Designing the ideal knife.

A

aarya

Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Messages
514
Ok. Let`s try to see if we can come up with some ideas about what we would want in the "perfect" small-sized, fixed knife.
What kind of blade-length, blade-thickness, shape, grind, bevels if any, sawback?
Should it be able to bash through a brick wall, edge first?
Should it be able to cut like a lightsaber?:p
I`m asking this, simply because i want to know what people would like to see in a small "bushcraft"/EDC/survival-kit knife.

I know what i want, which is, 2 3/4" sheepsfoot blade, full tang, wood scales, handle about 3 1/2", and thickness around the 3/32" mark. And i think i`d like it in either 1095, or O1 steel.

What would your ideal knife be like?
If you`d like a folder instead, then dream it up!
If you already own your dream knife, then take pics. (Keep it decent folks, no pictures of knives in thongs are allowed.. :p )

Is there a way to test a knife, to see how it performs in the "wild"?
Battoning, could be a way to see if it can withstand it.

And if ya think this thread sucks, then let the roadkill be.
Me, i`ll just pitch a tent in the middle of the road, and get people to pay me to see the kill. :cool: ;)
 
Mine would be a one-hand SAK Trekker with a non-serated blade, saw, combination cap lifter/can opener/small screwdriver, metal saw/file,phillips, awl, pen instead of toothpick, tweezers, lanyard loop. Simple, eh?A one handed forester would do the same thing for me.
 
Here's a design I drew up and am having made by Justin Gingrich of Ranger Knives:
AU/CK Design. (Advanced Utility/Carry Knife) I think it'll pretty much take care of being my 'One & Only' medium sized fixed blade. It will be flat ground, convex edged, 5160 with black Micarta handle slabs. 4 5/8" blade, 9 1/4" overall. I've got a few other designs for smaller knives, more like 3 1/2" blades, but I still need to get them scanned in.


Josh
 
I am a knife collector. There is no 'Ideal Knife'. There are knives that are well suited to a particular task, but there is no panacea knife.

Every day I step outside with three knives within reach. I've got a SAK Huntsman in my pocket. That'll do for a multitude of tasks. In my briefcase I've got my Koster WSK. That there is my chopper, and in my man bag I've got a Nessmuk that I made myself that has a 0.090" thick blace. It can't be beat for everyday utility and even fine slicing tasks.

In the truck I've got a GB wildlife hatchet, another belt knife (this time a BRKT Huntsman), and an Swisschamp.

These are all quality made, and well designed tools. Is one ideal? Would I set out into the world with just one? Nope. They are complimentary, and necessarily so.
 
I've been searching for it for a long time. Every time I think I've found it, along comes another one to buy.:D It never ends.
Scott
 
10,000 years ago Og was hunting and speared a Gmmpfh. When the gmmpfh was in it's death throes, he broke the shaft on the spear. Og pulled the remaining shaft and blade from the beast, and finding his flake knife missing (Mrs. Og had taken it from his pouch to cut an article from a news-rock), he set about dressing his kill with the short hafted spear blade. "Kniiife!!", he exclaimed, meaning of course "Nice"! The break left a jagged end which he later rounded like a rabbit stick by grinding it on a handy rock. From then on he carried it with him everywhere he went, and people of course noticed. Soon he found himself spending more time making "nice knifes" for others and had little time to hunt. But that was ok because he wound up with plenty of meat from all the other hunters who lusted for a perfect knife of their own, just like Og's. Soon his market dwindled as everyone he knew was carrying an Og knife. So Og added improvements. A new style of chipping, a different handle shape, and added a "Sheep" to keep it in (later these would be called "Sheaths" as other materials were used). Brem, another hunter, was jelous and said "I can make a knife better", and thus it started. And it has been going on for all this time with no end in sight, each maker producing the "Ultimate" knife. And knife users and collectors snapping them up to try out each improvement.

Codger:thumbup:
 
aarya said:
Ok. Let`s try to see if we can come up with some ideas about what we would want in the "perfect" small-sized, fixed knife.
What kind of blade-length, blade-thickness, shape, grind, bevels if any, sawback?
Should it be able to bash through a brick wall, edge first?
Should it be able to cut like a lightsaber?:p
I`m asking this, simply because i want to know what people would like to see in a small "bushcraft"/EDC/survival-kit knife.

I know what i want, which is, 2 3/4" sheepsfoot blade, full tang, wood scales, handle about 3 1/2", and thickness around the 3/32" mark. And i think i`d like it in either 1095, or O1 steel.

What would your ideal knife be like?
If you`d like a folder instead, then dream it up!
If you already own your dream knife, then take pics. (Keep it decent folks, no pictures of knives in thongs are allowed.. :p )

Is there a way to test a knife, to see how it performs in the "wild"?
Battoning, could be a way to see if it can withstand it.

And if ya think this thread sucks, then let the roadkill be.
Me, i`ll just pitch a tent in the middle of the road, and get people to pay me to see the kill. :cool: ;)
Click to expand...

Small sized fixed blade/ hmm. :confused:

Define "Small"? :rolleyes:

To me:
small is less than 5"
Medium is 5" to 8"
Large is 8" to 11.95"
ANything larger is a sword or machete.

