First build on my own (work in progress)

Noshtero

Noshtero

Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Messages
1,551
After learning the ropes from Stomper here on the forum, I'm starting my first knife on my own.

Here's my design:
Knife2.jpg


Here it is in wood:
IMG_0876.jpg


I'll keep this thread going as I go along, in case anyone is interested ;)
 
That's a nice straightforward design. Fairly easy to do and will make a great EDC. Should serve you well when it's done.

Marcel
 
Sorry to be a jerk, but the handle is way too straight. It should drop below the level of the spine and curve at least a little to be comfortable and handy.

If you're limited by the width of your stock, try a narrow-tang design so you can make the handle flow better.
 
James_Terrio said:
Sorry to be a jerk, but the handle is way too straight. It should drop below the level of the spine and curve at least a little to be comfortable and handy.

If you're limited by the width of your stock, try a narrow-tang design so you can make the handle flow better.
Click to expand...

I like the simplicity of your design..but James has a really good point.

Play with your wooden model for a while and see how it feels.

The first one will take a lot of work to finish, you may as well like what you have when you are done.
 
I should mention, I think the blade profile is quite reasonable. :) Plenty of straight edge, keen tip and a nice belly.
 
I too like the blade. It has a little drop to the tip and a nice belly. I agree about the handle. You could trim up the bottom of the handle with some curve to it. Make it fit good in your hand. Two pins would be enough for that knife. Are you going to put bolsters or a guard on the blade? If you are going to put on bolsters, be sure and drill your holes before you heat treat. It is a lot easier. (Don't ask me how I know)
 
Thanks for the advice all. My theme for this knife is "Simple". The less curves the better. I'm already seeing that the choil is a pain. I've resorted to a dremel to get it right.

We'll see if I can pull this off with reasonably good results. Then I plan to let some ruffions beat the tar out of it to see if I have the hang of heat treating. Then I'll start thinking about ergonomics ;)

As to tools, I'll be using:
Harbor Freight Drill Press
Craftsman 2x42 Belt Sander
Grizzly 1x42 Belt Sander
err... hacksaw and some files.

I did the profiling, bevels, heat treating, and tempering today. So far so good. I somehow managed to take perfectly spaced holes in my template and turn them into noticably slanted holes in the steel. I basically clamped the template to the steel and center punched where the holes should go. What I didn't do is line it up right, and double check the center punch spacing before I drilled. Live and learn. It won't look perfect, but it will work.
 
Noshtero said:
Thanks for the advice all. My theme for this knife is "Simple". The less curves the better. I'm already seeing that the choil is a pain. I've resorted to a dremel to get it right.

We'll see if I can pull this off with reasonably good results. Then I plan to let some ruffions beat the tar out of it to see if I have the hang of heat treating. Then I'll start thinking about ergonomics ;)

As to tools, I'll be using:
Harbor Freight Drill Press
Craftsman 2x42 Belt Sander
Grizzly 1x42 Belt Sander
err... hacksaw and some files.

I did the profiling, bevels, heat treating, and tempering today. So far so good. I somehow managed to take perfectly spaced holes in my template and turn them into noticably slanted holes in the steel. I basically clamped the template to the steel and center punched where the holes should go. What I didn't do is line it up right, and double check the center punch spacing before I drilled. Live and learn. It won't look perfect, but it will work.
Click to expand...

To line up my center punches, I coat the tang with dykem layout dye. Then I use calipers to scribe a line on the tang where the center of the holes will be. I then determine the spacing from front to back on the handle and scribe a cross line through my hole center lines. This is where I center punch for my drilling. I don't use a template, however, I do trace out the knife and tang on paper about 5 times and layout holes over and over, until I find the spacing that I think will work best.

I lay it out like in the photo. This is one that was laid out for 28 pins. It was when I was into my pinwork phase.
 

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The hole spacing is one of the reasons I draw my designs/templates with CAD and use 3M adhesive to stick the template on the object to be drilled.

I just finished putting some of Scott's purpleheart from his stimulus give-away on a blade with a similar shape. At first I thought the handle was too straight but after putting the handle material on and shaping the wood, I think it looks pretty darn nice.

I like the elegance of simplicity.
 
scottickes said:
To line up my center punches, I coat the tang with dykem layout dye. Then I use calipers to scribe a line on the tang where the center of the holes will be. I then determine the spacing from front to back on the handle and scribe a cross line through my hole center lines. This is where I center punch for my drilling. I don't use a template, however, I do trace out the knife and tang on paper about 5 times and layout holes over and over, until I find the spacing that I think will work best.

I lay it out like in the photo. This is one that was laid out for 28 pins. It was when I was into my pinwork phase.
Click to expand...

Ya I figured I'd do something like that for my next knife. There's too many variables to go wrong trying to clamp a 1/4" of wood to the steel and get everything to line up. I'll just measure the pins on each knife.

The dykem's a good idea. I didn't use it before because it's kinda messy, and I end up with red fingers :)
 
Well... I think I ruined my first blade. And it was going so well too. I'm checking it over with my mentor, but I think it's probably trash.

I was getting lazy and kept using a 1x42 belt that I knew was getting worn and producing too much heat. It was my last belt, so I just kept going, and burned the edge. Here's pictures. It's a little blurry, but I'm sure you know what it looks like.

IMG_0878.jpg

IMG_0879.jpg
 
Edro20 said:
Can't you anneal it and then re-HT it?
Click to expand...

I worry the edge is already thinned out so far that when I ground off the scale there wouldn't be anything left :)

This was going to be a test beater knife to determine how good my heat treat is...

So let me ask this question. I fully expect that burnt part will just chip right out, but will the whole knife snap at that spot? Like, could I still take this out and baton the hell out of it to see if my heat treat holds up?
 
Even so, you could change the profile a wee bit and get the thickness back. Just throwing ideas your way. Good Luck!
 
I don't think it would snap at that spot at all. If anything, it's like you tempered that spot at too high a temperature, so it's a lower hardness and it won't hold an edge as well as the rest of the blade. I may be wrong but that's what my common sense tells me.
 
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