My first three knives, kind of....

Elgin

Elgin

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Oct 3, 2014
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Reposting to the correct forum this time.

Not too long ago I got the bug to try adding scales to blanks, have been doing that for a bit, and recently decided to try my hand at grinding my own (just got a bunch of 1095 from Aldo today).

In the meantime, I've been drawing up different designs, mocking them up using a thin MDF board, and then trashing most of them because even though they looked nice/interesting/cool to me, they didn't feel all that great in the hand. Out of about 40 different ones, I came up with 3 I really liked.

Knowing that I was quite a ways off from grinding my own, I decided to have them made by someone that wouldn't mutilate them, and could get me a finished blank to work with.

Well, I got them last week, and just finished getting the scales added, so I thought I'd share some pics of the stages.

The MDF mockups



My drawings



The blanks



The knives



Hope someone enjoys them. I know I do. Any feedback on the designs is welcomed and appreciated.

Now time to start grinding some pointy knife looking things, and hope I can get at least one OK one out of the steel I bought.
 
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I really like number 3, but they are all nice blades. I like how you made three usable conservative knives. I'm just starting out myself, but have frequented this site a lot. one thing I have observed on first knives is that it isn't lack of ability that limits the quality of the first knife, but the desire to get it done/finished. A good knife can take 20 plus hours to make the first time. My advice, what I try to do myself, is do not move on to the next step until you are totally satisfied with the last even if it takes you 50 hours to get it right.

Good luck


Farmer2
 
Thanks!

Yeah, I really have to remind myself to take my time and not rush it. Part of the thinking behind having the blanks made for me on these three would be that I would feel a small sense of accomplishment, not be overly anxious to get get something made, and take my time on grinding my first. I've chosen a simple design to start with, and will focus on one from start to finish, before starting another.

Good luck to you too!
 
I'm new to this as well and each blade actually takes longer than the previous as I keep adding process steps. I'm at 25 hours or so per at this point.

Numbers 1 and 3 look good, especially number 3. It's nicer than some I've seen by other makers and they've sold tons of them. Number 2 has too much drop in relation to the blade and seems like it would reduce the leverage and power at the edge. Oh and good job on the faces of the scales. Good angles that not only look pleasing but work better than the simple flat faces that I see on some blades. Much harder to do as well, but worth the effort.

Start grinding the blades yourself. Jump in and start learning sooner rather than later. You can take it too slow and extend the learning process without forward progress. Honestly, if you can successfully add a handle and shape it correctly, you can grind a blade. No step is really easier than the others. My handles take up nearly half the total cost in hours and they are fairly simple designs.
 
Thank you for the feedback! Hoping to start grinding my first this weekend!
 
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