Big Blades VS. Small Blades

AVigil

AVigil

Adam Vigil working the grind
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Making big blades is fun and challenging and that is a big part of the art of knifemaking.

Making small blades is also fun and challenging and a big benefit is it is far more financially rewarding.

Customers haven't a clue that a knifemaker can make 2 small blades and in a fraction of the time and material costs and sell them faster and make more money then that big blade.

Most clients are wonderful to work for and it is a pleasure to make the big blade they always wanted it also feels good to make several small blades in the same time it takes to make that big blade and make several times the profit.

So what say you?

Big Blade vs Small Blade , what is your preference and why?
 
Where is the delineation? I'm not trying to be pedantic I'm curious. As a knife user if it's less than 4" blade length I'd rather carry a folder, and so I've made very few fixed blades smaller than that.

But I'm so new that so much of what I'm making is just making things for the experience that it's not likely valid to your question. I can definitely see the upside in making many small blades to one large. You reach a larger sales market, you likely get economy of scale with at least some portions of the process like heat treating. It's definitely less labor and consumables to produce a small blade.

The one thing that doesn't work in the favor of small is that handle materials become a very significant portion of the total expense of a blade vs a large one, as the handles don't generally shrink proportionally.
 
Personally for EDC I carry a slip joint and pretty much have stopped carrying liner locks, frame lock etc. I find the slip joint does everything I need and calls no attention to itself.

When camping, hiking and doing work in the yard I carry a 3.25"- 4" fixed blade it is easier to deploy and is free of the problems a folder can have with dirt, mud and guts.

As for the cost of handle material it can be as little or as much as you want and often can be the most expensive material on any blade. When dealing with micarta and G10 it really is not a cost problem.
 
I don't sell, so my preference is based entirely on what I like working on. Generally speaking, I prefer mid-sized blades... no long kukuris, no machetes, no swords... just mid-size daggers, Bowies, and kitchen knives.
 
AVigil said:
Personally for EDC I carry a slip joint and pretty much have stopped carrying liner locks, frame lock etc. I find the slip joint does everything I need and calls no attention to itself.

When camping, hiking and doing work in the yard I carry a 3.25"- 4" fixed blade it is easier to deploy and is free of the problems a folder can have with dirt, mud and guts.

As for the cost of handle material it can be as little or as much as you want and often can be the most expensive material on any blade. When dealing with micarta and G10 it really is not a cost problem.
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True, I just meant comparatively speaking, the handle material for a scale-built monster might require 5.5" x 1.5" of G10 per side, while a comfortable to use 4" EDC might still require 5 x 1.5" of G10, so it becomes a greater portion of the total cost, where labor is a greater portion of the bigger blade. Not that it's prohibitively expensive, just that you consume about the same amount of material for each until you get into 3 finger or necker type small blades.

So the value added for $5-10 of G10 on a big knife that sells for $300 is greater than the value added for $5-10 of G10 on a small $150 knife. It's more than made up for in the difference in labor for all but the most expensive handle materials I imagine.
 
I do mostly kitchen knives, and to throw a monkey wrench into the mix, a mid size 7" blade is most popular.

For non kitchen knives, I probably do a ratio of 6 skinners/edc, three hunters, and one Bowie/dagger out of 10.
 
Big blades are fun and challenging but if the rewards are slim I wouldn't bother aside from them being an artistic challenge. If someone wants something big I tell them my price and timeline. If that wouldn't scare them away I'd proceed. I wouldn't spend time on a large blade that wasn't ordered if I needed the income. Too big a risk in opportunity cost. That said there are people that specialize in big blades and do yield large rewards for their efforts. Also there is a huge difference between a big blade in the kitchen selling vs a sword like object. I see more people Ibsell to looking for small fixed and folders than swords. So with all that rambling I guess I'm in the small blade camp because they sell faster for me.
 
kuraki said:
So the value added for $5-10 of G10 on a big knife that sells for $300 is greater than the value added for $5-10 of G10 on a small $150 knife. It's more than made up for in the difference in labor for all but the most expensive handle materials I imagine.
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Sure, but some of that balances out with the overall cost of production. You can get several 4" blades from one belt but not so many large blades on the same belt and when belts cost $$$ we all know the pain of throwing them away.

