Different blade style for different use?

T

ThirdEdge97

Joined
Feb 8, 2013
Messages
105
I feel like a compete newbie asking this question.... is there a like guide line that you guys follow when making knives that are not custom?

As a knife maker starting out I want to make more than one blade style, I don't want to make just one style of blade

Currently I'm laid up with an injury and can't work on shop stuff, so I was drawing knife designs
I was thinking about it and got curious

Do you guys have a guide line you follow when making (just as an example) a utility knife?
Is it a drop point with a blade under 5"?


Thanks in advance to anyone who answers my question! :thumbup:
 
ThirdEdge97 said:
I feel like a compete newbie asking this question.... is there a like guide line that you guys follow when making knives that are not custom?

As a knife maker starting out I want to make more than one blade style, I don't want to make just one style of blade

Currently I'm laid up with an injury and can't work on shop stuff, so I was drawing knife designs
I was thinking about it and got curious

Do you guys have a guide line you follow when making (just as an example) a utility knife?
Is it a drop point with a blade under 5"?


Thanks in advance to anyone who answers my question! :thumbup:
Click to expand...
Well being new to knife making myself Id say the sky is the limit. If you think one shape is more useful than another,...than right on. Make what you think would work best for various different applications. I like curved spines (like the Fox River) if I am opening boxes. It seems to be more natural the way MY hand grips the handle, as I tend to to place my index finger on the spine. Other than that I use graph paper for sketching my drawings to size.
I have traced and cut out cardboard with some of my shapes to better get a feel for them.
For me a drop point with a nice belly and a full convex grind is where its at (ultimate utilitarian shape). That's just me though. I am a huge fan of Bark River's Bravo 1.
Sorry your hurt. I had an injury once myself, it sucked.
I hope you heal well and feel better soon.
 
There's no standard definition for "utility knife." If you do a google image search for "utility knife" most of what you get are box cutters, which have short wharncliffe blades. You also get a lot of kitchen utility knives, which have slender drop point blades in the 3-6" range. This is to illustrate that, in all things, the shape and dimensions of your blade are highly variable depending on exactly what you want to do with it.
When drawing designs as a beginner (or even as you get more experienced), it is of the utmost importance that you look at and handle lots of knives. Look through the galleries on this website and on manufacturer's websites (both hand made and production). Look at the design decisions that other people make for particular tasks and make note of them. Go to a store that sells knives and handle every single one of them (or as many as you can before they kick you out). Make a note of what feels good to you and in what way. Find features of knives that you like for your intended purposes, and then try to combine them in a way that makes physical and aesthetic sense. Once you have designs that you like, make cardboard models. If it doesn't feel as good in your hand as you thought it would, keep drawing. Once it passes the cardboard test, you may want to make a full sized (and thickness) model out of wood. If it passes the wood test then you will know for sure that you will like it out of steel. (I don't usually do wood models, because I have a fairly good idea how the cardboard will translate to the final product. YMMV.)
Good luck.
Chris
 
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