need some design input from y'all khukuri-nuts...

[Daniel Koster]

Ever since seeing The Hunted, and examining the Tracker knife....I've been kicking around the idea of making an "improved" version.


The Tracker knives I've held seem to suffer from a few problems that I'd like to solve. Such as: poor balance, bad sawback design (except for Beck's), being unnecessarily overbuilt, strange handle (no pinky "hook", etc.), too straight to be a good chopper, and so on...

Probably the biggest complaint against the Tracker, though, stabs at the very idea behind it = "one-knife-to-rule-them-all"....something most knife enthusiasts would agree does not exist. I am not attempting to solve this problem. I just want to improve on one solution that seems to come close.

So, all disclaimers aside....have a look at some of these drawings. Yes, this is going to be a lengthy post. And I am seriously in need of some input from khukuri-users...people who actually get out there and use their khuks.

To be a Tracker clone, the knife needs the following:

Integral guard
Sawback
Place to baton on the spine
Be able to gut/skin
Drawknife

Should also include a companion knife and a good leather sheath.

Essentially, a multi-purpose camp knife.




So, a few years back, I hit the drawing board and started playing around with designs and came up with these:

Overall length is around 14.5-15"

Wasn't really happy with the hidden tang options and decided to go full tang.

So, I moved on to these:

1a has less belly
1b has some recurve
1c is less "pointy"



Still not happy, so I took the length down to 13.5" and moved on to more iterations.

2a took out the recurve and dropped the foremost "guard"
2b took out the gut-hook (just doesn't seem practical)
2c took off sawback (got tired of it)

Up to this point, 2c is my favorite. But by now, it has transformed itself into a regular khukuri, and less of a tracker. I will probably make one anyway, just because I like it so much. But, I'm set on designing a good tracker knife.


Probably a good time to mention that with each "version" I am making a cardboard cutout to test the design.

So much cardboard later....I come up with these:

3a has more of a straight spine (to the tip)
3b now has a clip point
3c brings back the sawback
3d straightens out the drawknife area


Which brings me to the latest designs:

4a goes back to a drop tip and a straight recurve, but keeps the flat draw knife area

4b adds a false unsharpened edge


So, what do you think? I could really use some input. So far, 4b is my favorite...but really only because it's the last iteration so far.

 

[Daniel Koster]

You might have guessed, but I'm kinda fixed on the handle shape. Feels great to me...so I'm going to stick with it.

Also, the length needs to be managable and similar to the Tracker knife (which is 12.5"). I want to keep it 13-14".


Also, here are some other dimensions to consider:

Starting clockwise from the topleft:

the 3.5" is room for use as a drawknife
the 2" is for batoning
the 5.5" is the length of the handle
the 2.5" is an average width from the center of the index finger, to the center of the pinky finger
the 1.5" is the width for the drawknife
the 3.25" is the usable recurve (maximized)


The reason I placed the sawback in the middle instead of toward the tip (like almost every other tracker) is that I think the knife should be able to be used as a draw knife.

(yes...those "ellipses" are actual measurements of my fingers, etc...and yes, I'm anal-retentive about details sometimes....)

I set it up so that the drawknife area is exactly the center of where you would hold the knife.

The sawback would be like Beck's...which is like the SAK saw (self cleaning). It's use would mostly be for making notches (for lashing, etc.)

And I want the tip to be able to gut/skin without touching the sawback.



Hopefully, you guys can help me figure this out...

 

[Daniel Koster]

What would you do different?

What do you like?

What would you change?



I want to keep it "khukuri-inspired"...

 

[munk]

Like the Pen, you've placed material forward on the blade. It is not dissimilar to a khuk- trace the outer angle and you have a less pronounced Ganga Ram. I kinda like it, Dan. The finger grip thingie bothers me, though. In practise, these never seem to deliver the comfort or stability desired, and sometimes get in the way. I don't know that has happened here- I'm merely thinking aloud. if there were ample room for an average to large hand behind the finger groove/handle guard, and the forward grip with finger overlapped truly an option well; that would be good, wouldn't it?



munk

 

[Kevin the grey]

The only thing I can say that to field dress an animal a deep belly is desireable . That looks great . I would like the handle " (Swept back " ? ) a touch more or you partially negate the use of the belly .

 

[Daniel Koster]

pics for munk

 

[Krull]

A gut hook and a saw on the blade?? Dan....why not put the gut hook on the pommel?

