Blade design of first knife.

M

MotoPyscho

Joined
Jul 22, 2011
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Here is the outline for my first knife I will start making next week.
IMG_20110723_083633.jpg

Note: Coin is a quarter for size reference.

My question is; at the point on the cutting edge (bottom of outline) where the arc begins to reverse it's direction as it gets closer the the handle, is this a good cutting design or should I leave it strait?

I would like to keep this current design, however if I do, how would I hone that reverse arc area? I only have flat oil stones and I see the edges of the stone hitting the blade before i get it to hone. Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
for all that is holy leave it straight. that will serve no noticeable purpose and will be unsharpenable. as far as the recurve goes, that is sharpenable, but not too easily.

what is the purpose of the knife? will it be a wall piece, or will it be for use. if it is for use, then please include dimensions. what steel will you be using? what tools do you have? this will change the answers you will get.

welcome to the forum. I hope you get addicted as bad as I am.
 
Okay some more info: It will be a mostly a show piece but I want it to work for general use. Dimension wise I was going to .125'' thick and apporx. 9'' long. I'm going to use 440c. I will Waterjet cut the blank then use a cnc mill for much of the stock removal. From there it will be heat treated, sub-zero cooled in liquid nitrogen then a double temper. I plan to finish by hand with oil stones.

Thanks for the welcome :-) Yes the addiction is getting bad already.
 
By my eye, a 9 inch OAL will give you about 3 inches of usable handle, plus another inch or so of that middle area that is really too wide for a comfortable grip.
 
It is a fighting knife style. More into the "art Knife" catagory. I think it can be a terrific looking piece but I believe it's a poor design for general usage.Frank
 
That design will not be very good for general use if it is only 9 inches OAL. I would recommend making this one as fantastical as you want and then doing another that is more practical.
 
Welcome to the BF. Filling out your profile is a good idea right from the start.

I'm with Frank.
If it is a fantasy knife, fine....make it as you wish. It will not be an easy first knife, and won't function well as a user.

If it is to be a real use knife, loose the Doo-dads and unrealistic curves.
If it is a Spec-Ops knife, the wire breaker on the top is OK, but you will find that 99% of all knives actually in combat zones are straight and plain. The notch at the bottom would be OK with a straightened edge, but I don't personally like it.

The handle as drawn does not fit the knife. Make it 4" long, a tad wider, and drop it a bit.
 
Deffinetley creative! I think you should grind a small notch in that cutout at the end of the cutting edge to atleast make work as a bottle opener. That would make it a "user" design! I can see some potential in it, but as is I don't think it will work well for much more that a thrower or letter opener. Like was said above, go all out and make an art piece, or scale back and make a great user. Trying to use that will be akward at best. I like the blade shape, but your handl is lacking. If you like the straight look, maybe go for a coffin type handle which pairs well with recurves.


-Xander
 
A lot of people ask this question of their first knife. The best response I've ever seen (I can't remember who said it) is that this is your first knife, not your last knife. Don't stress so much over the design of your first knife. Make whatever you want to make and you will learn way more about design from the experience of making it and from handling the final product than you will from hearing other people's advice.
If you end up making knives seriously, you'll end up making a lot of knives. That's a lot of chances to make poor design choices (all of us have) and a lot of chances to make improvements (all of us do).
Good luck.
Chris
 
Id change the handle to something not so plain and simple. Also that recurve (upside down arc) for a beginner wil be a pain to grind. Might be on to a cool design tho
 
You've made a sleek graceful design. I'm assuming you have some experience in working with steel, and I'm pretty much in agreement with the advice already given. For a wall hanger leave the design as is. If you actually want it to be functional, that's a different story.

The handle has some major problems. As graceful as the blade is, the handle lacks the flair that the blade has. The shape is not "grippy", i.e. there are no swells that your hand can wrap around to hold on to it, especially pulling back on it. I don't understand what the notches are for, and the wide guard in the middle, where the notches are, will limit it's usefulness for general use.

Take a cereal box and cut a full size profile of it out of the cardboard and see how that feels in your hand. It's far from holding the finished knife in your hand but it can give you some tactile feedback about the handle shape. It's one thing to draw an outline on paper, and something else to hold it in your hand.

I don't know about you, but seeing a lot of experienced knifemakers say that the recurved section of the blade is going to be a major PITA would make me consider rethinking that portion of the design also.

What were you thinking of using on the handle? Wood? G10? Please don't say paracord!

- Paul Meske
 
"Take a cereal box and cut a full size profile of it out of the cardboard and see how that feels in your hand." Definitely, except I'd say use a thick piece of cardboard instead, that will give a better representation of 1/4" blade stock. Making a cardboard model is really the #2 step in any knife design (#1 is drawing it out on paper obviously). The design you have know looks cool but once you make a cardboard mock-up you can see how it feels - then compare it to a knife you already have, that has ergonomics you like, and that will help you develop the design. BEFORE you waste a nice piece of steel.
As for the reverse arc, it can be sharpened (see Phillip Patton's designs) but it takes sharpening rods not flat stones, and A LOT of time!
 
I think the handle definitely needs a redesign. For one, like other's have said, it's too short.
I'd probalby put a finger choil up by the "gaurd" area just to give your index finger somewhere to go. Also, I think I'd flare out the butt end to enhance the grip. It looks too straight as is.

Lastly, since you're gonna be using a wider piece of steel anyway, I'd definitely widen that blade out a little more, and ditch the recurve if you don't have the tools to sharpen it properly.
 
Ok been kinda following this thread to see what comes of this design but to give a example I drew this up real quick (never got up from my computer chair) so don't laugh but hopefully you get the idea

IMG_0103.jpg
 
Thanks for the advice guys. You have all been very informative and helpful. I'm going to redesign the profile for more function over form. I'll keep you guys updated.
 
Here is where I am so far.
IMG_20110729_155751.jpg


That is what's called a scandi grind right? I ground the edge to 40 degrees should I have done more?
 
that, my friend, is very, very nice. A little simplicity goes a long way. a scandi grind means that there is not a secondary bevel. as far as 40 degrees goes, I am not sure if you are referring to the primary bevel or not, but, if you are, I would go a little bit higher on the side. that is a pretty obtuse grind. very nice gob on getting it even, though.
 
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