Erin Burke
KnifeMaker...ish
- Joined
- May 19, 2003
- Messages
- 1,330
Hey guys...
... so I've been in a bit of a knife-making funk lately. I just haven't been very excited to get into the shop. There's been a partially completed frame-handle sitting on my bench for more than three months now. I can visualize the knife in my head, and I know it will be cool... but just can't get myself fired-up to work on it. Part of the problem may be the SAD state of my shop space. Some time in late summer I started a project to remove some shelving racks and build a welding work-station. I bought a suitable section of used kitchen cabinets and built a rolling platform enabling me to move my Millermatic in (and out) of the lower cabinet space... but I never finished the rest of the project. I never acquired a decently thick piece of steel for the benchtop. I never reconfigured the rest of the cabinet doors and shelves to make-up for some of the storage space I lost when removing the shelving rack. Bottom line... my shop is a mess and I haven't been excited to spend time in it. :grumpy:
Plus... I bought a new drum kit.
Anyway - to make a long story longer - last week I found out that my church community group was going to do a white-elephant gift exchange on {last} Monday. I figured hey... maybe I can crank out a simple little knife for a gift; maybe get the creative juices flowing again. So last week I sat down at work and sketched out this design.
I only had the weekend to complete it... so it would be ready for community group on Monday night. Everything went smoothly, and this is what I came up with.
The blade was ground, heat-treated, polished and etched on Saturday. I also installed the stabilized amboyna insert that night so that the epoxy would have time to cure. The inserts were cleaned-up Sunday after Church, and I added my name to the spine, wrapped the handle, and brushed some West Systems epoxy into the wrap before going to sleep. These photos were taken on Monday... just before I gave the knife away.
I didn't get detailed stats before sending it out... but:
Length: 6" (as measured from original sketch)
Blade: 2-3/4" (tip to choil as measured from original sketch)
Steel: Differentially heat-treated ~3/16" 1095 (from Kelly Cupples) Flat-Ground
Handle: Tapered tang with Stabilized Amboyna insert wrapped in epoxied paracord
Overall, I think it turned out fairly well... and based solely on the cost of materials, I don't think I blew the $5 gift limit too far out of the water.
It was good to get into the shop again, and just crank our a fun little knife.
Let me know what y'all think.
Erin
... so I've been in a bit of a knife-making funk lately. I just haven't been very excited to get into the shop. There's been a partially completed frame-handle sitting on my bench for more than three months now. I can visualize the knife in my head, and I know it will be cool... but just can't get myself fired-up to work on it. Part of the problem may be the SAD state of my shop space. Some time in late summer I started a project to remove some shelving racks and build a welding work-station. I bought a suitable section of used kitchen cabinets and built a rolling platform enabling me to move my Millermatic in (and out) of the lower cabinet space... but I never finished the rest of the project. I never acquired a decently thick piece of steel for the benchtop. I never reconfigured the rest of the cabinet doors and shelves to make-up for some of the storage space I lost when removing the shelving rack. Bottom line... my shop is a mess and I haven't been excited to spend time in it. :grumpy:
Plus... I bought a new drum kit.
Anyway - to make a long story longer - last week I found out that my church community group was going to do a white-elephant gift exchange on {last} Monday. I figured hey... maybe I can crank out a simple little knife for a gift; maybe get the creative juices flowing again. So last week I sat down at work and sketched out this design.
I only had the weekend to complete it... so it would be ready for community group on Monday night. Everything went smoothly, and this is what I came up with.
The blade was ground, heat-treated, polished and etched on Saturday. I also installed the stabilized amboyna insert that night so that the epoxy would have time to cure. The inserts were cleaned-up Sunday after Church, and I added my name to the spine, wrapped the handle, and brushed some West Systems epoxy into the wrap before going to sleep. These photos were taken on Monday... just before I gave the knife away.
I didn't get detailed stats before sending it out... but:
Length: 6" (as measured from original sketch)
Blade: 2-3/4" (tip to choil as measured from original sketch)
Steel: Differentially heat-treated ~3/16" 1095 (from Kelly Cupples) Flat-Ground
Handle: Tapered tang with Stabilized Amboyna insert wrapped in epoxied paracord
Overall, I think it turned out fairly well... and based solely on the cost of materials, I don't think I blew the $5 gift limit too far out of the water.
It was good to get into the shop again, and just crank our a fun little knife.
Let me know what y'all think.
Erin
