First bowie - need help please

cbr900son

cbr900son

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Mar 3, 2011
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Ok i use to think bowies were overrated and just too big but over the past few months Ive been bitten by the bug and HAVE to make one lol. Problem is Im unsure about size and dimensions. Up until this point i did a few taticals and hunters/skinners and I know the proper blade proportions and handle size I like for those but a bowie is a different story all together. Any suggestions or ideas/tips for a first time bowie maker will be appreciated greatly!
 
Happy to hear about a bowie once again....

Well if you are making a bowie, there should be no restriction to size and limits.... I made a bowie a week back... See the pic here....

http://masalalook.com/hosting/images/51DSC07875_Large_.jpg

Try too cop up these things....

Blade should be not shorter than 12 inches as it is like small sword... If you are going to use stainless steel then go for 420 or 440 HC, and if using damascus steel then go for average 56 hardness and forge it one time, blade thickness must not be above average i.e 5 to 6mm....

Take good care of handle, use horn or any good wood of your choice on handle... Some artistic work on blade will look like amazing, u can also go for filework....

All in all choice is up to you what you want... I gave u just the basic idea... If there is anything else you want to know about let me know please.....

Regards....
 
I prefer a bowie along these lines ;
10 1/2 inch blade, straight on top with a slight clip for the last 4 1/2" of blade (I prefer false edge),
5/16 carbon steel tapered towards the tip for weight and balance, leaving the blade at the tip thick enough for a strong tip, and with tip centered between top and bottom of blade
blade width 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 ",
single quilion guard with choil (for finger in front)
some contour to the handle for grip,
flat or saber grind

something like this



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

many makers today wind up with choppers, yet the early Bowies were fighters, and had strong, long, well balanced blades to be quick in the hand. this one below in the Jackson ms museum is an example. I have actually handled it, and it is very well balanced. has an integral guard and pommel, with what looks like checkered ebony scales.
http://www.antiquebowies.com/antiqueBowies/historic/perkinsShively/perkins-shively.htm
 
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deltablade said:
I prefer a bowie along these lines ;
10 1/2 inch blade, straight on top with a slight clip for the last 4 1/2" of blade (I prefer false edge),
5/16 carbon steel tapered towards the tip for weight and balance, leaving the blade at the tip thick enough for a strong tip, and with tip centered between top and bottom of blade
blade width 1 1/4 to 1 3/8 ",
single quilion guard with choil (for finger in front)
some contour to the handle for grip,
flat or saber grind
Click to expand...
Sounds close to what I was thinking. Is the handle larger then normal knives ie 4"ish? At first from looking and researchign pics and post I thought 10" x 1 1/2 - 2" wide and 4 1/2" handle.
 
I suggest going through our annual Blade Forum Best Bowie threads to get a sense of what inspires you and what's within your capabilities or skill level.

I wouldn't recommend your attempting anything longer than a 8"-9" blade for your first. Something along that length with a 4-1/2"-4-3/4" handle offers a good and proportional look and will be easier to execute than say a 12" blade.
A wood handle may be a good choice for your first as it can look nice, be inexpensive and is fairly forgiving compared to some other materials.

If you plan on making many bowies, I would recommend the book; "The Bowie Knife, Unsheathing an American Legend" by Norm Flayderman.
You will find some very good information and ideas in there.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=802809
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=701878
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=607599
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=520666

Hope this gives you something to think about and Good Luck to you!!!!
 
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THANKS! This was exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I do think I prefer the shorter bowies 9-10 inches and I definitely see it coming together in my head (will be drawing up designs soon after I let it brew a little more). Ill definetly check out that book also!

Question - Why is a longer blade harder? the shape? the grind?
 
my kind of bowie is more like a bush knife, with a long handle and some heft out near the tip.

Dimensions are part of the equation, but weight distribution is really what makes or breaks a big knife, per its intended design.

A 'weapon' oriented bowie should have most of its mass toward the handle, in order to be able to move the tip around easy. Some of the most wicked historically rendered bowies have a lot of material removed from the tip via a deeply hollowed bevel and a trailing tip for a needle sharp point. They taper in thickness a lot toward the tip. A double guard is usually used, as is a handle which firmly locks your grip into one place and usually not much longer than the width of one's hand.

A 'tool' oriented bowie saves weight where it can in the handle, (to decrease carry weight) and has more mass out toward the tip for momentum when it's being used like a hatchet. A longer handle allows the hand to wander a bit when it needs to, under heavy use helping to avoid hot spots, and also might be designed to allow a guy to choke up on the handle for finer work. The guard would generally either not be there, or be small enough to not get in the way of safely drawing and inserting the knife into its sheath.

To me, the term 'bowie' implies 'weapon', so I don't really call my big bush knives 'bowies'. I call them bush knives, because I mostly hack away at bushes with them. Some of the bushes around here are tree sized, but 'tree knife' just doesn't have the right ring to it. These big knives are not to be confused with 'bushcraft knives':D.

:)coffeetime
 
cbr900son said:
Sounds close to what I was thinking. Is the handle larger then normal knives ie 4"ish? At first from looking and researchign pics and post I thought 10" x 1 1/2 - 2" wide and 4 1/2" handle.
Click to expand...

that would work well in my view, though I would prefer closer to 1 1/2 than 2
 
Dimensions and styles within the bowie genre will vary significantly - there is no one, singular size or style, save that "bowie" generally means "big fixed blade". The annual Best Bowie threads will be a really good place right here on the forums for you to get an idea of the range of styles.

Oh, and on any blade 9" or more, my preference is for 5" of handle.

Roger
 
Perhaps you would be best calling them 'machetes' dude... :D

What constitutes a bowie is probably the thorniest question in the knife world. I think in its original form it was undoubtedly a weapon, but it was probably a lot of other things too. The beauty of today's knifemaking milieu is that we can get very specific about what we want our bowies to look like. I know what I think a bowie should look like, you might have a different idea. Its all good.

It kind of reminds me of the official description of the Jack Russell terrier according to the AKC. They only specify that it should not be taller than 15 inches, its chest should be able to be spanned by the average man's hand and it should be predominantly white in colour, with some patches of colour permitted (brown, black or both). It should have button ears and small almond shaped eyes, brown in colour. And that's it! But despite the very loose definition any 'terrier man' will be able to spot a true Jack Russell without trouble.

Same applies to bowies... ;)

Lorien said:
To me, the term 'bowie' implies 'weapon', so I don't really call my big bush knives 'bowies'. I call them bush knives, because I mostly hack away at bushes with them. Some of the bushes around here are tree sized, but 'tree knife' just doesn't have the right ring to it. These big knives are not to be confused with 'bushcraft knives':D.

:)coffeetime
Click to expand...
 
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