Jack Knife Assembly

Ooo, I know this! I was trying to explain different traditional knife patterns to a curious friend and ended up referring to Levine's Guide when he asked what the origin was of the term "jack knife". I didn't know the answer, but Levine's guide posits several theories. Page 173 of the 4th edition is where jack knife is defined. I don't know if I can post a scan of the entire page, but, in short, a big knife with a big blade on each end is a double end jack and a small knife with little blades on each end is a pen knife. A big knife with a single blade is still a jack knife, but a little knife with a single small blade is a quill knife. The single pivot with one big blade and one small blade is just a regular ol' jack knife.

*waits to see if I'm wrong and have to stay after school to study more* :p
 
I love the GEC Congress Jack they did for us back then.


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AlwaysTomboy said:
Ooo, I know this! I was trying to explain different traditional knife patterns to a curious friend and ended up referring to Levine's Guide when he asked what the origin was of the term "jack knife". I didn't know the answer, but Levine's guide posits several theories. Page 173 of the 4th edition is where jack knife is defined. I don't know if I can post a scan of the entire page, but, in short, a big knife with a big blade on each end is a double end jack and a small knife with little blades on each end is a pen knife. A big knife with a single blade is still a jack knife, but a little knife with a single small blade is a quill knife. The single pivot with one big blade and one small blade is just a regular ol' jack knife.

*waits to see if I'm wrong and have to stay after school to study more* :p
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So a buck 110 would still be a jackknife? Or a Mercator?

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W.M.B. said:
So a buck 110 would still be a jackknife? Or a Mercator?

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My best guess? Yes to both, but I hope someone will correct me if I'm wrong. I'm a traditional knife notice and I only have 2 reference books; Levine's Guide 4th edition and German Knife and Sword Makers (which is no help for this topic).

Levine p171 has folding hunter knives listed under named jack knife patterns, and on p222 the Buck 110 is mentioned specifically under modern folding hunters. Page 173 again: "Jack knives without backsprings are sometimes called 'penny knives'." Penny knives are in the foreign and historical folding knife chapter in the book, and when I go to that section, there's a photo of a higonokami with caption "Higonokami penny knife." Those are friction folders like Mercators, yes? So if a penny knife is a jack knife and a higo is a penny knife and a Mercator is similar to a higo, then they're all jacks?

So, err, basically a jack knife is any folding knife that has 1 or 2 blades; whether it has single pivot or double; same size blades or different; backspring, lock or neither; and isn't a pen knife or quill knife?
 
AlwaysTomboy said:
So, err, basically a jack knife is any folding knife that has 1 or 2 blades; whether it has single pivot or double; same size blades or different; backspring, lock or neither; and isn't a pen knife or quill knife?
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I guess that's right, but it sure includes a lot of different kinds of knives. :confused:
Here's what I think of:
 
Here, to confuse things even more, when you dive off the high dive and touch your feet to your hands and then straighten out to dive into the pool isn't that dive called a jack knife? Looks more like a pen knife for equal end to me where the blades are on opposite sides.

I believe Jack Knife is a generic term in the sense that a xerox machine is just a copier and it was acceptable to call all copiers xerox machines.

I always felt that a true jack knife is a single or double blade (both blades on the same pivot/end) non locking traditional pattern which includes most traditional knives, even something like a timber scribe is listed as a Jack Knife in one of my books.
 
Keep in mind there's Jack Knives that are their own subset, George Schrade was good for this, just look up the Wire Jack and the Handy Jack which comes in single and double blades. I love the fact the George Schrade incorporated it into the pattern name so there was no question that it was a Jack Knife.

You know the Great Grandson of George Schrade is active here, his name is William Schrade and he's very knowledgeable about the industry and even more so the family history. He's very easy to talk to and always willing to answer questions, he's a valuable resource here on BF. :)
 
Here is one of my Jack Knives. I have a few. I define it as a folding knife with one or two blades "at the same end".

