Ever read Don Paul's "Everybodys' Knife Bible"

Midnight Scout

Midnight Scout

Joined
May 27, 2007
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I read his knife book a few years ago. He advocated several modifications to a Buck 119 fixed blade to include:

1. Drilling a hole in the top finger guard (quillion) to use the knife as a sighting tool.

2. Etching a clinometer on the sides of the blade to use in conjunction with said sight.

3. Drilling a hole near the tip to give better leverage when using the pommel as a hammer (you would put cord through the hole and swing the blade so that the pommel would crack onto whatever you were hammering with greater force), and,

4. Polishing the blood groove to make it a signaling mirror.

He had other ideas too that I cannot remember.

Anyone else read this book? Thoughts? When I first read it years ago it made sense to me, but I was a novice to knives (still am in many ways). I see that almost none of his ideas ever made it to production or with folks on Blade Forum. Was he an overlooked revolutionary or a did he really justhave bad ideas? What do you think?
 
Midnight Scout said:
I read his knife book a few years ago. He advocated several modifications to a Buck 119 fixed blade to include:

1. Drilling a hole in the top finger guard (quillion) to use the knife as a sighting tool.

2. Etching a clinometer on the sides of the blade to use in conjunction with said sight.

3. Drilling a hole near the tip to give better leverage when using the pommel as a hammer (you would put cord through the hole and swing the blade so that the pommel would crack onto whatever you were hammering with greater force), and,

4. Polishing the blood groove to make it a signaling mirror.

He had other ideas too that I cannot remember.

Anyone else read this book? Thoughts? When I first read it years ago it made sense to me, but I was a novice to knives (still am in many ways). I see that almost none of his ideas ever made it to production or with folks on Blade Forum. Was he an overlooked revolutionary or a did he really justhave bad ideas? What do you think?
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I read that one + a couple of his other books about 10-12 years ago. I like original ideas, because they stimulate my thinkin' juices. He had several I'd never seen before nor since, but Ranger Rick kicks Don Paul's donkey for originality and usefulness, IMHO.
 
A few of Paul's ideas were "okay" but how he planned on them being implemented was simply terrible.

The "Clinometer" good idea, hang a string on your blade with a angle etched on your blade and you can calculate height, distance, time of day etc

Use an electric pencil and a paper template to etch that on a blade?

Err...I probably wouldn't do that....

Run a lanyard through the pommel hole on your knife when you use it?

Not a bad idea.

Hold unto the lanyard and not the handle when you swing the knife to chop wood?

Err..I probaly wouldn't do that if I were you...

A fun book, but take a large grain of salt before using the ideas found in there...
 
I have the five or six books that were out at that time back in the early 90's. I got them when I was in the Navy.

He seemed a little out there when he talked about this mysterious knife called the "Pakka". I think that is how you spell it. Yet the only pictures he put in there was a Buck General with a big black halk circle on the blade. It was an entertaining book but I don't put much faith in it.
 
I remember that book and another one called 'Great living in grubby times'. He did have some good ideas but he lacked in execution.I bet hes really bummed out that societys not collapsed and we didnt get invaded by the Russians or Lizard men from Planet X.Some of his ideas were out there
 
I'm with HairyLittleApe. I have the book. I think I acquired it in the mid-90s. I had actually misplaced the book for about 10 years, and found it while rummaging through boxes last summer. Some of the info seemed dated even back when I got the book. But, it is a fun and entertaining read, and it does get you thinking about things. I would not, however, consider it to be my knife bible.

Although I always sort of wanted to get a Buck 119 and deck it out 'Don Paul-style.' Did he use the 119, or did he have the General #120? I'll have to get the book out again.
 
Hmm, I think it was a 119, but I am not a Buck-a-holic enough to know.

I had Great Livin' in Grubby Times too. I think the Knife Bible was better. Both were fun reads.
 
I would never swing my knife around and bang the pommel into something unless I never needed to use that knife again. JMHO.
 
Fiddleback said:
I would never swing my knife around and bang the pommel into something unless I never needed to use that knife again. JMHO.
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Yeah, the pommel and tang on the 1217 - 1219C2 is sketchy at best; very thin. Useful for hammering tent stakes or nails into the ground or wood, or to smash skulls or joints in combat. That's about it. For anything else you would need the Quartermaster 225Q by Cattaraugus. Those are heavy duty tanks of knives. I would buy one of those and black cerakote it. A re handle job, custom thumb guard and professional engraving from a jewelry store would be the way to go if you wanted a knife for the above things... I would just throw a signaling mirror into a pocket on a custom leather or kydex sheath if I needed one so bad. But good ideas all the same. Nice to have the information here, and have it and not need it.
 
Bought the book in the early '90's I think.

The second time I read the book was when this thread was started back in 2007.

Read it again recently. Quaint.

I use the lanyard trick of lanyard over wrist and knife controlled between pinched fingers at the end of handle. But I haven't used it much.
 
Sounds gimmicky to me. Every time I look at the ATAX I wonder how many people actually use any of the features on it. Was this guy an outdoorsman or a prepper?
 
I own both the Don Paul's books mentioned above and maybe even a third, Ill have to look at them later. The clinometer is on the ATAX. Wriststraps are added to all my fixed blade knives for security and chopping. Watch the Woodsmaster video for a good grip when chopping, the strap helps!

Some of the mods for the Buck were gimmicky, and I would choose a better knife than a Buck for a serious outdoor blade. Bucks are great for field dressing and skinning game, but not for woodcraft, imo.
 
I have owned that book for probably 20 years. It's still fun to look through from time to time. Though a lot of the stuff in there is not really practical for me, his enthusiasm for making a knife truly yours is what I really like about it.
 
Thanks for the pdf, it was nice to review the book again; I had all his books but got rid of them.

I don't think Paul ever had the money to make that Pakka knife as he gives permission to make it but doesn't show a pic of the knife. It would be a good choice for TOPS as they seem to make knives designed by those who have never used knives lol.

One thing I did like was to modify a large beltloop so your knife is at the angle you like on your belt.
 
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