An Aspiration

cbwoods67

cbwoods67

Joined
Oct 12, 2010
Messages
8,189
Yesterday, when class was over, I came home and sat on the couch and a knife design kind of just came to me. I went to get a piece of paper and drew this:
003.jpg

I had never put a picture from my mind directly to paper, so that was pretty cool.This is the first time in a long time that I have become excited about anything. So I am going to make this.... It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine.

Just in case you can't see the dimensions in my crappy phone pic:
Tip to butt: 8 in.
Blade: 3 5/8
Handle: 4 3/8
Blade width: 1 1/4
Handle: 1 1/8
Blade stock: 1/8 or 3/16

I was looking for advice on blade steel. I was thinking possibly O1 or A2 but am not sure. My plan with this knife is for it to be my main knife for a long, long time. Everything from food prep to wood carving. In the picture, it looks like a scandi, but I may go with convex for the sake of durability. I should probably mention that I have never made a knife before, so this may be over my head.

So, any advice, words of wisdom or discouragement is welcome!
Thanks for looking.
 
If you are going to do the heat threat I would be thinking 1080/1084.
If you plan on sending it out A2.

I draw on my blade with a sharpie and it helps be.
Other then that take you time, read the stickies, and know first knives don't happen over night.

oh, and have fun
 
The design is fine. I think convex would work best for general purposes. Like the man said, have fun! :thumbup: :)
 
I really appreciate it, guys. It will be a slow process between work and finals coming up, but I will start acquiring materials in the next few weeks.
 
I like scandi grinds, but they don't work as well with food prep. I also like convex, and own more of those.
As a knife user, my advice is 1/8" stock. With the right grind, you'll love it's performance.
I like the dip in the spine, just before the handle, it's a great place for the thumb, ala Nessmuk.
What's the thought for handle material, scales or hidden tang?
 
foxx said:
I like scandi grinds, but they don't work as well with food prep. I also like convex, and own more of those.
As a knife user, my advice is 1/8" stock. With the right grind, you'll love it's performance.
I like the dip in the spine, just before the handle, it's a great place for the thumb, ala Nessmuk.
What's the thought for handle material, scales or hidden tang?
Click to expand...


It will be full tang. The tentative plan is to eventually make my own micarta. I may decide decide to just order some, or wrap it in cord or leather. I am more focused on getting the ball rolling with the blade, for now. I think it will be easier to decide when I have some metal in my hand.
 
For that blade length and general use I would go no thicker than 1/8" and personally would prefer .100" for more slicing ability. I find that even though I EDC 4 knives I use the one with the thin blades the most for the light duty tasks. Be sure to read up on edge geometry as well and you will understand why some knives just seem to cut better. I mention these things not because I'm an expert in any of it (I am not), but because I am still new and these were some of the things I found important to me.


-Xander
 
fast14riot said:
For that blade length and general use I would go no thicker than 1/8" and personally would prefer .100" for more slicing ability.
Click to expand...

I agree. I also agree that it's a good design and a nice full convex will serve you well. Have fun!
 
The knife build guide in the stickies is for a knife almost identical to that shape. It should give you most info needed. If you are doing the HT, go 1084. If sending it out, go with CPM-154. While convex sounds easier, a flat grind is the simplest to do and get to look nice for a first knife.

Note: Filling out your profile will help us help you.
 
One of my personal guiding principles is "It's easier to build on small successes than grand failures."

I think you have a really good design for your first knife. Making your own micarta should be a separate project, not tied to this particular knife. You can get some nice looking, durable handle material at reasonable prices, be it micarta, G10, dymondwood, or other resin impregnated woods. This knife deserves a real handle rather than paracord. (Can you tell my bias about this?)

I think 1/8" steel would work very well for this blade, and certainly wouldn't go thicker than 3/16. I would ask the question, Why do you have the blade spec'd at 1.25"? Is it because that is the width of the steel that you are going to get or is there some other reason?

Mull this stuff over between final exams. You're gonna need a day-job to support your knife making. ;-)

- Paul Meske, Wisconsin
 
bladsmth said:
The knife build guide in the stickies is for a knife almost identical to that shape. It should give you most info needed. If you are doing the HT, go 1084. If sending it out, go with CPM-154. While convex sounds easier, a flat grind is the simplest to do and get to look nice for a first knife.

Note: Filling out your profile will help us help you.
Click to expand...

I plan to do this completely by hand, as soon as I scrape together money for files and such, if that makes any difference. I have heard that high carbon is easier to work with than stainless, am I mistaken? What would be the benefits to CPM-154 over something like A2? Due to lack of a suitable oven, I will need to send it out for heat treat. Also, my profile is now filled out. Thanks for the advice
 
lonepine said:
One of my personal guiding principles is "It's easier to build on small successes than grand failures."

I think 1/8" steel would work very well for this blade, and certainly wouldn't go thicker than 3/16. I would ask the question, Why do you have the blade spec'd at 1.25"? Is it because that is the width of the steel that you are going to get or is there some other reason?

- Paul Meske, Wisconsin
Click to expand...

Considering that I plan to use this knife for things like food prep, I think that if I went and shorter than 1.25", I would hit my knuckles on the table when chopping. I am sure that it won't end up exactly at 1.25, but I don't want to go any shorter. I guess the way I see it now is just a comfort thing. How wide do you suggest? Thanks for the advice, that line about small successes is going to stick with me for a long time.
 
cbwoods67 said:
Considering that I plan to use this knife for things like food prep, I think that if I went and shorter than 1.25", I would hit my knuckles on the table when chopping. I am sure that it won't end up exactly at 1.25, but I don't want to go any shorter. I guess the way I see it now is just a comfort thing. How wide do you suggest? Thanks for the advice, that line about small successes is going to stick with me for a long time.
Click to expand...


I was asking about the width (top to bottom) of the blade, not the length, and not to be confused with the thickness of the blade (1/8").

I asked the question because there is a tendency for people (beginners especially, and I include myself with this bunch) to make blades the size of the steel they have. If they have 1.25" inch wide steel then that's what the knife blade ends up being. I did this because I was so SMART.;-) I figured out I could save some labor this way even if it meant making a knife of dubious functionality.

But you did give it thought and you have a reason. Excellent. Did you try cutting out a mock-up of the blade from cardboard to get more of a feel for the shape? This would give you a better idea for what you might need for finger clearance etc. I find cereals boxes work good for this. I think you'll end up with a nice knife.

To others: Did I use the wrong term "width" in my first sentence above? Is there a different term, like maybe "depth" of the blade, or "height" of the blade, or something? It feel like width and thickness both refer to a side-to-side measurement, not a top-to-bottom measurement.

- Paul Meske
 
Paul - I usually refer to it as profile height, or just heighth. Most people get it when you say a blade is 1.25" high.



-Xander
 
cbwoods67 said:
Due to lack of a suitable oven, I will need to send it out for heat treat.
Click to expand...

Thank you for not saying you're going to use old mower blade steel and HT with a bbq grill and dirty motor oil!

"plain" carbon steel or "stainless" is totally up to you. With a moderately sized, thin blade like your design, the difference in the amount of work filing it to shape won't be very much. I'm simplifying a little here, but the main differences are:
1084 or similar high carbon steel: inexpensive, tough, easy to touch up the edge. Very little corrosion resistance.
CPM-154: a little pricy, also tough, a little harder to sharpen but keeps its edge longer, very good corrosion resistance.
A2: sort of in-between the other two.

All three will make a very good blade.

Whether flat is easier than convex depends on who you ask. I think convex is easier but that may only be because that's what I learned first.
 
The above post pretty well sums up the difference. There is no real difference in working the two. For food use, i would only use the CPM-154.

Thanks for filling out your profile,it helps. You will get more detailed answers, and more help.

OK, now that you filled out your profile, you can learn the benefits of doing that.

I have pre-cut blanks of a blade nearly the same as yours in 1/8" CPM-154. I call it a "Kitchen Utility" blade. I will send you a blank free. I will also include Micarta handle scales, pre-drilled ( but not shaped) for Corby bolts, along with the bolts.

Here is the deal:

I'll send you all the materials, and some supplies to do the project with. I will also send a tutorial on how to make the knife. It will be the same process as the sticky.

What you do is - Start a thread on this project and do it as a WIP. Post photos and info as you go, asking questions as you have them.

When the blade is ready for the HT, send it to me and I will do the HT for free, and return the blade to you.

We can discuss the details later, but how does this sound?
 
lonepine said:
But you did give it thought and you have a reason. Excellent. Did you try cutting out a mock-up of the blade from cardboard to get more of a feel for the shape? This would give you a better idea for what you might need for finger clearance etc. I find cereals boxes work good for this. I think you'll end up with a nice knife.

- Paul Meske
Click to expand...

Yes, I was so anxious to get it in my hand that I cut out a piece of card board about 10 minutes after I drew it. It feels pretty good, especially resting my thumb in the dip of the blade. Thanks for the encouragement and advice.
 
james terrio said:
Thank you for not saying you're going to use old mower blade steel and HT with a bbq grill and dirty motor oil!

"plain" carbon steel or "stainless" is totally up to you. With a moderately sized, thin blade like your design, the difference in the amount of work filing it to shape won't be very much. I'm simplifying a little here, but the main differences are:
1084 or similar high carbon steel: inexpensive, tough, easy to touch up the edge. Very little corrosion resistance.
CPM-154: a little pricy, also tough, a little harder to sharpen but keeps its edge longer, very good corrosion resistance.
A2: sort of in-between the other two.

All three will make a very good blade.

Whether flat is easier than convex depends on who you ask. I think convex is easier but that may only be because that's what I learned first.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the information.
 
bladsmth said:
The above post pretty well sums up the difference. There is no real difference in working the two. For food use, i would only use the CPM-154.

Thanks for filling out your profile,it helps. You will get more detailed answers, and more help.

OK, now that you filled out your profile, you can learn the benefits of doing that.

I have pre-cut blanks of a blade nearly the same as yours in 1/8" CPM-154. I call it a "Kitchen Utility" blade. I will send you a blank free. I will also include Micarta handle scales, pre-drilled ( but not shaped) for Corby bolts, along with the bolts.

Here is the deal:

I'll send you all the materials, and some supplies to do the project with. I will also send a tutorial on how to make the knife. It will be the same process as the sticky.

What you do is - Start a thread on this project and do it as a WIP. Post photos and info as you go, asking questions as you have them.

When the blade is ready for the HT, send it to me and I will do the HT for free, and return the blade to you.

We can discuss the details later, but how does this sound?
Click to expand...

I had to read this several times for it to even begin to sink in. That sounds amazing. There is no way for me to express my gratitude. I don't think a simple Thank You could possibly suffice.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top