First fixed blade design critique ( Done )

T

Taximanny

Joined
Jul 27, 2015
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Ok after many drawings I'm pretty well settled on this..
Not real big or to small.
I've only built folders until now.
I've had request for a fixed blade and now need some advise.

When adding a swedge does it matter when you do it, before or after the initial grind?
Would 5/32" thick 01 be fine for this size?

I'm planning on fasteners with button head hex screws countersunk on both sides..
Is 3 overkill ?

The blade will be 1 1/2 wide the pic does not show that.
Or any tips ?
 
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I like it. Nice lines on it. I'm not so sure about the lanyard hole projecting from the butt though.

If you are flat grinding, the grind line will follow the contour of your edge. So it won't turn out exactly like your drawing.

1/8" thickness is perfect for this style of knife. It is not too thin.
 
S.Alexander said:
I like it. Nice lines on it. I'm not so sure about the lanyard hole projecting from the butt though.

If you are flat grinding, the grind line will follow the contour of your edge. So it won't turn out exactly like your drawing.

1/8" thickness is perfect for this style of knife. It is not too thin.
Click to expand...

Hmmm 1/8th does seem to thin I think... Especially with a swedge on it.
I'm not sure if it would even be visible..

Your right about the grind.
I planned on using the filing jig for this one.
And the grind will follow the contour of the blade bottom.
How does one get around this?
 
I have made knives this size and bigger and never used anything thicker than 1/8". 1/8" is plenty thick enough for most knives. Most of the time it will come .140". I like the design and dimensions. I would do a hidden lanyard hole or move it to the upper corner. Keep it 1/4" or so from the edge. 2 screws are plenty but 3 is fine also. I do my swedges last.
 
I like your design. It flows gracefully and the handle looks comfortable. The big question is "what is it designed\intended to do?" If it is to skin squirrels then there are all sorts of things wrong with it. I have confidence that it will turn out well.

Personally I don't care for blades as wide as 1.5 inches but this is just personal taste. Having said that I made most of my knives from 1/8 inch stock and like it. I think your design could be made with it or with thicker stock, especially if it is going to be abused by hammering it through a piece of wood or used real hard.

Are the notches on the top of the blade REALLY necessary? Wouldn't it just tend to cause irritation and abrasion to the finger if it were used much?

Suggestion: pay attention to commercially made knives and see how thick their blades are. In my experience they tend to be on the narrower end of the scale.

Good luck,
- Paul Meske AKA lonepine
 
Thanks for all the input and hope there is more to come... I really feeding off it.
I believe it will be more of a tactical knife.
That's what I'm getting from customer.
The handle contours will be some what squared, I think.

Just ordered steel both 1/8" and 5/32"
I can always use one or the other.
Also ordered some black canvas micarta.

The lanyard hole might have to stay where it's at...
The customer requested it there.
I don't have the means to press a stainless one in the handle so I came up with it out the back.
I guess I could just epoxy on in.
 
I'm not by any means an expert but I like a thicker blade ... But ... I tend to be hard on my gear ... Maybe a little more then the average guy.
 
To make a knife like this and follow the drawn grind lines you would have to have some major distal taper otherwise the bevel near the tip would be very blunt approaching 90 degrees. Even still it would be nearly impossible to keep that line straight like that and have the blade edge curved. Maybe a CNC mill could do it but still the bevel would change from a gradual slope near the handle to extremely blunt at the tip. If used as a survival knife, a tip thin enough to achieve some semblance of this might be prohibitive.
 
Ok I ended up going with 1/8" stock.
I added a little more belly to the design also.
This is my very first grind... I didn't chicken out and put it on my filing jig this time.
I did use a jig to hold the blade. I used a 1x30 harbor freight cheapy.
I now see the big deal about a flat platen.
I've got it set up here and going to give it a once over with a file to make sure it flat as flat all the way thru.
Than I'm going to add my swedge.
Should I draw it out and do it by hand or make a jig.
I'm thinking I might be able to handle it by hand on the filing jig.

 
Well after watching videos on you tube, I decided to do it by hand with no jig and just using my eye.
I could not figure out how to jig it.
 
Well finally finished this thing up...
I can't say they are easier than a folder because, because I'm so use to my steps in making a folder.
There was definetly some learning with this knife. It was fun!
Maybe I'll get into some Kydex later on.



Critiques welcome...
 
Taximanny,

That finished up really nicely. I'd love to see the tip a little pointier though. Seem to have been sanded a bit soft.
 
i4Marc said:
Taximanny,

That finished up really nicely. I'd love to see the tip a little pointier though. Seem to have been sanded a bit soft.
Click to expand...

I really didn't know how to make that transition from the swedge to tip and didn't want to sharpen the swedge

So I just sharpened it to it.it is a bit soft
 
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