Inviting critique/advice/abuse

jdm61

itinerant metal pounder
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Aug 12, 2005
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This is a new style of knife for me and although there are several things that I am not happy with, I wanted to get some feedback from you guys. The obvious issue is the stamp being off center. My other criticism is that I didn't leave enough flair on the butt of the handle. Comments would be appreciated. Specs are 10 1/2 x 1/3/4 x .26 W2 blade, 416ss guard with a 3/16 forward lanyard hole drilled into the top ear of the guard and African blackwood handle. And yes, this picture was taken with the old camera. I'm still trying to learn how to use the new one and I can't seem to take a picture any smaller than around 450k, whereas my old Sony has a web specific setting that lets me stay under the 100k limit. I'll get it eventually:D One thing that I am happy with is the performance potential of the design. This big mother does seem to cut very well. The next cople I plan to buld will be done to cutting comp size specifications so that I can "test drive" them in public perhaps at Troy, assuming that the cutting comp is not a "pro" event, and at Gembloux.
 

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What immediately jumps out at me, the ergonomic 'hump' on the bottom of the handle doesn't match up with the 'hump' on the top of the handle. Second, the curve of the blade top doesn't correspond to the curve of the handle.

Other than these symmetry issues, it looks like a very nice knife. And I really like the material choices. :thumbup:
 
What immediately jumps out at me, the ergonomic 'hump' on the bottom of the handle doesn't match up with the 'hump' on the top of the handle. Second, the curve of the blade top doesn't correspond to the curve of the handle.

Other than these symmetry issues, it looks like a very nice knife. And I really like the material choices. :thumbup:
LOL........actually the humps aren't supposed to match up. This is a variation on the Moran style handle where the humps are at an angle that is supposed to roughly match the angle of the butt. as for the curve. I did an ST24 andfound this setup to be very ergonomically pleeasing. With this knife, I ended up taking off too much material and the handle problems all arise out of that little error. The back should be flat or perhaps have a slight dip and them a rise up to the top hump and then drop and rise again at the top of the butt:D
 
Joe - on a big cutter like that, I'm not sure the dble guard is the best choice. Also, I like a spacer between the guard and the handle, personally.
 
Joe - on a big cutter like that, I'm not sure the dble guard is the best choice. Also, I like a spacer between the guard and the handle, personally.
The top ear was specifically put on so that I could have the lanyard hole forward on a hidden tang blade without having to punch and excessively big pin hole in the tang/handle to accomodate a lanyard tube or in the ricasso. I got the idea from a cutting comp knife. It was either one by John Fitch or Lin Rhea......can't remember. I have never done one like this before. This thing I like about it is that you have the option of running the lanyard over the back of your hand so it doesn't interfere with your grip and at the same time, it seems to give you the benefit of the forward lanyard. On subsequent knives, I may very well reduce the size of that upper ear to the absolute minimum size needed, but I can tell you that it won't be much smaller than it is on this knife. I could have done this one 3/16 shorter.
 
from a performance standpoint, this knife 'looks' like it would work. You'll have to send it to me for some real feedback, though;)

I think that crowning the spine might ease it through the matter a little better.

I'm also not so fond of the guard on the top of the handle. While I like the concept of routing the lanyard through it, I think that you are limiting the types of grip you could have by having a guard there. Accommodation of different grip styles for different types of cutting should be a priority for a knife of this type, in my opinion. A small hump, a la Dan Farr, I think is more effective, and it looks like there is plenty of handle to run a lanyard through the front of the handle somewhere.

There, that's my two cents.
 
from a performance standpoint, this knife 'looks' like it would work. You'll have to send it to me for some real feedback, though;)

I think that crowning the spine might ease it through the matter a little better.

I'm also not so fond of the guard on the top of the handle. While I like the concept of routing the lanyard through it, I think that you are limiting the types of grip you could have by having a guard there. Accommodation of different grip styles for different types of cutting should be a priority for a knife of this type, in my opinion. A small hump, a la Dan Farr, I think is more effective, and it looks like there is plenty of handle to run a lanyard through the front of the handle somewhere.

There, that's my two cents.
While I was not building this knife to Blade Sport's specs, it is against the rules to run the lanyard tube through the tang on a hidden tang knife unless it is through a stub hanging out the back of the handle. Having the hole go crosswise through a "hump" on top of the guard was another idea that I was thinking about. That would require using 3/8 stock instead of the 5/16 i used for the guard. This style was easier to do the first time out. I wonder where the aversion to double guards of any type on chopper arose? I don't see the what the big deal is.
 
Joe - on a big cutter like that, I'm not sure the dble guard is the best choice. Also, I like a spacer between the guard and the handle, personally.

