Knife Patterns

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PLEASE DON'T POST REPLIES YET!!
We are setting up a simple reference for pocketknife handle patterns. It is a refinement of the Knife Terminology thread, and we are hoping it will be easier to access, sort of like a non-alphabetic dictionary. Some of the pictures will be repeats, and many will be new. Please read and enjoy it as it unfolds over the next couple of weeks, but don't post anything yet, so the references will all be at the start of the thread. Thanks for your cooperation. This is designed for the newer members joining here all the time, but hopefully can be enjoyed by all. I will start a thread for comments to run along with this one, and hopefully discussion, suggestions, and corrections can be talked about there. I am learning too, so always appreciate constructive criticism.

KNIFE PATTERNS
Simply put, a folding knife Pattern refers to the shape or outline of the handle or liner dies. From a simple Jack to a fancy Eureka Jack, with its convoluted shape, there are many patterns in this sense of the word.
From a manufacturer's point of view, the definition may be more complicated, the pattern changing with each detail, such as the handle material, or the blade(s). We will stick with the simpler definition for now, but take note of some of the other differences. We will start with, arguably, the plainest, and most common pattern, the Jack, and continue from there.

The Jack Knife
The Jack Knife is a simple stongly built knife, with a pivot at one end, and with one, two, or rarely, three blades. There are several variations; the Regular Jack; Swell End, Teardrop, Equal End, Swell Center, Curved, Swayback, and Gunstock Jacks, and others we will discover as we go along. There are also Double End Jacks, with a blade in each end.
The Regular Jack
We'll start with the Regular Jack. With one or two blades, pivoting at one end, and of a generally robust construction like all Jacks, it is one of the simplest folders to make. They were the most economical folder you could buy, and could provide years of service.
They are characterized by straight handle sides, which are easier to finish, a slight widening, or taper for a better grip, and a somewhat squared off bolstered or bolsterless, pivot end. Here are some Regular Jacks

They could be made with a minimal number of parts. Starting at the left, notice one blade, and no bolsters. A reinforced rivet at the blade pivot helped to maintain tightness. A knife with no bolsters was also called a "shadow" pattern.
The second knife is probably the most common configuration of Regular Jack.
Wood handles, a strengthening bolster, and a lone spear blade. Apparently, in the trade around 100 years ago this simple knife was referred to, by some, as a "stabber jack"; some indication of one of the many uses of a pocket knife, this term has also been applied to Swell Center Jacks with a very heavy Saber-ground blade!
Pay a few cents more, and you moved upscale with nice jigged bone (often called bone stag) on the handles like the next knife. Options abounded, as you could get a two blade knife, celluloid handles, cap bolsters to protect your fancy handles from chipping. Fancy bolsters gave you bragging rights, like the "rat-tail" bolsters on the second last knife, named after the round rat-tail file used to make them. And finally genuine stag, carefully selected, would make a knife that only got better with age, as the beautiful material has a tendency to mellow nicely with handling.
As you can see, a Regular Jack can accommodate a variety of blades, the most common being a spear shape, followed by a clip, and a sheepfoot. The secondary blades were almost always pen blades, to keep your quill pen sharp, but the celluloid knife here has a punch as a secondary, more rarely seen than a pen.

 

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Swell End or Teardrop
The names seem to be interchangeable for the same handle pattern. They differ from the regular jack by having a somewhat curvy profile, like a light bulb, or a teardrop. Many will have a pointed cap (bolster) at the bottom, and some will have a rounded bolster at the pivot end.
This style is harder to finish or "haft" smoothly, and so is more often seen on older knives, as cutleries dropped them to save production costs.

This pattern is most often seen with a spear master blade, quite wide on some, like the middle knife. And the Teardrop is often the basis of an Easy Opener - next!

 

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Easy Openers
These are variations of Regular and other Jacks. The idea is, a cutout allows access to the blade, without having to use the nail nick. In fact some Easy Openers (EOs) don't have nail nicks!

Here we have three Teardrops, a regular jack, and a large Barlow.
Notice the wide spear blade on the second knife, along with the pointy cap bolster. This cap is often referred to as a "Candle-end" bolster.
Also, the Barlow has no nail nick, so you must "pinch" the blade to open it.
Speaking of the Barlow, when there are fine lines cut in the bolster to decorate it, the bolster is called "Threaded" as opposed to the previously seen "Rat-tail", which has a wide groove.

 

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Sleeveboard Jacks
Another variation on the Jack, is the Sleeveboard. The Sleeveboard has a straight-sided tapered shape, with rounded ends. Many Pen knives, which will appear later, use this shape, as well as Jacks and Whittlers. Blades can pivot from either end of a Sleeveboard, the large end, or the small end.

Looking almost like a regular or teardrop jack, the difference is the straighter sides, and rounded bolsters as each end.
That little cap on the bottom of the third knife is called a "Tip" bolster. It is smaller than a cap, and the end pin does not go through it. There is some argument for calling that tip-bolstered knife in this example a Swell End, as opposed to a sleeveboard, because the sides do curve a bit. However, the Bolster and Cap are rounded like a sleeveboard.
Many knives seem to cross the line between two patterns. And over the years, the commonly used names for patterns have changed. When you try to organize the knowledge, like we are doing here, it's like trying to build a tower out of Jello!

 

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Equal End Jacks

The equal end jack utilizes a symmetrical handle pattern, most often with rounded bolsters. Spear blades predominate as the master blade, but others are seen.

Here are two Schrades in different sizes. They have the expected blades, and are nicely fitted with a style of Jigged Bone called "Peachseed", full bolsters, and Nickel-silver shields.
Here is a sturdy example, with a full width clip blade. Notice all these knives have long nail pulls, easier to access and use.

And two more, a fancy one with threaded bolsters and jigged bone handles, and a more plain one with celluloid and no shield. This cream-colored celluloid, made with subtle lines in it is often called "french ivory".

Two more, just to show they come with regular nail nicks also.

 

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Gunstock
The Gunstock Jack resembles a rifle stock. The recess or cutout that makes the shape, in this case, allows the blades to sit lower. The pen blade can sit lower, and consequently, so can the main blade behind it, with the nail nicks both accessible from the mark side. This allows a slimmer, more compact knife, yet still allows a substantial handle to grip.
The mark side is the "front" of the knife, where you usually find the shield, and the tang stamp.

This knife is 3" long. Measurement of a pocketknife is the closed measurement.

Swell Center and Sowbelly
The names strongly imply the shapes here. The swell center is 3 1/2" long and the sowbelly is 3 7/8".