Eastern Woodlands Khukri

P. McKinley

P. McKinley

Joined
Jan 27, 2008
Messages
2,010
About five years ago, when knife making was more a hobby, I put this thing together. It was, at the time, what I considered my first "real knife". I still have this and use it occasionally.

Maritime Machete
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maritimemachete014.jpg


I have now produce 100 "real" knives, and my hobby has developed into something of a fairly busy cottage industry. So, to mark the occasion, for my 100th, I thought I would re-visit the old Maritime Machete concept and see if I could do it differently.... more in the style I have tried to develop, and better..... technically better.

This is what I came up with:
Eastern Woodlands Khukri

Blade: 12" x 2 1/4" x 1/4" 5160(Aldo) hand sanded to a 600 grit finish with sharpened raised clip and polished spine/choil.

Handle: A brass bolster fronts 17 & 14-sheet sections of Birch bark and solid Moose antler(actually, solid pieces from the skull directly opposite the crown), with spacers of Red Maple onion burl, Bubinga and ebonized Pear veneer. The inlaid brass butt cap holds everything in place with a peened brass tang extension.

Sheath/Scabbard: Open spine design, dyed figured Red Maple with one-piece ash welt and Moose antler inlays, peened brass tips and formed leather handle seat. The dangler belt loop is 6/7 oz veg tanned leather with a hand made brass D-ring. The blade retention strap is held fast with Moose antler stud. The wood is dyed with Fiebings dark brown and has a Tung oil and buffed paste wax finish, and the antler inlays are polished with paste wax.

I just finished this although I still want to polish the sharpened edges and give it a good final cleaning.
These are just some quick shots. When someone(my wife) who actually knows how to use a camera returns this evening, I'll post some more flattering photos.

Thank you for looking. Please provide comments and critiques.

-Peter



and, "yes" I see the glob of dirt.(damnit!!)














Here are a few new photos taken late last night.













Thanks for looking,

Peter
 
Last edited:
Very nice Peter. It's very attractive and I love the handle.The fit and finish is immaculate. gorgeous. I would think that central ridge in the handle might bite the hand but damn it looks great so I wouldn't care.:)
 
Stuart took the very words right from my fingertips...

Exceptional work and very sharp photos as well.

The very detailed, and CLEANLY executed touches on your sheaths make them really stand out (in a good way!). :thumbup: :cool:

Thanks for sharing Peter. :)
 
Great work Peter, that handle is a work of art! I would love to see a few more pictures of the sheath, specifically the back and how you've attached the leather strap to the rest of the sheath
 
it's cool to see your stylistic evolution. Less really is more, n'est pas?

I would greatly prefer the look of this knife without the raised clip. I think it looks a little forced. Everything else seems to fall right into place.
 
zcd said:
I would love to see a few more pictures of the sheath, specifically the back and how you've attached the leather strap to the rest of the sheath
Click to expand...

I used duct tape. I'll post photos later this evening. :D

-Peter
 
SBranson said:
Stuart, as I understand it, the ring is actually there to prevent you from holding too tight with all the fingers, using mostly the first two fingers and a kind of flipping motion when cutting. Sorry, can't explain it better but it worked great when I tested my Bone Collector Khukuri.

Very nice work Peter! :thumbup:
Click to expand...
 
Patrice, it's not the presence of it but the height and sharpness of the edges compared to what you did. I have an old hand made khukuri I bought in Nepal a lifetime ago and used it a lot when I worked in the bush so I feel I understand the hand design somewhat.

Anyway I think it is a great looking piece so I really dont mind. I just posted it as "critique".
 
As previously noted, it's cool to see the evolution in your work. This latest one is an interesting mix of ethnic influences and personal style. Good job!
 
Peter,

It's always fun to see a maker's progression.

In your case, you've explored a distinctive and very interesting style in your knives, matched with a signature sheath development.

I really like the new Khukri and it's sheath, and always look forward to your new work.

John
 
Thanks for all the kind words folks. I really appreciate the input.
I have added some new photos to the OP.

SBranson said:
Very nice Peter. I would think that central ridge in the handle might bite the hand but damn it looks great so I wouldn't care.:)
Click to expand...

Stuart - This is something I fought with for quite a while. Initially, it didn't work as I couldn't get the positioning of the ring to fit in my hand correctly. I really wanted to just grind the thing flush and be done with it. But, as James mentions above, I wanted to include variations of the traditional design features that vaguely inspired this piece. And, the more I played with the mock-up, the more I understood what that center ring was for. As you can see I pared mine down considerably from the one featured in the book. I also rounded-off the top third of the ring giving it a lower profile.

I had this page open on my bench virtually the entire time I built this knife.
(Knives and Swords A Visual History)




Here are a few WIP shots:




































Thanks for looking.

-Peter
 
cool WiP!
 
Wow great work and love the in process pics. Nice to see how you come up with your amazing sheaths and handles. Great job.
 
As others have said, incredible evolution of your work, you are finding your voice, and it can be heard loud and clear!

I like the materials and the overall knife, not sure about the sheath.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Well I'll gladly eat my humble pie now. (to you too Patrice)
That one in the book sure looks odd but so be it.

Again, great work. Love your posts and those WIP are fantastic. Did you make that "router" plate for your dremel yourself?
 
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