Hello,
This forum was recommended to me. I was wondering if anyone would care to give me a quote on a custom knife. I am a Bookbinder and had a knife made for me a few years ago by a local knife maker. I can no longer locate him, but have had many requests by other bookbinders for this exact knife (used to pare the edges of leather). It is a cross between German and English skiving knife designs.
I do not know what steel he used to create the knife, but it is so hard that you cannot sharpen it by hand. (I use a Tormek water wheel to sharpen it) It holds an edge for a very long time yet it is not very brittle. In normal use, the knife is held horizontally and sliced along the edge with the tip dragging on a marble or Limestone surface. It is possible to pare the leather finer than .002" with relative ease.
The knife I have is functional and tough. I would like something that looks more elegant, but with the same style. (The steel is dull and relatively unfinished and shows grind marks from it's manufacture, the Zebrawood handle is functional but not beautiful) Even as hard as the steel is, the Tormek sharpener leaves a beautiful edge on it, so I know it could be polished better. I assume it is NOT a stainless, but do not know for sure. it has been suggested to me that the steel is probably either an industrial hacksaw blade or something like M2 or M4. I seem to remember the maker saying something about steel used in saws, but I don't really remember. The steel is about 1/6" thick and the handle is 3/4" thick.
While this is only a tool, it is in my hand more than any other tool in my shop. It is usually in my hand when a customer enters my shop, so I would like to have something that looks better.
I have attempted a crude ascii art drawing showing the dimensions of the knife.
This forum was recommended to me. I was wondering if anyone would care to give me a quote on a custom knife. I am a Bookbinder and had a knife made for me a few years ago by a local knife maker. I can no longer locate him, but have had many requests by other bookbinders for this exact knife (used to pare the edges of leather). It is a cross between German and English skiving knife designs.
I do not know what steel he used to create the knife, but it is so hard that you cannot sharpen it by hand. (I use a Tormek water wheel to sharpen it) It holds an edge for a very long time yet it is not very brittle. In normal use, the knife is held horizontally and sliced along the edge with the tip dragging on a marble or Limestone surface. It is possible to pare the leather finer than .002" with relative ease.
The knife I have is functional and tough. I would like something that looks more elegant, but with the same style. (The steel is dull and relatively unfinished and shows grind marks from it's manufacture, the Zebrawood handle is functional but not beautiful) Even as hard as the steel is, the Tormek sharpener leaves a beautiful edge on it, so I know it could be polished better. I assume it is NOT a stainless, but do not know for sure. it has been suggested to me that the steel is probably either an industrial hacksaw blade or something like M2 or M4. I seem to remember the maker saying something about steel used in saws, but I don't really remember. The steel is about 1/6" thick and the handle is 3/4" thick.
While this is only a tool, it is in my hand more than any other tool in my shop. It is usually in my hand when a customer enters my shop, so I would like to have something that looks better.
I have attempted a crude ascii art drawing showing the dimensions of the knife.
Code:
1 5/16"
|------|
_
| |\
| | \ ___ Sharpened this edge only
| | \ / top side only
| | \/
| | \
| | \ _
5 1/4" | | |
| | | |
| | | 3 3/8"
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
| | | |
- -------' -
| | |
| | |
| | |
4 1/2" | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
- -----
|---|
3/4"
The one I have looks like a tool. I want a tool that looks beautiful.