-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
CPK DIY WIP
- Thread starter Non.Nisi.Te
- Start date
Cwilliams563
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2022
- Messages
- 2,676
DEK 4
DEK4+
DEK 4S
DEK4S+
Very awesome and this one is going to be exciting. Great design here, nice job!
DEK4+
DEK 4S
DEK4S+
Very awesome and this one is going to be exciting. Great design here, nice job!
Non.Nisi.Te
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2020
- Messages
- 639
Thank you bro! Thanks for the input when we talked about blade design at the gathering.
Thanks R, i thought this design might appeal to you, I know you enjoy the sheepsfoot/wharncliffe style
This is exceptional, Steve. Wonderful concept and explanation.I’ll be very excited to see its progress.
For a name, I’ll offer the “ Big DEK-singo “, or BDS, for short. Hopefully Nate will start a production run in ‘26 (after the Neck Knife, of course)
Thank you MC!
^this is a cool idea, but I haven't done it before. Do you have a program you recommend?
If its nearly 6 inches flaccid, does it turn into a K18 when in use?
Non.Nisi.Te
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- Apr 2, 2020
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- 639
Thanks everyone for the support and name ideas, can't wait to update ASAP!
Cwilliams563
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2022
- Messages
- 2,676
Ultra DEK
Ultra long DEK
DEK Ultra
DEK 4 Ultra
Big ass titties (I just like saying that lol) The BAT
DEK 4S Ultra
I am really jealous of this one in many ways. 1st and foremost this would have been a terrible prize for me. I have very little artistic ability, and have the drawing capability of an average 2-1/2 year old lol.
It’s pretty awesome and fitting that you get this. Not only are you set up for it with your table, but obviously have great artistic ability and a good imagination! So cool man.
Not to mention this knife is going to be so amazing. Nathan should consider putting this into production at some point. Hopefully you get to put a cool logo, or your name on your knife. lookout
Lorien
, you might have design competition 
Ultra long DEK
DEK Ultra
DEK 4 Ultra
Big ass titties (I just like saying that lol) The BAT
DEK 4S Ultra
I am really jealous of this one in many ways. 1st and foremost this would have been a terrible prize for me. I have very little artistic ability, and have the drawing capability of an average 2-1/2 year old lol.
It’s pretty awesome and fitting that you get this. Not only are you set up for it with your table, but obviously have great artistic ability and a good imagination! So cool man.
Not to mention this knife is going to be so amazing. Nathan should consider putting this into production at some point. Hopefully you get to put a cool logo, or your name on your knife. lookout
Lorien
, you might have design competition
Non.Nisi.Te
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2020
- Messages
- 639
Ultra DEK
Ultra long DEK
DEK Ultra
DEK 4 Ultra
Big ass titties (I just like saying that lol) The BAT
DEK 4S Ultra
I am really jealous of this one in many ways. 1st and foremost this would have been a terrible prize for me. I have very little artistic ability, and have the drawing capability of an average 2-1/2 year old lol.
It’s pretty awesome and fitting that you get this. Not only are you set up for it with your table, but obviously have great artistic ability and a good imagination! So cool man.
Not to mention this knife is going to be so amazing. Nathan should consider putting this into production at some point. Hopefully you get to put a cool logo, or your name on your knife. lookout
Thank you for your ideas and encouragement C!
Maybe the BAT DEK
I'm excited about this project. I produced lots of drawings and paintings 10 or 15 years ago but haven't done much since. I made two knives in O1 about 5 years ago that were pretty shitty, so I'm really pleased to have the chance to work on this project with some genius knifemakers.
I have no idea how to use the drafting table lol, I work in healthcare and my dad and brothers are engineers, that's their stuff
.I'm trying to create a knife that I've always wanted after handling different offerings from some brilliant makers.
In terms of design, I feel like for the most part I'm copying the work of people like
Nathan the Machinist
and
Lorien
, (and Chris R) who I see as true innovators in this space. I feel blessed to be around at the same time as them and benefit from their hard work.And I had banana bread and charcuterie for breakfast. What a time to be alive.
Non.Nisi.Te
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- Messages
- 639
"FLACCID DEK" and "aint'singo" are my favorite names thus far!
