Do tactical knives need bolsters

T

thedirector93

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Dec 10, 2013
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so this knife is made from 1/4 inch thick 80CRV2 steel and its 11.5 inches long, i plan on putting G10 handle scales on it, and i need to clean up the grind a little more. but my question is, should i put bolsters on it? i've seen some finer tactical knives like Jay Fisher's with them, but i hardly see them any on any other knives. im trying to make the best knife with the materials i have, and i have some stainless steel that i can use if needed, so im wondering if they're necessary.
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Put whatever you'd like on it. Personally I think a bolster of stainless or even some of the different micartas looks great. Keep in mind in reality 99.99999% of tactical knives are "unnecessary" (tongue in cheek-kinda) other than awesome factor so put whatever you want on them!
 
Another photo - we can't see the tang. I like bolster/guard on knives.... preferable from metal.

Ken >
 
I don't care for metal bolsters, but G10 bolsters can look nice.

I put a lot of effort into making my knives as light as possible, and adding a metal bolster would just add weight.
 
Still can stick a pin through the middle holes though.

The epoxy will fill the void.

You also have a bump in each of the circles by the ricasso. I'd fine tune those before HT.

Keep at it! What did you use to make the bevels?
 
for the bevel i used belt grinder, angle grinder, and a handle file. and the bump in the ricasso is cause originally it wasnt going to have a finger choil, although it actually feels more comfortable then another knife i made of the similar design with a flat ricasso. although the bumps are kinda ugly, which is one of the reason's i 've thought about putting bolsters on it to cover some of it up.
 
Interesting design - and looking at the tang, I think I take back my prior comment about using bolster - maybe just a different color G10 if that is what you're using for the scales. Perhaps even just forego the bolsters completely for a clean look?

Ken H>
 
I've drawn out the design with just the black g10 handle scales, and one that also had bolsters, and the one with the bolsters look nicer, plus it will cover up some of the bump in the ricasso
 
I meant the circular cutouts are not perfectly circular. Any improvements now will be easier before pre heat treat.
 
Mitchell Knives said:
I put a lot of effort into making my knives as light as possible, and adding a metal bolster would just add weight.
Click to expand...

^ this.

1/8"-1/4" thick stock really isn't going to get any stronger by bolting more weight to it in the form of a short chunk of metal, not in any practical sense. Building a strong tactical knife does not require it being balanced like a brick.
 
At the least, bolsters (if dovetailed) provide additional support for handles, helping to insure that they stay on for long term use. Otherwise, you'd just be relying on the shear strength of pins and adhesive strength of the adhesive.

At the most, they add additional strength to the blade to handle junction, which is the very reason they're called bolsters to begin with.

As long as you can get the weight and balance reasonable, I'd suggest using them.
 
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