Cutlery Proposals for the Bladeforums 2015 Knife

Good point. I've not priced wood for scales, but I wouldn't think any of these would make or break a price point. We are talking wood, not stag or ivory or something. (Side note: a $200 ivory version of any of the forum knives would be a cool option)
 
tdkfm said:
Good point. I've not priced wood for scales, but I wouldn't think any of these would make or break a price point. We are talking wood, not stag or ivory or something. (Side note: a $200 ivory version of any of the forum knives would be a cool option)
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Oh man, I could not disagree more about that sentiment (higher priced options of a forum knife). You're welcome to a different opinion than mine, though.
 
onespdfrk said:
It would be interesting to hear the knife manufacturers perspective on woods - I'm not sure how they look at it, although they all seem to offer a fairly wide variety.
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ea42 said:
John, they were all bocote, chestnut's too soft for a shadow IMO. Wood such as bocote, cocobolo, ebony, the ironwoods are all just fine for shadows. They're very hard and durable, and loaded with natural resins. Plus each one's unique.The burls are cool but way too expensive for the price point, unless luck was on our side and someone was selling a load CHEAP. Osage orange is nice but very similarly grained to oak, and it burns very easily when being hafted. believe me I pored over all of them but the bocote just seemed to pop on this pattern. Micarta is ok but geez every knife will look identical! :eek:

Eric
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:thumbup:
 
Not being a knifemaker or hafter - would not production line being very different to custom, the time and difficulty of using some scale materials have more effect on the actual unit cost/difficulty to achieve a consistent high quality finish than the cost of the material alone?

I love the prototype with lowered blades done by Eric and find the Bocote wood used very attractive. With natural grain, colour variation and differing tastes not everyone would like the example provided (as per comments posted) but the actual Forum knife received is likely to be quite different. Unlike Derrek Bohn's offerings you will not be able to chose the individual version you may prefer. My advice, suck it up and swap afterwards :D.
I still like the natural timber look for a traditional and prefer the darker grained timbers but will happily receive whatever comes.
 
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jc57 said:
I believe the original pic that Eric showed us was in reclaimed American chestnut, which is one of CSC's standard handle materials.
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If it is indeed the reclaimed pre-blight American Chestnut out of the Kentucky barn I will support that however it does not appear to be similar grain. Born and bred in the 15th state, I'd falter remiss to vote otherwise.

That said, Micarta all day long. Micarta is no more expensive than exotic woods, it is easier to make uniform, and no matter the wood advocates debates, it is unequivocally more durable.
 
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I'm surprised that Zebra is soft, this Queen Cutlery Shadow lockback has proven very hardy and has fine stripes.

But, I'd be after micarta too. I don't see anything wrong with the uniformity of micarta (less moaning factor...) if it's polished and linen it looks wonderful. Seems like the polls will be CS v GEC, Wood v Micarta, Stainless v carbon. I just think that it will turn out exceptional.

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jc57 said:
I believe the original pic that Eric showed us was in reclaimed American chestnut, which is one of CSC's standard handle materials.
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J_Curd said:
If it is indeed the reclaimed pre-blight American Chestnut out of the Kentucky barn I will support that however it does not appear to be similar grain. Born and bred in the 15th state, I'd falter remiss to vote otherwise.

That said, Micarta all day long. Micarta is no more expensive than exotic woods, it is easier to make uniform, and no matter the wood advocates debates, it is unequivocally more durable.
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I presume you mean this version not the Bocote one with lowered blades in Prototype #2

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I don't think anyone has mentioned mesquite. It's a hard very stable domestic wood (not a ring porus wood). The grain pattern can vary greatly. Mesquite can take a high polish or be left a more satin finish. The hues can be deep brown to a soft red. I don't belive it is toxic. It can sometimes be a bit brittle but I don't think it would any more challenging to work than bocote. I doubt it has been used on any traditional production slip joints. Anyone know for certain?

Curtis
 
TX_planes said:
I don't think anyone has mentioned mesquite. It's a hard very stable domestic wood (not a ring porus wood). The grain pattern can vary greatly. Mesquite can take a high polish or be left a more satin finish. The hues can be deep brown to a soft red. I don't belive it is toxic. It can sometimes be a bit brittle but I don't think it would any more challenging to work than bocote. I doubt it has been used on any traditional production slip joints. Anyone know for certain?

Curtis
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Don't know about on a knive Curtis but I had a Ruger Redhawk revolver with Mesquite Grips and it was comfortable to grip and pleasing to the eye
 
If it fits in budget, I'd 100% back a Lignum Vitae Forum Knife. I have an LV Mnandi and it is such a beautiful wood with lots of great grain and variation.
 
I sure am learning a lot about different woods in this thread. Great suggestions all!

Is Ironwood a possibility? I have one bolstered knife with that and is one of my favorite woods.
 
Just from Google image searching done of the woods mentioned, the bocote seems to have the most character. Cocobolo or iron wood looks nice too.

Also, would it be completely out of the question to coin the liners at this price?
 
SA Condor said:
No bone please!! A pretty wood or a micarta for me!
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:thumbup:

bozack said:
I would like to see the CSC offering in micarta, any color but black. Wood is my second choice, but ebony. Seems like every knife made is done in ebony. I would like something with more pop. Snakewood, Maple Eye Burl, Purple Heart or even other burl woods. This knife should stand out from others, not look the same. Ebony is just too much of a common wood to choose.
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:thumbup::thumbup:

ea42 said:
My pleasure, heck it's you folks who helped me convince the boss to go with a pinned through (old school yeah!!!) shield. That's a minor miracle in itself and I thank you! :D

Eric
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:D:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

J_Curd said:
...Micarta all day long. Micarta is no more expensive than exotic woods, it is easier to make uniform, and no matter the wood advocates debates, it is unequivocally more durable.
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This sums up my feelings!:)
 
I really appreciate all the work Eric and The folks at GEC are doing and hope no one takes all our ranting for ungratefulness. I understand that micarta might be a bit boring, that's fine by me. I think what I really like in a knife is a material (blade steel, bolsters, liners, and or scale material) that mature with age. It really gives you the feeling that the knife is yours. If the blade steel is going to be stainless I'd like a scale material that matures over time. It seems like folks have talked down bone, though a nice smooth white bone sure does mature nicely (and I've had plenty barehead bone knives). What about Rams horn or light horn tip? A translucent light horn might be plenty tough as a shadow and would take on character well. Not sure how pricey it would be but it begs the question. There hasn't been a horn scaled BF knife to my knowledge.
 
I love all the chatter about different covers, this is what makes the forum knife so special:) Can we vote soon??
 
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