Ditto that.

I understand why you want the double-guard, but the combination of blade and handle shape seem to me to call for a single guard (aesthetically). It's a good looking big working knife.

Roger
 
LOL........actually the humps aren't supposed to match up....
:thumbup:

See, that's why I generally don't reply to this type of thread. ;)

I don't see anything wrong with the full top guard either. Ray Laconico, Don Hanson, and others regularly use guards on the tops of large bowies/fighters/choppers.
 
Ditto that.

I understand why you want the double-guard, but the combination of blade and handle shape seem to me to call for a single guard (aesthetically). It's a good looking big working knife.

Roger
Thanks, Roger. This knife.............well, now it will be this one's replacement..... is a working knife and will be used as such. I'm trying to come up with 3 or so "standard models" so that I can get some more reasonably priced sheath options on deck and sell them at a price that our boys and girls in uniform can reasonably afford. After I knock out the next one or two, I am likely going to have to figure out a way to simplify the handle construction process for this one. Time is money, ya know. I'm looking at doing a camp knife/comp cutter like this, a fighter in the 7 1/2 inch range and a general purpose big burly drop point hunter in the 5 inch range.
 
After I knock out the next one or two, I am likely going to have to figure out a way to simplify the handle construction process for this one. Time is money, ya know. I'm looking at doing a camp knife/comp cutter like this, a fighter in the 7 1/2 inch range and a general purpose big burly drop point hunter in the 5 inch range.

I hear ya - getting those contoured handles right takes no small amount of work. A simpler design would be less time-intensive, but might not feel as good.

This sounds like a great project - keep us posted on the new models and design variations as you go along.

Roger
 
I don't know why the handle appears too long to me, because I'll bet it isn't. There is just something about the look that give me the impression that the handle/blade proportions aren't quite right. Possibly a guard that is a little thicker, like on the ones in the photo below, would shorten the look of the handle a little. I think a guard like the one on the knife with the African blackwood handle would look really good on this knife.

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running a lanyard tube sideways through a raised hump at the front of the handle is an awesome idea! Please post pictures if you ever get around to making another one with that feature.

As for handle length, on a working knife with a blade length in excess of 8 or 9 inches, a little extra is always helpful and the additional leverage makes for more versatility in my experience. Probably a different story if you're making a weapon and want that hand locked right in.
 
I don't know why the handle appears too long to me, because I'll bet it isn't. There is just something about the look that give me the impression that the handle/blade proportions aren't quite right. Possibly a guard that is a little thicker, like on the ones in the photo below, would shorten the look of the handle a little. I think a guard like the one on the knife with the African blackwood handle would look really good on this knife.

attachment.php
You are correct, Keith. It is 5 1/2 inches to the upper point of the butt. After putting it together, I agrre with you abut it being a bit too long. but I did not have enough meat left to shorten it up. The next one will be made to Blade Sports specs, so the blade will be a bit wider and will lose around 1/4 inch from the tip and another !/4 or so from the ricasso and the handle will lose around 3/8 and be beefier. I chose to use the slightly thinner stock because one you start building knives to competition spec, ever fraction you have tied up in guard material has to come off somewhere else. Plus it is easier for me to transition an oval handle into a thinner guard.:D
 
I'm having a hard time with this one. It looks very good, but there's something not quite right.

I *think* maybe the flow from the blade to the handle might be too angular instead of flowing nicely. Maybe just a little more material along the spine of the handle? Somehow it seems a little more "bent" than "curved". I'm not sure but the extra length of the ricasso area seems to be contributing. Or maybe the guard/blade angle?

Eh, ignore me. I couldn't make a knife that nice in a million years. :thumbup:
 
I wonder where the aversion to double guards of any type on chopper arose? I don't see the what the big deal is.

I don't think a double guard is a problem at all when chopping. (Not sure it really helps, though, either.) However, it's when you want to use that knife like a knife that it can get in the way. It makes it harder to choke up & put your thumb on the spine for better leverage when whittling, skinning, or whatever. I'm not gonna say it's a huge deal, but it can make a bigger knife easier to use for the smaller tasks, too.
 
chopping things like wood or cinder blocks(;)) is one thing, but there is lots of types of cutting that involves swinging the knife. The ability to choke up on the handle, and use your thumb as leverage against the spine enables one to stop the momentum of the swinging blade more easily, for example when one is cutting something that has little chance of absorbing any impact force; cutting a paper towel roll or something, (they do that in cutting comps right?) for me its cutting vegetation of a springy and light variety.
 
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Joe,
E-mail me your phone #, I think I can help with a few simple tips. Nice knife.
Dan Farr
 
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