 

[Big Bob]

It looks good, Daniel. :thumbup: You've obviously put a lot of thought and effort into it. I can't really offer any suggestions so encouragement will have to do.

Bob

 

[DannyinJapan]

To my knowledge, there was no "gut hook" on the Tracker. That round-recurve section on the lower part of the Tracker blade is a rounder, not just a draw knife. It had specific uses, especially for working wood, like making bows and spears and fire-making tools, etc...
Lets see 4B with the rounder put back on...

 

[Daniel Koster]

Pic from DannyInJapan:

(kind of a mixture of 2a and 4b)

 

[Howard Wallace]

Up to this point, 2c is my favorite. But by now, it has transformed itself into a regular khukuri, and less of a tracker. I will probably make one anyway, just because I like it so much. But, I'm set on designing a good tracker knife.

I've handled both the Beck and the Tops versions. I came to the conclusion I like a good khukuri better.

I understand that you have given yourself a design challenge to tackle the tracker design. If you're going to include a companion knife why not include a companion saw and quit trying to put one on the spine?

 

[Daniel Koster]

I've handled both the Beck and the Tops versions. I came to the conclusion I like a good khukuri better.

(I agree...)


I've gone back and forth with the sawback idea quite a few times... And, ultimately, if it doesn't work, I'll remove it. But I want to fully explore the idea first to be 100% sure there's no solution there, before I take it off.

Again, the sawback is for notching, not delimbing (for which a folding saw would be much better - I agree).

I have (at least) managed to come up with a sheath solution to the sawback...

 

[Yvsa]

What would you do different?

What do you like?

What would you change?



I want to keep it "khukuri-inspired"...

Dan, try combining 2a and 4a and see what you come up with.
If they are too similar to combine I'm leaning toward 2a as I like the obtuse edge at the back.
I don't much care for the recurve on this particular design.

 

[Daniel Koster]

thanks for the suggestion, Yvsa.


which reminds me....For those who like the "hook look"...tell me what you like about it and what you would use it for.

For me...I worry that it would get in the way of using it as a drawknife (which I hope will be a big plus with the final design).

 

[Dave Rishar]

If it's meant to work well with a baton, I don't think that a false edge is a good idea. It'll tear up the baton.

I like 3D. Weight's forward, belly's substantial without being too much, and there's a little bit of straight edge for those times when I'm scratching my head, saying, "Damn, I wish this thing had a straight edge." (YMMV.)

As for the guthooks, I'm not fond of them.

 

[Daniel Koster]

I was thinking of batoning taking place in the middle (between the sawback and the handle). But yes, if you baton on a false edge...might cause problems (or on a sawback for that matter).


I know what you mean about the straight edge...every once in a while I pull out my BM Skirmish and wish for a thin-straight-bladed knife just to get me through this apple I'm demolishing....

 

[bullfrog99]

I prefer your first conceptual drawing with the full tang and no number, but with some changes. I'm not sure how to post pics, but this is my concept. A hole is bored throught the blade for the forefinger, and the thumb rests on the top of the blade with the other fingers just resting against the back. Obviously this isn't an optimum grip, but it may be functional. Only cardboard could tell. The reduced weight would reduce its effectiveness as a chopper, but would give you a lashing point if you needed to make it into a spear / pole axe

kuraa pokha, manmaa naraakha
Jeremiah.

 

[not2sharp]

Bill Siegle and I exchanged a few sketches just before the movie was released; and these are two of the modifications that we came up with.

1)

No sawback, but added a sharpen clip point, a thumb rest, and a raised hammering point (flat area behind sharpened clip). The knife is simple compact and solid, with none of the goofy stress risers of the original Tracker knife.

2

Anther variant; similar to the one above but with the guthook.

Notice that one of our design objectives was to make the handle functional in either direction. So you could just as comfortably hold and use the knife with the edge up or down.

n2s

 

[DannyinJapan]

round·er (roundr) n.

1. a tool for rounding corners and edges.

The original knife also had a wire breaker. The Tracker knife was mainly for working wood and butchering game.

 

[BrentH]

Local variant, sorry about pic 1am here.
Decided saw tooth not used enough to bother with.

Steel quality premium requirement.

Bone whacker no probs..:thumbup:



Call this a Kiwi no frills version. Really hankered for a tracker. Read negative feed back. Mostly due to
unnecessary bits & pieces. What is necessary??? A good blade.