SwarthyGnome
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- Nov 1, 2018
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- 1,893
Non.Nisi.Te
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- Messages
- 639
Well, now I’m bummed that you weren’t the winner of this prize, because then we could’ve just named it the Cyber
snuffle
Gold Member
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- Oct 11, 2019
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- 1,009
Tensegrity
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- Joined
- Jul 13, 2019
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- 1,269
The Sauce-Edge
Non.Nisi.Te
Gold Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2020
- Messages
- 639
Finally time for an update!
So, as a reminder, Nathan's directions for this project were:
1. Come up with a design
2. Nate sends me steel and micarta for handle scales
3. I get as far as I can then send it back to CPK
4. Nate sends the blade for heat treat then
CPK Mark
will fix everything I screwed up
Shortly after the new year Nate sent me this piece of steel, cross-rolled so that I could lay out my design in whichever direction I chose
Also some off cuts of maroon and od green micarta for the handle scales, which I don't actually have a picture of at the moment.
While at the CPK gathering in October, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with the singular
Matthew Gregory
, whom until that point I knew only for his online witticisms and exquisite knife designs.
After the cutting competition, I was discussing my thoughts on the project with Matt, and he extended the offer to assist me with the initial stages of completing the knife.
I jumped at the chance to accept his help because my knife making experience consisted of cobbling together a couple of hunting knives in O1 with files and a 1x30 harbor freight special- here's a photo of those two roughshod specimens from 6 or 7 years ago:
I was excited to receive instruction from Matt because I have been impressed by his work for a long time, and because I wanted to make this knife something special.
I live in central Pennsylvania, and Matt lives in upstate New York. Our first challenge was getting me to his shop without the roads managing to kill me and my Toyota Corolla in February.
We made the decision to reschedule to the second week in April, when I would have a reasonable chance of not ending up in a snowdrift 30 miles from anything but deer with icicles coming out of their asses.
I arrived at Matt's place last Friday evening needing only a light jacket, but quickly realized that the climate was not the only dangerous feature of the landscape, as Matt's gentle natured dog (a beautiful 80lb pit rescue named Huck) immediately tried to eat me and barely stopped trying for the rest of the weekend.
Huck is definitely a good boy and I even got him to snuggle with me on the couch at one point, though he may have just been trying to get close enough to get me by the throat. I think he and Nate and Jo's Sadie would have gotten along great.
Jokes aside, Matt and his wife Jill were wonderful and gracious hosts. We enjoyed several meals together, discussing a wide range of topics, from knife making to music to healthcare policy.
But most of the time was spent in the shop, getting shit done!
Matt has a meticulous and defined process for knifemaking that produces high precision results. He does everything by hand, with no shortcuts, jigs or guides. I learned how to locate, drill and ream a hole properly. I learned how to lay out lines for the bevel using a height gauge. There were more steps than I expected during this whole process, and it's crazy how easy it is to screw up and ruin a whole project pretty much any step along the way. I gained a new admiration for Matt's knives that he produces entirely out of his own shop, and for what Nate and crew do at CPK.
After laying out the blade profile from my template, I cut it out on the bandsaw, then profiled it on a 10 inch, 8 inch, 5 inch and 5/8 inch wheels.
We then cut holes to mount the handle scales, and we also milled a lanyard hole. My goal when starting this project was to make this knife compatible with DEK series scales.
I was pleasantly surprised that it worked!
We then further refined the profile, and this is what we had at the end of day 1:
I'm super sensitive to caffeine, so Matt and Jill offered me many cups of mint tea to unwind after our long days in the shop. Check out this badass mug
The next day, it was time to start grinding the primary bevels. Matt had advised me to temper
my expectations for this project going into it, and reminded me once in awhile that I could irrevocably ruin it at pretty much any time.
He demonstrated correct grinding technique and then I got to work. I'm closer to 5'6" and Matt is closer to 6'5", so I needed to use an old log as a "high chair" for much of the process, since Matt's shop is set up for the height he works at. We do share the handicap of being left handed. Nathan has talked about Matt's other handicaps, but I don't have a doctor's note to use the word.
