I need a knife pattern...

J

jawilder

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
Messages
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I was asked to make a knife for a graduation present and was given the following parameters:

Fixed blade, at least 1/8'' thick, preferably stainless steel, full and thick tang, good for skinning or cleaning fish, decent for camp use, good finger guard, strong point/tip of blade, around 5'' blade. Tough serviceable handle material, but, attractive but practical handle material.

What would you make? Pics if possible?
 
O.K., I'll take a stab at this.

In order to be good at skinning or cleaning fish, I'd think the blade will be 1/8" thick or less with a drop point for skinning. A narrow blade profile will make it better for cleaning fish, but can't be as narrow as a filet knife or it won't work well for skinning. I think this rules out a pronounced belly like which is on most hunting knives.. I'd make all hardware like the guard and fasteners from stainless steel. G-10 or micarta would be my choice for a handle material to meet the "tough and serviceable requirement.

The blade would be a little longer than most hunters to make it better for cleaning fish but not by much or it won't be very handy for skinning. There probably wouldn't be any file work on the spine.

Here's a knife that I made fairly recently that may get close to what they are requesting. Hopefully, this gets your thoughts flowing or helps generate some more input from others?

This blade is 4 inches long.

IMG_6424-650.jpg
 
I'm thinking of a knife with a boning knife profile for the blade and a coke bottle handle for a little better grip.
 
How about something like this Jason?
 

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  • Bone Handled Drop Point #1 (2).jpg
    Bone Handled Drop Point #1 (2).jpg
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Now see there, this wasn't nearly as hard as I made it out to be. I like all the designs and suggestions mentioned so far. It looks like I'll have to put pencil to paper now and see what I can come up with.
 
Google Bob Engnath designs. He left all his designs to the knifemaking world when he passed. Find five or ten you like and print them out. I've done it several times. They are really nice patterns, and a whole bunch of them there too.
 
Here are some drawings I made last night, inspired by your query. Let me begin by disclosing that I am not an experienced maker. I am just starting out and realized early on that I had no idea how all the parts of a knife came together. So while my grinder is being built and my work shop put together, I have been drawing knives. I usually do so every night in an effort to better understand proportion and how angles and lines interact with one another. I usually draw a page or three every night and often look to here for inspiration.

So here is a page of ideas trying to keep within your general parameters. The grid on the paper is a 1/4" per little square, 1" for the bolder lined squares. Steel choice would better be left to others to recommend. Same with handle material, how ever while drawing I mostly envision g10, micarta, stabilized wood, or natural wood like African Blackwood or Pau Ferro (specific to a project I have in mind). Plunge line and leading edge of handle scales are drawn just to better help me visualize a finished project. They should be adapted to personal taste, mood, and skill. Much the same reason I rarely include the pin placement. What I draw are really just a general profile. Anyway I hope my interpertion gives you some insight to another's thoughts on the subject. Interested to see what you end up doing.

20141002_142914_zpsf2f03fbc.jpg


Please feel free to comment, criticize, or suggest improvements to above drawings. I am here to learn.
 
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