they look. What a waste of grinder time in my opinion. They are not much more trouble to make than a flat tang but they look gay to me. Larry <website link removed>
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Looks like LarryZ10 can't do business enough without flaming on a knife site and then trying to promo himself. I own knives of almost every tang form, and a tang does not make or break the knife, the overall quality does. I'm sure you are proud of your work. How about show your pride without coming off like an ahole. I would never buy from someone like you. I like to have a story behind my customs, but not 'it's a nice knife, but he's a jerk' isn't what I want to tell.
 
It really depends on the knife.

A chopper? Nope.

An EDC blade that is shorter, gets used all the time for more delicate tasks? Yup.

If weight or balance is an issue, then tapered tangs suit me just fine.

If absolute performance and durability are what is sought, then they don't suit me at all.
 
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