Follow up to - I'm ready for some design review...

[HSC ///]

ok I'm shooting for an outdoor utility knife, semi tang, 2 pins, optional lanyard tube, G10 spacer to make up the difference below the semi-tang steel.
pics 1 has a choil because I think it's important for sharpening, pic 2 is a variation of that same area.
this handle design may not be for everyone so I'm thinking of a different handle option.
grind could be flat, full flat or partial convex.

ok, lay some wisdom on me! please let me know what you think, is this a solid design or have I missed something?

 

[Lo/Rez]

Doesn't look too bad. Something with the back of the handle sticks out at me, but I can't put my finger on it at the moment. I wouldn't go with pic 2.

 

[hagatha]

I have a few different handle designs. Each one I cut a template from 1/4" thick wood.... slapped a couple more pieces on the side like scales.... sand it and gave it a general shape... Once you get the handle comfortable.... make a permanent template and just change the blade style.... I have tried drawings... but the best thing I've found is layout fluid...

hagatha

 

[12345678910]

What thickness blade ?

1" material seems pretty narrow




The rear pin is too high and too far forward.

 

[HSC ///]

I was going to try for a thinner slicer blade so was thinking 1/8"...i know many knives in this style are often 5/32"
I could widen the 1" height too a 1.125" or 1.25", that would help that rear pin I think.

I want to point out that the horizontal hidden line (dashed line) represents the steel blank. hence i'm saying semi tang

thanks

 

[JBC69]

What thickness blade ?

1" material seems pretty narrow




The rear pin is too high and too far forward.

I agree on the rear pin. I'd bring it down a little bit--or maybe put two smaller diameter ones in the chunkier rear section.

Nice design otherwise!

 

[NeilJBorja]

I think it would look a lot more elegant if the butt was less squared off. Either put a pointier tip, or round it off some more, but it looks like the butt just got chopped off. I definitely think you should go with the conventional sharpening choil. Also as The Count pointed out, the pin placement. I know you're using a partial tang, but it is going to look very weird when completed if you leave the pin placement like that. Maybe have the partial tang come down lower so you can center the rear pin a bit more? Have you tried mocking it up in wood/cardboard? I usually do some back and forth between CAD and cardboard mockups, because it's hard to tell what feels comfortable from the screen.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I think you need to re-think the handle nearly completely. The back pin is too far forward and too high. The front pin is too far forward. The butt should be rounded. I would suggest doing a full tang and normal scales. The "semi-tang" isn't any advantage and just adds another difficulty.
Using 1 1/4" wide stock would make it easier to get everything lined up and provide plenty of room for a full tang. Forget a lanyard tube on a knife that size.

Blade is OK at 1/8X1", but the length is longer than needed. Try 3 1/8" long.

Stick with the basic choil drawn on the top blade.

 

[HSC ///]

ok, very good

I have blanked up various styles, they are held up at HT so I haven't actually completed making anything from start to finish.
I've put different handles on existing knives to see what works.

anyway, I can see I need to go back to the drawing board!
I'm glad I posted this, thanks for the input, I really appreciate it.

 

[Salolan]

The "semi-tang" isn't any advantage and just adds another difficulty.

Stacy's advice I would have to say is spot on, just as it always is. Primarily though, I don't see any advantage of the "semi" tang and it will be overly complicated as opposed to a full tang. If weight is your concern, hollow grind or skeletonize the tang or even better yet, do a tapered tang. If you are wanting a slicing knife, why not take the bevels higher? Maybe take them 2/3 of the way up or even higher.

Good luck
Chris

 

[Maelstrom78]

Great project to advance your skills. I can see that you have burned your micarta. I am an expert at that!

Take it slow on your grinder and is sharp belts. I keep a spray bottle of water by the grinder as I cool the micarta on occasion too. Reduce the speed of you can or hand sand it down to see if you can get below the burn.

 

[HSC ///]

Great project to advance your skills. I can see that you have burned your micarta. I am an expert at that!

Take it slow on your grinder and is sharp belts. I keep a spray bottle of water by the grinder as I cool the micarta on occasion too. Reduce the speed of you can or hand sand it down to see if you can get below the burn.

yeah that was my first time working with micarta
knifemaking is sure to teach me patience

 

[HSC ///]

a quick update I just did, I'll continue to work on this

 

[12345678910]

I was going to try for a thinner slicer blade so was thinking 1/8"...i know many knives in this style are often 5/32"
I could widen the 1" height too a 1.125" or 1.25", that would help that rear pin I think.

I agree

If you want a nice thin slicer, go gull height flat grind, why stop the taper half way up ?

Plus you can hide minor inconsistencies from left side to right side with that too.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

a quick update I just did, I'll continue to work on this

Much cleaner and simpler....a very nice overall shape.

The handle is a tad fat in the belly to my eye, but that can be adjusted as you shape it in the handle stages. Unless there is a reason, try and not have the widest part of the handle much wider than the blade. It is optically disconcerting as well as often unnecessarily plump.

 

[HSC ///]

try and not have the widest part of the handle much wider than the blade. It is optically disconcerting as well as often unnecessarily plump.

I see that now, thanks

 

[HSC ///]

a little WIP update on this.

I was able to visit a MS knifemaker and took a grinding lesson.
I'm not done with my training just yet but here is a grind I was able to get last night on some practice mild steel.
The other side was good but not perfect.

And so I modeled up this handle as a test on a CPM-154 blank

I had a fellow knifemaker here on BF model the surfaces for me, (because I'm rusty and want to focus on the knifemaking part right now)
He was kind enough to make a solid model from my 2D geometry. The facets are little still a sharp and need to come together,
But this should work fine for now as a test.

From there I can machine the scales on the CNC however I want or can envision.

The design isn't perfect or solid and frankly I'm not certain where I'm going with this...but I sure am having fun

 

[Brian.Evans]

I think in real use you are going to hate that butt design. It's going to be very hard to hold onto with the top and bottom edges meeting in that ovoid shaped butt. Your pinky id's a weak finger already, now you're making it work harder by reducing the little leverage it has by making it reach further towards the palm to get to the handle edge. Bad way to say it, but think about it for a minute.

 

[Drew Riley]

I like the overall idea of the design. I think, like Stacy said, the blade could be a little more proportionate to the handle, for a handle that small, you don't really gain a lot with a long blade.
Also, I personally prefer larger index finger grooves. I usually use a 1" diameter wheel. It's a lot more comfortable, especially when using a full tight grip, as your fingers tend to expand as you tighten your grip.
For guys with "meatier" hands (looks like that includes you as well), it's less restrictive to go with a wider groove.

 

[HSC ///]

thanks for the feedback,
It's a definitely a work in process.