First ever knife

[David6789]

Just finished my first ever knife. its 1080 steel. I chose 1080 because I hear its very forgiving and easy to work with.

I hope to post my second knife soon.

Thanks for looking.

Any constructive criticism would be appreciated.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Not bad at all!

Finishing could be improved. Take your time and sand everything flat before putting a handle on. Use a block of wood with the sandpaper wrapped around it to get flat bevels. That will also help keep the grind line more crisp.
The bump at the end of the edge needs to be ground away. It will only make cutting harder.
The handle looks OK, but maybe a tad more rounding from the sides to the bottom will get rid of that sharp edge.
Thong hole is too close to the edge. It should also have a piece of metal tubing through it. Thong holes are rarely actually used and cause more problems than they are worth.

On knife #2, take twice as much time as you did on this one and you will be happy with the wait.

 

[A.McPherson]

Not a bad first attempt!

So, first things first. The general outline of your knife is basic, but serviceable and you chose the right steel to start with.

The first issue I would mention is that your grind is very low. This looks like a “Bowie” style blade, and I generally like to see the grind go at the very least halfway up the height of the blade. If not 3/4 or full flat grind.

Second is the plunge line and its placement. I would move that plunge so that it was maybe 1/8 inch from the heel, which I would also flatten. That little hump in the blade edge just looks funny in my opinion. Also your plunge would look better if it was more vertical.

Those are the things I would work on first. There are other things, but that’s a good place to start.

 

[scott kozub]

Great work. You'll be addicted now.

You'll be surprised at how quickly your work improves with each knife. You'll also find that as you get more experience you actually take longer because you'll start to fuss over the details.

The sense of acomplishment you get from using a knife you made is very rewarding.

 

[milkbaby]

Nothing to add to the excellent advice already given except to make sure you always keep this first knife to remind you of when you started and what you learned. Keep it up!

 

[Angus McGunnigle]

Congratulations on completing your first knife. Keep seeking advice from those (like above) that know much more than I do. All that I will do is encourage you to do it again, then again, then again......and most likely you will see much improvement(exponentially!) with each one.
Take your time and when you start to get frustrated, step away for a bit, have a cuppa joe and remember that this hobby is FUN !!!!

 

[John mc c]

The general shape and proportions are good
The pins are well placed and look a good fit
A good beginners steel so most importantly it's a good usable knife
The rough finish just shows an enthusiasm to get it finished like us all on our first knife
Well done and you can now relax and do your second knife

 

[3fifty7]

Good job.
Use this knife. Use it a lot and you will begin to what can be improved upon. Take the advice of experienced makers and move forward.

 

[DCamargo]

Congrats on completing your first! Did you heat treat it yourself? What method did you use? What inspired the design?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

BTW, what are the blade and handle dimensions and steel thickness? Steel looks pretty thick.

 

[LCoop]

way better than my first knife ever! I loved that knife and still use it every once in awhile to see how far I've came. Listen to the advice from above and your well on your way! Congrats!