I'm kind of hoping Matt got some photos throughout the grinding process, because I was in a cold sweat much of the time and was solely focused on not gouging the hell out of the edge, and didn't get a photo until the end of the day
I had some sketchy moments where I bobbled above the primary grind height, gouged the hollow grind toward the tip multiple times, and screwed up the plunge grind. Matt came back in at the last minute and, in a few seconds that felt like an eternity, cleaned up most of my mistakes and helped me leave the shop with something presentable and ready to send back to Nathan.
We began to work on handle scales, but put that part of the project on hold almost immediately after we realized we had run out of time and I needed to get home Sunday afternoon. I still have the handle scale material and am planning to produce some scales unique to this knife prior to sending it back to Nate.
I want to express a huge amount of gratitude to Matt for hosting me, and for offering his time and expertise to get this project off the ground. He is a brilliant knifemaker and a very clever human. He is extremely patient in his very detailed instruction. I never felt rushed by him, even though he could have finished this process in 30 minutes, he took 3 days with me so that I could understand and execute on each step. He has an exacting standard of excellence for knifemaking so that he can produce the best work that he is capable of, and for the joy and art and love of making knives just for its own sake.
Matt, thanks again for helping me make this happen. I am really proud of what I accomplished this last weekend, and I couldn't have done it without you.
I had a blast hanging out with you, Jill and Huck. I'm not quite sure how you convinced Jill to marry you, but I know it wasn't so she could listen to you go on all day about how Kenny G is the greatest jazz musician of all time. I enjoyed our walks in the woods with Huck and eating a lot of lunch with you guys. I'm honored to call you friends.
Stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks and months. Next steps are to work on scales, and decide about whether or not to leave the tang of the knife slightly proud from the scales as a design feature, or to grind it flush with the scales.
At the moment I'm considering calling this blade the N.E.K.K. knife: "Not Eligible(for)Kitchen Knife"
For two reasons:
1. When I initially mentioned to Matt that I was planning to use this in the kitchen, he was quick to point out that the design (.162 stock with hollow grind) and steel are all wrong for that kind of application. This knife is to be a utility field knife with something resembling a wharncliffe blade.
2. We could all breathe a sigh of relief once CPK has finally produced at least one "NEKK" knife
dtmbinb
Thanks for following along, I'm really excited to see this project start coming together.
- Steve
So, as a reminder, Nathan's directions for this project were:
1. Come up with a design
2. Nate sends me steel and micarta for handle scales
3. I get as far as I can then send it back to CPK
4. Nate sends the blade for heat treat then
CPK Mark
will fix everything I screwed upShortly after the new year Nate sent me this piece of steel, cross-rolled so that I could lay out my design in whichever direction I chose
Also some off cuts of maroon and od green micarta for the handle scales, which I don't actually have a picture of at the moment.
While at the CPK gathering in October, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with the singular
Matthew Gregory
, whom until that point I knew only for his online witticisms and exquisite knife designs.After the cutting competition, I was discussing my thoughts on the project with Matt, and he extended the offer to assist me with the initial stages of completing the knife.
I jumped at the chance to accept his help because my knife making experience consisted of cobbling together a couple of hunting knives in O1 with files and a 1x30 harbor freight special- here's a photo of those two roughshod specimens from 6 or 7 years ago:
I was excited to receive instruction from Matt because I have been impressed by his work for a long time, and because I wanted to make this knife something special.
I live in central Pennsylvania, and Matt lives in upstate New York. Our first challenge was getting me to his shop without the roads managing to kill me and my Toyota Corolla in February.
We made the decision to reschedule to the second week in April, when I would have a reasonable chance of not ending up in a snowdrift 30 miles from anything but deer with icicles coming out of their asses.
I arrived at Matt's place last Friday evening needing only a light jacket, but quickly realized that the climate was not the only dangerous feature of the landscape, as Matt's gentle natured dog (a beautiful 80lb pit rescue named Huck) immediately tried to eat me and barely stopped trying for the rest of the weekend.
Huck is definitely a good boy and I even got him to snuggle with me on the couch at one point, though he may have just been trying to get close enough to get me by the throat. I think he and Nate and Jo's Sadie would have gotten along great.