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r8shell said:
I guess that's right, but it sure includes a lot of different kinds of knives. :confused:
Here's what I think of:
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It seems like a pretty all-encompassing and vague definition to me too. :confused:
& Those are beautiful knives. Ebony & ivory, like poetry, yin and yang. Lovely.

T. Erdelyi said:
Here, to confuse things even more, when you dive off the high dive and touch your feet to your hands and then straighten out to dive into the pool isn't that dive called a jack knife? Looks more like a pen knife for equal end to me where the blades are on opposite sides.

I believe Jack Knife is a generic term in the sense that a xerox machine is just a copier and it was acceptable to call all copiers xerox machines.

I always felt that a true jack knife is a single or double blade (both blades on the same pivot/end) non locking traditional pattern which includes most traditional knives, even something like a timber scribe is listed as a Jack Knife in one of my books.
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When a truck with a long trailer makes too sharp of a turn and gets stuck with the front at a angle to the rest, that looks like a "proper" jack knife; only one pivot. :p The bolded makes sense to me.

T. Erdelyi said:
Keep in mind there's Jack Knives that are their own subset, George Schrade was good for this, just look up the Wire Jack and the Handy Jack which comes in single and double blades. I love the fact the George Schrade incorporated it into the pattern name so there was no question that it was a Jack Knife.

You know the Great Grandson of George Schrade is active here, his name is William Schrade and he's very knowledgeable about the industry and even more so the family history. He's very easy to talk to and always willing to answer questions, he's a valuable resource here on BF. :)
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Thank you for the info! I've seen those wire knives before but didn't know the origin. There's an amazing wealth of knowledge and experience among the members here, that's for sure.

& To be clear, by no means am I arguing that this thread should be anything other than what the original author intended: a tribute to the standard jack knife with it's single pivot and two blades of different sizes. Sorry if I've nudged the thread too far off topic. :o
 
I have to bow to those with the knife knowledge. With that, I'm pretty sure these represent my truest "jack knives".

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Sorry to tell you this Alan but the yellow one is an imposter and should be sold immediately... to me!!! :)
Beautiful bunch of Jacks you have there Sir!!!
 
I second this, Its a peanut but a tad bigger.
jec88 said:
This model of Case Jackknife might not get much fanfare, but Next to a yellow Case trapper and a Buck 110, this has to be right up there with one of the more popular knives carried, at least here where I live. The 22087 almost deserves a thread of its own. I really like it, nice knife and the right size.
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I had a feeling James. If it was stag, I'd keep it. Another addendum to the will, lol.
 
You know the saying, "you can't take it with you". BTW, it'll be in my LFP.
 
One of my favorites, an old 70s Queen Serpentine Jack in faux(delrin) Winterbottom bone covers.

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AlwaysTomboy said:
Ooo, I know this! I was trying to explain different traditional knife patterns to a curious friend and ended up referring to Levine's Guide when he asked what the origin was of the term "jack knife". I didn't know the answer, but Levine's guide posits several theories. Page 173 of the 4th edition is where jack knife is defined. I don't know if I can post a scan of the entire page, but, in short, a big knife with a big blade on each end is a double end jack and a small knife with little blades on each end is a pen knife. A big knife with a single blade is still a jack knife, but a little knife with a single small blade is a quill knife. The single pivot with one big blade and one small blade is just a regular ol' jack knife.

*waits to see if I'm wrong and have to stay after school to study more* :p
Click to expand...

I appreciate your knowledge and that you're able to quote your references. So basically a "Jack Knife" is truly a fluid definition. It also means that this combination of one big blade and one little blade on the same end has no "real" name of it's own (like the trapper, teardrop, barlow, etc).

I make a motion that the members of Blade Forums vote on a new name for this pattern. Something cool like "Assembly" or "Banquet" or "The Double Ender" or the "One and a halfer" and then force all the pocketknife companies to start calling it that.



On to another subject, do you guys like both nailnicks on the same side or one on each side? I'm still undecided on this.
 
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