My First Using Mammoth

Thanks for the compliments everyone. Having only completed a few knives, I hesitated to put up my work. I appreciate the feedback.

basher,
I was using a ball peen, perhaps not heavy enough???

Murray,
Yeah, I wanted to do a tapered tang (and I hear that they are easy), but I didn't have time to practice. Also, I've always wondered how you get the holes for the handle perpendicular. I mean you can drill the handle prior to grinding the tang, but then how do you get the holes in the handle material at the proper angle so it seat against the tang properly?

Thanks again,
Nick
 
That knife is so clean looking it's GOTTA be sterile! Nice work! I like the dovetails, nice little touch.
 
Sam,
Sterile...That's hilarious! My uncle (for whom this knife is intended) is a retired doctor.
Thanks for the positive feedback.
Nick
 
Great knife and sheath! I really like it, and don't mind the pin placement myself, but have a suggestion.

Also, I started with pretty short pieces of mammoth and had hoped to use almost the entire length. When I found I couldn't, I had already drilled and heat treated the blade and the scales were too short. I compensated by making longer bolsters to take up the slack. The result of doing this is a front set of pins that is too far forward on the scales.
Click to expand...

My suggestion for this issue in case it happens in the future. Don't use the forward pin holes in the tang at all. The dovetailed bolster will do what the pins would have done, so extra strength from two more pins isn't necessary. You could then have just drilled two holes in each handle slab in the location that you wanted to (back further from the bolster) and then put four decorative pins (two on each side) that would give the knife that perfect balance you were looking for. The pins won't do anything since then stop at the tang, without going through it, but they'll look like they go all the way through.

The handle is still strong and pins are now where you wanted them from a visual standpoint.
 
Scott,
Now THAT'S a great idea. I had thought of leaving off the front two pins all together (I dovetailed the bolsters specifically to keep the mammoth more secure), but didn't think it would look right. It never occurred to me to put in decorative pins. I will keep that in mind.
Thanks,
Nick
 
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