Jokes aside, Matt and his wife Jill were wonderful and gracious hosts. We enjoyed several meals together, discussing a wide range of topics, from knife making to music to healthcare policy.
But most of the time was spent in the shop, getting shit done!
Matt has a meticulous and defined process for knifemaking that produces high precision results. He does everything by hand, with no shortcuts, jigs or guides. I learned how to locate, drill and ream a hole properly. I learned how to lay out lines for the bevel using a height gauge. There were more steps than I expected during this whole process, and it's crazy how easy it is to screw up and ruin a whole project pretty much any step along the way. I gained a new admiration for Matt's knives that he produces entirely out of his own shop, and for what Nate and crew do at CPK.
After laying out the blade profile from my template, I cut it out on the bandsaw, then profiled it on a 10 inch, 8 inch, 5 inch and 5/8 inch wheels.
We then cut holes to mount the handle scales, and we also milled a lanyard hole. My goal when starting this project was to make this knife compatible with DEK series scales.
I was pleasantly surprised that it worked!
We then further refined the profile, and this is what we had at the end of day 1:
I'm super sensitive to caffeine, so Matt and Jill offered me many cups of mint tea to unwind after our long days in the shop. Check out this badass mug
The next day, it was time to start grinding the primary bevels. Matt had advised me to temper
my expectations for this project going into it, and reminded me once in awhile that I could irrevocably ruin it at pretty much any time.
He demonstrated correct grinding technique and then I got to work. I'm closer to 5'6" and Matt is closer to 6'5", so I needed to use an old log as a "high chair" for much of the process, since Matt's shop is set up for the height he works at. We do share the handicap of being left handed. Nathan has talked about Matt's other handicaps, but I don't have a doctor's note to use the word.
I'm kind of hoping Matt got some photos throughout the grinding process, because I was in a cold sweat much of the time and was solely focused on not gouging the hell out of the edge, and didn't get a photo until the end of the day
I had some sketchy moments where I bobbled above the primary grind height, gouged the hollow grind toward the tip multiple times, and screwed up the plunge grind. Matt came back in at the last minute and, in a few seconds that felt like an eternity, cleaned up most of my mistakes and helped me leave the shop with something presentable and ready to send back to Nathan.
We began to work on handle scales, but put that part of the project on hold almost immediately after we realized we had run out of time and I needed to get home Sunday afternoon. I still have the handle scale material and am planning to produce some scales unique to this knife prior to sending it back to Nate.
I want to express a huge amount of gratitude to Matt for hosting me, and for offering his time and expertise to get this project off the ground. He is a brilliant knifemaker and a very clever human. He is extremely patient in his very detailed instruction. I never felt rushed by him, even though he could have finished this process in 30 minutes, he took 3 days with me so that I could understand and execute on each step. He has an exacting standard of excellence for knifemaking so that he can produce the best work that he is capable of, and for the joy and art and love of making knives just for its own sake.
Matt, thanks again for helping me make this happen. I am really proud of what I accomplished this last weekend, and I couldn't have done it without you.
I had a blast hanging out with you, Jill and Huck. I'm not quite sure how you convinced Jill to marry you, but I know it wasn't so she could listen to you go on all day about how Kenny G is the greatest jazz musician of all time. I enjoyed our walks in the woods with Huck and eating a lot of lunch with you guys. I'm honored to call you friends.
Stay tuned for more updates over the coming weeks and months. Next steps are to work on scales, and decide about whether or not to leave the tang of the knife slightly proud from the scales as a design feature, or to grind it flush with the scales.
At the moment I'm considering calling this blade the N.E.K.K. knife: "Not Eligible(for)Kitchen Knife"
For two reasons:
1. When I initially mentioned to Matt that I was planning to use this in the kitchen, he was quick to point out that the design (.162 stock with hollow grind) and steel are all wrong for that kind of application. This knife is to be a utility field knife with something resembling a wharncliffe blade.
2. We could all breathe a sigh of relief once CPK has finally produced at least one "NEKK" knife
dtmbinb
Thanks for following along, I'm really excited to see this project start coming together.
- Steve
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