First knife progress

[rudylorren]

Still alot of work to do on the bevel

1095 1/4" thick

Will post more pics as it comes closer to completion

down the back of blade (top side)

down the front

What do you think? Did I make the handle too skinny?

Any questions/comments/concerns are more than welcome

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Well...I don't really know what to say. My comments below are to help you with future knives. They are not attacks on you. Take them as well intentioned critique and try to improve on the next one.

Suffice to say that it would have been far better to post a sketch first.

Here is a basic list of what strikes me:
1) 1/4" is hugely thick. 1/8" would have been better.
2) The blade is massive in comparison to the handle.
3) The blade is too "blunt" and lacks shape.
4) Handle shape is...well..terrible. I would expect it to break easily at the spot behind the spike. The drop from the spine is also a bad thing. It will make the knife look and feel very unbalanced. If the spine had gone straight back and made the handle wider it would have been far better.
5) The spike??? What is that all about. It is pretty useless for anything but getting in the way of chaffing the forefinger.

Again, it is what I see that sticks out, not an attack on the knife.

 

[rudylorren]

1. I agree, filing this bastard is taking forever

2. yes it is pretty large

3. do you mean the curve from the tip to the bottom of the blade?

4. that was my worry about the handle too... I put the little grooves on the top and bottom and front and back of the handle to so 550 cord would stay in place.

5. The spike is really just a finger guard.. I was going to round it off later

This is exactly what I was looking for, no hard feelings whatsoever. Thanks Stacy I'll go play with it and post progress later

 

[i4Marc]

Start by looking at a lot of knives. I mean good knives. Look at knives by some of the more experienced folks here, custom makers. Look at factory knives by companies that have long and well earned reputations for making great knives. Start noticing how knives look and how that parts come together, different styles for different types of uses. Then put some drawings together based on your observations. Show us and we'll help you refine the design into something useful, effective and comfortable.

 

[rudylorren]

This was the original template on the bottom, with slight mods on top:

Heres a second template I created

And the one on bottom(green outline) is a copy paste from another knife I found on this website, and the one on top is a larger version

I really like the last one on top (in black) any suggestions??

I'll be ordering some 1084 on friday after I get my paycheck..

 

[i4Marc]

Ok, great. Drawings! Unless you have a specific need for a tanto type tip I would lean more towards a general purpose curve to the blade tip like your last two. What is going on with the top edges of your handles? Why so many bumps and dips? Your first and last drawings are the best in this regard but get rid of the bumps. Try to get a nice smooth flow in the line from the spine of the blade through the guard area and down the top of the handle. You tend to get the best flow in a knife design when the top and bottom of the ricasso area (part of the blade just in front of the guard) match the top and bottom of the forward area of the handle. Don't have a drop in the line from the spine of the blade down to the top of the handle. You don't really need a double guard unless the design is a fighting knife like a large bowie or a military type knife or even a hog knife. Avoid overly bent angles to your handles. A little curve is nice. A finger groove behind the guard isn't necessary but can be a nice addition visually and can aid in grip. Don't make it too pronounced or sharp though. Otherwise, you're off to a good start. Others will have more suggestions soon.

 

[rudylorren]

Thanks for your suggestions, The bumps on top are there just because i've seen it on other knives and thought it looked cool. Maybe it is best to wait on sometihng like that though(KISS right) I'll make another drawing here today and we'll see how it turns out

Thanks again everybody

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Take a look at these threads:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1197729-First-knife-design-critique
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1175514-First-knife-design-plan

While the original drawings were much cleaner than yours, it shows the changes from "stiff: to "smooth". Notice how much a tiny curve ab=nd smooth straight flowing lines add.

Here are some more:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1194914-First-knife-design

Some design advice:
1) Curves are pleasing.... ask any young man. On a knife, even the tiniest curve is much better than a straight line in most places. Don't over-doo it, though. Subtle beats overpowering. As a general rule, on users and hunters, a subtle curve from butt to tip should exist. thus curve should be as unbroken as possible. The curve down from the tip and along the edge should be smooth with no sudden changes in curvature. If the edge line is extended on paper, the handle bottom should fall on or slightly above the imaginary line. The butt should drop only a small amount below that line.
2) Simple beats fancy nearly every time. There is a good reason that the screwdriver and the wrench haven't changes much in hundreds of years...they work fine as-is. A knife rarely needs bumps, spikes, projections, or doo-dads.
3) In the beginning, make basic shapes, and full flat grind bevels. sabre grinds, bolsters, fancy shapes, guards, etc. all will come in time.
4) A well constructed knife, ....no matter how simple,.... will work well and be pleasing to the eye. A poorly constructed knife, ....no matter how fancy,....will probably not work well, and will be quite ugly.

This is a nice simple knife shape to start with. Brian did a little with shaping the handle, and did a sabre grind, but there are no big whistles and bells....just a really nice knife.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/583712-My-First-Knife-Design-A-Bushcrafter

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Here is a very simple knife shape. there is nothing fancier than a simple guard. No fancy rivets, no finger choils or blade dips...just pure working knife.
This is by Hall Handmade, and shows that a professional maker knows what works and sells.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Here is a very simple knife shape. There is nothing fancier than a simple guard. No fancy rivets, no finger choils or blade dips, no elaborate grind,...just pure working knife.
This is by Hall Handmade, and shows that a professional maker knows what works and sells. I borrowed the photo from his post on another thread, I hope Ian doesn't mind.

 

[Hengelo_77]

I like the blade shape but the handle.....
The way the handle looks right now I'd make it a hidden tang