Finally Making A Camp Knife

[redsquid2]

I don’t use knives for splitting kindling very often, and when I am in the outdoors, I don’t cook much per se. It’s mostly freeze dried stuff with some sausage and cheese thrown in. Still, I had to get around to making a camp knife sooner or later.

The only bar stock I have on hand is 3/16” D2, so that’s what I am using. Seems a bit thick to me, but hopefully it will be to someone’s liking.

I have the basic profile almost worked out. I just want to refine the palm swell part.

Feedback welcome.

Thanks,

Andy

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

3/16 will be fine for a camp knife. Put in a good distal taper.

It looks a bit "stiff". There doesn't seem to be any drop to the handle at all and the spine seems a straight line. Round the butt a bit more, too. ( I like a nice round butt!)

 

[redsquid2]

Roughed in the bevels this morning. I used the 2X42 grinder- the only grinder I have. It took me about 45 minutes with a 36 grit belt. I LOVE the Bora 7 belts. They run cooler than anything I have tried.

Is 45 minutes a long time to rough in the bevels? It seems like a split second compared to hand filing.

More pictures to come.

 

[A.McPherson]

Hey squid, time to grind bevels is kinda relative... it takes me quite a while, but I know guys who can rough grid a knife in less than 5 mins...

 

[redsquid2]

The bar of D2 from which I am making this knife was formerly my work arm. So I made a new work arm with oak shelving. Works fine.

 

[redsquid2]

My pattern was cereal box cardboard.

I read somewhere that D2 is difficult to grind. I have not found that to be the case, but the hand sanding seems a bit more time consuming than other steels.

I thought .170" would be a good thickness, but .188" was all I had, so I went with that.

The blade will be about 5.5" and the handle 4.75".

 

[redsquid2]

I don't really have a "shop," per se. This is all in my bedroom/kitchen, but I do a good job of keeping my bed and hot plate out of the pictures.

 

[redsquid2]