- Joined
- Jan 28, 2008
- Messages
- 3,223
Bow Legged Belt Knife from Fiddleback
I’ve been using this knife as an EDC and shop knife for the last few weeks and I have been really happy with it. The knife is 7 1/2’’ overall with a 3 3/8” sharpened edge on the blade. The handles are natural canvas micarta over black canvas micarta with red liners, and it sports one of Andy’s bull’s-eye lanyard tubes.
This is the best knife I’ve ever used for shop work and I have used quite a few over the years. The blade shape lets me do everything from trimming up a tenon to cutting a pattern for leather work, and it lets me do so with an impressive amount of control. The downside is that the lack of belly means that this knife doesn’t really shine in the kitchen, but I rarely ask my EDCs or shop knives to pull that duty.
I was really surprised by how many grips the handle allowed for and it is quite comfortable even when used for sustained periods. I’ve tried to show the grips that I use frequently in the following pictures. My glove size is extra large.
The steel has a nice balance of edge retention versus reliability. I often cut leather for sheaths on a wooden workbench and the BLBK performed admirably with no chipping or excessive dulling. After a few passes on the strop at the end of every day it always came back to hair popping sharp quickly.
Something that I find hard to express is how Andy’s work always strikes me as being more thought-out than most knifemakers. I have a few friends who are woodworkers and when they hold a Fiddleback they always comment on how the person that made the knife knows his tools. That knowledge combined with Andy’s ability to make such aesthetically pleasing knives is why I’m always drawn to them and why I recommend them to friends.
I’m not much of a wordsmith, but I hope that I have conveyed how much I like the Bow Legged Belt Knife. Thanks to Andy of Fiddleback Forge for another great tool. :thumbup:
I’ve been using this knife as an EDC and shop knife for the last few weeks and I have been really happy with it. The knife is 7 1/2’’ overall with a 3 3/8” sharpened edge on the blade. The handles are natural canvas micarta over black canvas micarta with red liners, and it sports one of Andy’s bull’s-eye lanyard tubes.
This is the best knife I’ve ever used for shop work and I have used quite a few over the years. The blade shape lets me do everything from trimming up a tenon to cutting a pattern for leather work, and it lets me do so with an impressive amount of control. The downside is that the lack of belly means that this knife doesn’t really shine in the kitchen, but I rarely ask my EDCs or shop knives to pull that duty.
I was really surprised by how many grips the handle allowed for and it is quite comfortable even when used for sustained periods. I’ve tried to show the grips that I use frequently in the following pictures. My glove size is extra large.
The steel has a nice balance of edge retention versus reliability. I often cut leather for sheaths on a wooden workbench and the BLBK performed admirably with no chipping or excessive dulling. After a few passes on the strop at the end of every day it always came back to hair popping sharp quickly.
Something that I find hard to express is how Andy’s work always strikes me as being more thought-out than most knifemakers. I have a few friends who are woodworkers and when they hold a Fiddleback they always comment on how the person that made the knife knows his tools. That knowledge combined with Andy’s ability to make such aesthetically pleasing knives is why I’m always drawn to them and why I recommend them to friends.
I’m not much of a wordsmith, but I hope that I have conveyed how much I like the Bow Legged Belt Knife. Thanks to Andy of Fiddleback Forge for another great tool. :thumbup:
