Recommendation? Changing your mind midstream

U

Upended

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Dec 1, 2017
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My second knife is in the pipeline and the more I look at it, the less sure I am about the shape of the handle. I marked up something I might like a little better, I don't know. What would you do? Leave it the way it is, or change it to what is drawn? Or something even better?

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Let your eye guide you. If it doesn't look right and it's not to the point of no return, make it what you want it.
 
I would leav it the way it is now. But shape it to a comfortable fit once you put scales on it. As your shaping the scales constantly be grabbing the knife to check for comfort
 
Upended,

This is why I seem to keep telling the new guys the same thing over and over. Make working out your designs on paper part of your work flow. You can change anything you want on paper or in the computer without penalty. After you have worked out the details and dimensions on paper then you can go to your steel with confidence.

What you currently have is ok. What you are considering is a little better. However, you have already drilled your pin holes. Those holes are centered top to bottom in the handle. Now you are thinking about moving where the bottom of the handle is, which will make your pin holes off center. It's not the end of the world. If you go with an altered design you can drill new holes in a slightly different location. But that wouldn't be an issue if you had planned it all ahead of time on paper. I also suspect that finger notch in the handle is on the small side.
 
Thanks, everyone. I did work this one out on paper ahead of time and liked it at the start, but you know, sometimes you look at something for a while and start to change your mind. I cut this one out while my first knife had some downtime a couple weeks ago, and it has been sitting there staring at me ever since. Certainly I'm not the only guy to ever second-guess a couple design features. That front pin looking off-center was definitely my biggest hang-up on switching up the design.

I'm not stressing out about it, I'm sure either design would end up fine. It'll probably live out its life in a drawer somewhere in my house anyway. No big deal, just curious about the opinions of experienced makers. I appreciate any feedback I get.
 
looks good enough to finish to me.. i would just round the pommel as you have it marked. finish it. you only get one first knife. the worse your first knife looks, the more apparent your improvement in craftsmanship will be later by comparison. i cherish mine :)
 
Don't take my remarks as discouraging. I certainly didn't intend that. If you want to change it, go ahead. Like I said, it's a simple matter to put a new forward pin hole in a new location in front of the original one. The rear pin hole doesn't even need to be moved. Of course you are always free to change your mind and, as you said, you aren't the first to do so. Finish the knife the way that looks the best to you and use the heck out of it.
 
i4Marc said:
Don't take my remarks as discouraging. I certainly didn't intend that. If you want to change it, go ahead. Like I said, it's a simple matter to put a new forward pin hole in a new location in front of the original one. The rear pin hole doesn't even need to be moved. Of course you are always free to change your mind and, as you said, you aren't the first to do so. Finish the knife the way that looks the best to you and use the heck out of it.
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Nope, didn't take it that way at all! I just wanted to clarify that I'm not viewing this as some monumental decision, just looking for opinions. And I know it can be frustrating seeing newbie after newbie making the same mistakes for years, but I promise I planned ahead with this one. If anything, I have a problem thinking too far ahead! I'm asking questions about my second knife before my first is finished, and my third is already drawn out on paper. Resisting the urge to cut that third one out and put another cart in front of my horse.

Thank you for the advice, though, and the opinion. To be honest, "What you currently have is ok, what you are considering is a little better" is a more valuable to me than "finish the knife the way that looks the best to you" because... I can't decide! What can I do to make it even better than "a little better than ok"? Also, you've convinced me to put some more thought into the size of the finger notch. I might be overlooking that.
 
People around here typically have a lot of good advice to give. At the same time, be willing to try your own thing when it comes to design and be willing to fail. Make it, use it, and decide what you like and don't like. Lend it out or give it away as a gift and get feedback. You'll learn over time what things are obvious fails/bad ideas and which are more user preference.

For example, if a knife has a ricasso that extends all the way down to the edge, then I want a sharpening choil, but other people are fine without one: user preference. If you made the sharpening choil a third of the blade, then that is a design fail. o_O:D
 
Upended,

It's hard to say, or suggest, what might be better because I don't know the dimensions of your knife, the size of your hands or how you plan to use the knife. Just going by what we see, here are some quick ideas that come to my mind. The first variation is just a flared butt. The second is a rounded butt. The third is a rounded butt without the finger notch. Again, we don't yet know how the knife will be used. But it is likely that it will be used in a reverse or upside down grip at some point. Finger notches can be irritating to use in this orientation if not done well so this would eliminate that issue. I've also indicated where you might move the front pin and streamlined the blade shape a bit. These are just my thoughts. Others will have their own opinions.

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Awesome! Those pictures make me think I should move that pin hole further forward regardless of what I do with the handle. Looks much better there. I think I like what's behind Door #2 best, but I'll let the thought simmer while I finish my first knife.

Confession time: I don't use knives all that often, and I have no specific plans for what these first few are meant to do. Maybe that's something I need to focus on more. I use kitchen knives in food prep, but this obviously isn't going to serve that purpose. I carry a pocket folder, but not everyday. And I'll gut/skin/process a deer once or twice a year. That would probably be the only real use any of my knives see from me, and I already have several purchased knives that I'm happy with. Actually, I'd be interested in a thread about how you all use your knives. I'm just enjoying the journey of knifemaking without worrying too much about the destination, to be honest.

So to answer your question, how do I plan to use this knife? Well, I'll probably end up looking at it more than anything else. It's main purpose will be, "And this is the second knife I made." But it should still be decent at cutting through venison.
 
I'm a hobbyist maker. My 1st knife sits on my bench, which is crammed into the corner of my garage next to "garage" fridge used primarily for bulk beverages. I find myself cutting thick paper frequently, you know, the stuff surrounding a case of beer?
 
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I thought I would post this since it is so similar. If I get the scales on this weekend I will post that as well. It might give you a reference so you can decide where you want to go.
 
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