And lets not forget the heart break of bandsaw blades breaking or dulling as well as drill bits when working on the monster blades :)

Also the time, time is money. It is gratifying when you finish a big blade in a few weeks, but I am always amazed when making a 4" blade when the grinding is done, the handle is glued and it was only a few hours in total.
 
I make mostly big blades now days. 18in machetes and 13+ in choppers are my best selling items. Everything takes alot longer and costs more. I can make 2 small knives in the time it takes to make 1 big chopper and I can make 4 small sheaths in the time it takes me to make one sheath for a machete. Its more time, money, and labor, but making big blades is fun. When you are done you get to hold something really substantial.

From a business standpoint, the positive is that there are fewer makers producing large blades so its easier for your work to be noticed. I have alot of repeat customers buying my choppers and far fewer repeat customers buying my small blades. Another bonus is that you get very fast at all the processes. After grinding 15inch bevels and shaping 1/2in thick scales, a 5in bevel and a 1/4in scale material is a walk in the park.
 
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I guess it's bigger blades more then small for me. It's seems I grind more 8" to 10", 1/4" thick blades. The BBT is my best seller. I really prefer making the bigger blades as it continues to refine my grinding skills.
Scott
 
I do mostly 3.5"- 4.5" knives. I get a lot of people that want 4-6 of the same knife (different handle/ liner colors, and initials) to give as gifts. I have been moving into larger knives, kitchen and boning knives mostly. On my bench right now are four 7" santokus, one 8" boning, and 6 3.5" to 4" hunter/ skinners. If I can ever get ahead of orders, I'd like to build a small inventory of hunters and kitchen knives and then work on some things that have been sitting, like a kwaiken and a small fighter I need to handle and maybe a bowie. I feel like I need to make a nice bowie, if for no other reason than it seems to be a benchmark of knifemaking.
 
If you are not using something else to remove the forge scale, you can go through a couple of those $10-12 belts on say a big forged bowie!!!!
AVigil said:
Sure, but some of that balances out with the overall cost of production. You can get several 4" blades from one belt but not so many large blades on the same belt and when belts cost $$$ we all know the pain of throwing them away.

And lets not forget the heart break of bandsaw blades breaking or dulling as well as drill bits when working on the monster blades :)

Also the time, time is money. It is gratifying when you finish a big blade in a few weeks, but I am always amazed when making a 4" blade when the grinding is done, the handle is glued and it was only a few hours in total.
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Gossman Knives said:
I guess it's bigger blades more then small for me. It's seems I grind more 8" to 10", 1/4" thick blades. The BBT is my best seller. I really prefer making the bigger blades as it continues to refine my grinding skills.
Scott
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Scott is a perfect example of what Hunter just stated. He has made a reputation as a go to guy for big strong blades, so that's his niche. One really nice benefit of that is that most folks wanting that type of knife are knife savvy, and can appreciate the skill and knowledge that goes into making a quality knife. Whereas I get a mix of knife savvy and the wife that want's a nice gift for her outdoorsy husband. I'll sell a chef's knife to a person who likes to cook, but I'd give one away to a good working chef. There are rewards across the board.
 
jdm61 said:
If you are not using something else to remove the forge scale, you can go through a couple of those $10-12 belts on say a big forged bowie!!!!
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Angle grinder with flap disc is the most economical way to remove the scale (if you don't want to wait for white vinegar to do its thing.)
 
Willie71 said:
I have one of those. I assumed it would glaze up. Thanks for the tip!
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I have a cup wheel I think it's made by norton and I love it. It rips scale off Damascus and makes quick work of prepping it for restacking.
 
i like big blades, i think everyone should carry a 10" blade bowie. but the smaller ones seem better received, and sell more quickly because of demand. i also enjoy the fact that people will be more likely to carry it and use the small ones. before i got on my loveless "kick" almost a year ago, i was making mostly large ones. i agree with you i can make two small ones in about the same time as a large one. the only thing i do not like about the big ones is when you are hand stitching the sheath, the threads are really long and annoying to work with :D
 
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It's a mix for me, but I prefer making bigger blades. I grew up chopping brush, and chopping is what comes to mind when I think of cutting.

It's actually easier for me to forge a large 12" blade than it is to forge a 4" blade. :D And I don't have a shortage of work waiting on me.

One of the great things about custom knives is that there are so many areas of interest and so many different approaches to building them, and fellows at opposite ends of the spectrum can appreciate good work from each other.
 
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