Feel free to criticize.

NDallyn

NDallyn

Joined
Jun 22, 2006
Messages
814
I posted pics of these two in the gallery section, got over 110 views so far, but no comments. So I figured I'd give the guys here a crack at it.

Hunter:

5.25" blade, 10.5" overall (the guy this is for is about 6'2", 250 - big hands)
5/32 154CM flat ground with a convex edge (wanted a knife for the occasional deer and camp work - chopping)
416ss dovetailed bolsters and 1/4" pins with a 1/4" 316ss thong loop
handle is WSSI stabilized curly Koa

Sheath is hand-tooled and stitched 7-8oz. veggie-tanned leather. Hand dyed with copper rivets. This is a new-type of closure for me. A 1/2" wide strip of leather is stiched into the leather under the belt loop and welt (if the stitching ever pulls out, the closure is still secure). Just something new I'm trying, let me know what you think.

Chef:

6.5" blade x 2" deep, 12" overall
1/8" CPM154 flat ground in a continuous taper with a convex edge (I usually put a much thinner edge on chef's blades, but this one will primarily be used for chopping and meat-work - if it were a veggie knife, I would prefer an edge 0.010" or less)
dovetailed nickle-silver bolsters and pins
black paper micarta handle


Tell me what you like (if anything), or what you don't like. Any feedback is appreciated.

Have a good one,
Nathan
 
The larger of the two is my favorite. Everything about it looks like it make for pleasing cutting in the kitchen. Is it a hunting knife? A fighting knife? A little chefs knife? The scales on the smaller knife look very beautiful. Okay, the whole knife does, too, but the scales draw me in.

Hope my opinion wasn't too scathing.
 
OK. To me the hunter looks like a kitchen utility knife, a fine one at that. But not a hunter.
I like the Chef very much.
With matching handles they would make a great set.
 
What's not to like? The dovetailed scales and substantial pins/bolts are always appreciated. For a suggestion, the pommel corners could be just a little softer. Regarding the sheath, a moulded pouch style speaks "custom" to me but for the style it's very nice (I like copper rivets at the stress points:) :thumbup: Regards, ss.
 
Kevin Jones said:
OK. To me the hunter looks like a kitchen utility knife, a fine one at that. But not a hunter.
I like the Chef very much.
With matching handles they would make a great set.
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I'm looking for Kevin. I agree about the matching handles but didn't have the materials on hand to make it happen in the time frame that was available (was a short notice order from my dad for a couple he's friends with - a "can you have this done in a month" job:D). In retrospect I should have ordered in enough to do both. That is my one regret about this set. I am happy with the fit/finish and appearance of both individually, but together it doesn't look right.

What would you have changed to make this fit what you look for in a hunter? Clip point, recurve, blade length, etc.

Thanks for the critique,
Nathan
 
straitshot said:
What's not to like? The dovetailed scales and substantial pins/bolts are always appreciated. For a suggestion, the pommel corners could be just a little softer. Regarding the sheath, a moulded pouch style speaks "custom" to me but for the style it's very nice (I like copper rivets at the stress points:) :thumbup: Regards, ss.
Click to expand...

I also like pouch-style sheaths (they were the first design I learned how to make) but haven't made any in the last year as I've been trying a few different styles. I also like copper rivets, but I'm going to be trying some chicago screws or steel tube rivets so that it matches the snap closure.

The pommel corners are hand-sanded to round them very slightly (doesn't show well in the pics) but could always be taken down further. The problem for me is that if the edges are rounded too much, the shape begins to lose definition. This is something I'm playing around with and working on right now.

Thanks a lot for the comments,

Nathan
 
I like the lines on your Chef's knife a lot!! The hunter does not really do it for me though, it seems like a tweener between a kitchen knife and a hunting knife. JM2C.
 
To make it more of a hunter I would make the blade more of a drop point and adjust ratio of the handle to blade width by making the blade narrower and the handle wider. Might also think about adding a guard.

Fit and finish look great by the way.
 
I really like what you did with the chef knife. The blade stock, the grind, and the fact that you sharpened the knife all the way back to the heel of the blade are all things that I would request if I were ordering a chef knife for myself. The only thing that I would order different from what you did on this piece is that I would go for a bigger blade, a 10" blade is about ideal for me with an all-purpose chef knife.
 
NDallyn said:
This is exactly what I'm looking for Kevin. I agree about the matching handles but didn't have the materials on hand to make it happen in the time frame that was available (was a short notice order from my dad for a couple he's friends with - a "can you have this done in a month" job:D). In retrospect I should have ordered in enough to do both. That is my one regret about this set. I am happy with the fit/finish and appearance of both individually, but together it doesn't look right.

What would you have changed to make this fit what you look for in a hunter? Clip point, recurve, blade length, etc.

Thanks for the critique,
Nathan
Click to expand...

Very nice work on the dovetailed scales and blade/handle transition. Fit/finish appears top notch.

But for more of a hunter design, I would use a hunter style guard, wider handle, re profile the blade with more drop, narrower blade, improve blade to handle ratio and use stag scales.
 
Thanks to everyone for the feedback. I'm really glad to hear that guys like the little chef's blade (since this is one of three blanks that I cut out on the bandsaw). The largest chef that I've ever made had an 8" blade, but I guess it can't ever hurt to go a little bigger:D. This is why I come to the forums, to see what people are buying, what other guys are making, and to get feedback on construction and aestetics (sp?). Thanks to everyone again for the input.


Kevin Jones said:
Very nice work on the dovetailed scales and blade/handle transition. Fit/finish appears top notch.

But for more of a hunter design, I would use a hunter style guard, wider handle, re profile the blade with more drop, narrower blade, improve blade to handle ratio and use stag scales.
Click to expand...

I haven't ever made a blade with a lot of drop. If anything, my tendancy is to have a more upswept tip which lengthens the curve of the cutting edge near the tip (for skinning). Guess I'll just have to get over my personal bias, and try something new.

By a "hunter style guard", are you meaning something like the guard on a Primos or Fowler hunter? It may be a confusion of terms, but I've always used the term "half guard" (probably an error on my part). I want to make sure I'm on the same page as you.

For a hunter, I typically use 1/8" stock but since this was meant to be a hunter and small camp knife, I went with the thicker 5/32 to add some heft.

Have a good one,

Nathan
 
NDallyn said:
I haven't ever made a blade with a lot of drop. If anything, my tendancy is to have a more upswept tip which lengthens the curve of the cutting edge near the tip (for skinning). Guess I'll just have to get over my personal bias, and try something new.

By a "hunter style guard", are you meaning something like the guard on a Primos or Fowler hunter? It may be a confusion of terms, but I've always used the term "half guard" (probably an error on my part). I want to make sure I'm on the same page as you.

For a hunter, I typically use 1/8" stock but since this was meant to be a hunter and small camp knife, I went with the thicker 5/32 to add some heft.

Have a good one,

Nathan
Click to expand...

Yes, "hunter style guard" or "haft guard" as the below. And by narrower blade, was referring to blade depth or less "belly". I agree, 5/32 is better for a hard use piece. Keep up the good work :thumbup:

338046127_b2bb2a894d_b.jpg
 
Sure, post an engraved Dean to put the young guy in his place eh?!:D

That's what I thought you meant Mr. Jones, just wanted to be sure.

Thanks a lot for the input,

Nathan
 
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