I like Kyp's drawing above. In 1095 steel. Micarta. .250 thick.
That would be fine.
 
aproy1101 said:
I am a knife collector. There is no 'Ideal Knife'. There are knives that are well suited to a particular task, but there is no panacea knife.

Every day I step outside with three knives within reach. I've got a SAK Huntsman in my pocket. That'll do for a multitude of tasks. In my briefcase I've got my Koster WSK. That there is my chopper, and in my man bag I've got a Nessmuk that I made myself that has a 0.090" thick blace. It can't be beat for everyday utility and even fine slicing tasks.

In the truck I've got a GB wildlife hatchet, another belt knife (this time a BRKT Huntsman), and an Swisschamp.

These are all quality made, and well designed tools. Is one ideal? Would I set out into the world with just one? Nope. They are complimentary, and necessarily so.
Click to expand...

The ideal knife would have an ever lasting razor sharp edge, that is too tough to destroy. Obsidian can be used for an ever sharp blade; but it is very fragile. We could go with a light saber type thing; but, would you know it the battery could die just as you are carving that turkey at the all important dinner. No there is no ideal knife. Every edged instrument we have is limited by available materials and technology. Each is a trade off between sharpness, durability, toughness, weight, convinence, and strength.

Perhaps, we will someday discover a magical material that can cut through hardwood like warm butter, fold into a pocket knife, and last forever. Until, then we will continue to tweak our tools to gain whatever advantage we can.

n2s
 
Codger! You've got to write a book.

Okay back to the original question, what is an ideal knife? Well, it does what you want it to do.

Okay, that's lame but do you want inches? Okay, 4-5 inches long, 1 inch wide, flat grind.
 
Kyp Degal said:
Here's a design I drew up and am having made by Justin Gingrich of Ranger Knives:
AU/CK Design. (Advanced Utility/Carry Knife) I think it'll pretty much take care of being my 'One & Only' medium sized fixed blade. It will be flat ground, convex edged, 5160 with black Micarta handle slabs. 4 5/8" blade, 9 1/4" overall. I've got a few other designs for smaller knives, more like 3 1/2" blades, but I still need to get them scanned in.


Josh
Click to expand...

I could definetley get into this design, I hope he makes it a production model with the orange G10 I dont know why but thats growing on me
 
Coldwood said:
Codger! You've got to write a book.

Okay back to the original question, what is an ideal knife? Well, it does what you want it to do.

Okay, that's lame but do you want inches? Okay, 4-5 inches long, 1 inch wide, flat grind.
Click to expand...

Alrighty then, if you would like to see an old Codger's ideal knife, here it is. It has a 5 1/4" sabre ground trailing point blade of 1095HC carbon steel with a thick natural patina, and replacement scales of stabilized burl maple. OAL is 9 3/4", the bladestock is 3/16". The two piece guard is solid brass as are the factory style compression rivets. Weight in stock Delrin form was 8.8 oz., another 4.1 oz. for the sheath making 12.9 ounces on the hip.

The serial number of this knife is 16,239, placing it in circa 1969-70 production. I bought it new, and it has skinned and dressed way over a hundred deer in the past 35 years or so, in addition to a lot of small game, fish, and farm animals. If it were only one hundred deer (probably twice that), and they each weighed #100, that is ten thousand pounds of venison this kniiiife(!!) has seen with nary a chip or crack, no noticable blade loss. Can I say this knife does what I want it to? Yes. Og would approve. And Brem would be beside himself. Mrs. Og would get her hand slapped for touching it (Mrs. Codger too!).

Codger

 
I just dressed out another deer. A local hunting club is doing a cull, and I am not above taking a "gimme" fat yearling doe. That is five so far this year for the Schrade 165OT Woodsman/ 152OT Sharpfinger combo. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, the Sharpfinger is also a perfect knife. Henry Baer (1898-1987), a Codger in his own right designed it. He was born a day later than me on December 24th. Well, a day later and a few years earlier!:p

Codger
 
Well shit! I was born on December 23 and I'm probably only a year younger than you are. Happy Birthday Old Timer! :D
 
I though I was the only one born on Christmas eve eve! Hey! You weren't born in East L.A., were you? I always felt like I had a long lost twin brother!
 
:eek: Very Nice Andy!

What made you go with the Wharny style? Its one of my recent favorites. In fact. I just bought a cheap $4 Ontario Vegtable knife and ground it to a Wharncliffe profile and redone the edge. Its surprisingly handy in the kitchen.

I'll try to get some pics up later.
 
Rupestris said:
:eek: Very Nice Andy!

What made you go with the Wharny style? Its one of my recent favorites. In fact. I just bought a cheap $4 Ontario Vegtable knife and ground it to a Wharncliffe profile and redone the edge. Its surprisingly handy in the kitchen.

I'll try to get some pics up later.
Click to expand...

I went with the wharncliffe for several reasons. I'm not a hunter, so don't need to skin things. The straight edge is easy to sharpen, and the point will always cut even if the edge is dull.

The point on a wharncliffe is generally sharp and strong enough to make holes with (drilling), and the straight blade is good for batoning if necessary.

This type blade is very utilitarian, good for lots of uses from food prep to self defense. Just a very good, all around user-freindly shape.

Andy
 
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