Help with my design

Crone

Crone

Joined
Aug 8, 2012
Messages
251
So I've been looking into getting a medium-sized fixed blade for a while now. I haven't found a whole lot of production designs that jump out at me, and the few that do either haven't been released yet or are simply way out of my price range. So for fun last week I grabbed a few of my favorite knives and sat down and drew a design I liked and thought would do well for the tasks I have planned. Tasks include: light batonning, fire prep, food prep, skinning, and I'm sure a plethora of other stuff. Now, I know that if a knife is good/decent at multiple tasks, it most likely won't be great at any specific task. That's alright for me.

Here's my design:
Design.jpg

After a few changes:
IMAG0092.jpgIMAG0093.jpg

Some specs:
OAL 9-7/8"
Blade Length 4-7/8"
Blade Thickness 3/16"
Maximum blade width is about 1-5/8"

Handle materials I was thinking of were either brown G10 or micarta, and steel type either 1095 or a cost-effective stainless, flat grind.
In theory, I would be consulting a custom maker to build this for me.
So, what I'm asking is for your ideas/concerns/criticisms for this design. I would also like to hear from some of you who have done similar dealings, creating your own design and working with a maker for a knife.

PS: bonus points if you can guess the knives I was drawing ideas from
 
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I'd use a larger radius for the thumb ramp and move it forward a little bit.
The guard could be slimmed down some.
There is a little too much handle material just behind the guard- I think a decreasing radius from the top to the guard would flow a little better.
I'd go for stainless, like 154CM, personally.
 
I hope you don't mind my input. Without straying too much from your design here are the tweaks I would make:


As suggested earlier I would move the thumb ramp down the spine a bit. I would also smooth out the flow of the cutting edge line. I would add a bit of flare at the butt end of the handle and change the angle a bit. I would pay a little attention to the graceful flow of lines. And using the lanyard hole as a design element, I would space out the handle pins to work with the lanyard hole as part of the flow of those elements. You have a nice design and a little finessing will enhance your vision and give your design a more polished presentation. I hope the link to my attached photo works.

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z106/i4marc/Forums/KnifeDrawing.jpg
 
Thanks for the input guys.
The thumb ramp was one of the first things I noticed after finishing. I realized I should've placed it further up to be in a better position to apply force to the base of the blade.

There is a little too much handle material just behind the guard- I think a decreasing radius from the top to the guard would flow a little better.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what this means. Are you referring to the portion of the handle material that would lay on a portion of the guard? If so are you saying it should be recessed more?

I forgot to mention that I have smaller hands(medium size gloves), and I've had problems with flared butts causing hotspots. With that in mind, I could see the top side being flared slightly more.

Also, with the handle pins, 2 or 3? I'd imagine 2 for a knife this size would be sufficient, but are there any (dis)advantages in going with either?

Once again, thanks for the input. You guys got me looking/changing things.
 
If that were a feasible option for me, I probably woulda had this perfected and being made already. But, unfortunately, I can't. :(
 
a picture is worth a thousand words- perhaps slightly less in this case.

Design_zps3f9da5a6.jpg
 
I've been working on it a decent amount since this thread started, and that's very close to what I'm at lately. I'll update this in a couple of days to show where I'm at.
Once again, thanks for your insight. :thumbup:
 
I like what you've come up with, to me it looks ever so slightly RMD inspired. I'd suggest talking to JK about making it!
 
if removable scales, 2 fasteners, if fixed scales, 3 pins
 
Crone said:
If that were a feasible option for me, I probably woulda had this perfected and being made already. But, unfortunately, I can't. :(
Click to expand...

Get some heavier cardboard, glue several layers together to equal your blade thickness and also to make it stiff enough for handling.

Get some modelling clay and make the handle out of it. I've even gone so far before as to take a blob of clay, put it in my hand and squeeze it, just to see if I could get some clues into an ergonomic handle.

And BTW your handle shape seems to match a ZT 100 or 200. The blade shape is fairly generic.
 
bdmicarta said:
And BTW your handle shape seems to match a ZT 100 or 200. The blade shape is fairly generic.
Click to expand...

Ah yes it does! I looked into buying each of those, but the recurve just turned me away. Never even held either, but good eye. ;)
 
This might give a few ideas to help in your design:
If there is a concern for Hot Spots in chopping your handle will benefit from less curves. More sweeping lines
Most designs are use specific
Couple prototypes I made this last November
Keep your balance point in mind when you think of the main use for the knife
Hope it helps

2e.jpg


T-62-x.jpg


Oh and yes Jerry did remind me about the uncovered hole in the guard. This is the only one I made like this the rest have handle material over them.
 
I would suggest making your templates out of either acrylic sheet or Masonite board. I use Masonite. It cuts and sands very well and is much stiffer than cardboard. Also, the thickness is similar to your finished knife. Your mock-up handle material will sit flat and give you a better feel for the finished product.
 
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