Needing help

[Nate’s Knives]

So…as some of you know after reading my intro thread and looking at my pics, I’m slowly but surely getting there but have a long ways in my knife making journey. That being said, I have been able to draw things rather well before this endeavor and it has helped alot. My cousin has asked me to make a version of knife like this that has a thru tang, deer antler, and I will be integrating his dearly departed uncle’s Masonic pin into the handle, recessing it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The steel will be O1 tool steel as it has been rather forgiving to me and cleans up nicely. What thickness does it need to be, etc? The blade itself will be roughly around 5-5.5” long and he said will be worn on his belt every day. I would like to make the guard an aged brass finish along with the nut on the pommel. Will probably use cow horn near the guard seeing as he is from Texas…maybe he can give me a sliver of a piece of a longhorn nearby.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Not sure what the question is? If the thickness was the question ... .125" is good.

 

[Nate’s Knives]

Not sure what the question is? If the thickness was the question ... .125" is good.

This is what I was asking.

 

[Nate’s Knives]

One guy I asked said 1/4, another said 3/16, another said 5/32.

 

[lukusamongus]

With a 5" blade and a full grind bevel like that, I would use 3/16" steel.

 

[Nate’s Knives]

With a 5" blade and a full grind bevel like that, I would use 3/16" steel.

I was kinda leaning that way. 1/4 is way too thick and anything under 3/16 would seem like it’s not meaty enough.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

.185" stock would certainly work, After grinding bevels and doing a distal taper to .060 measured 1" from the tip, the final thickness should end up around .15" at the ricasso.

I always tell folks to look up a commercial knife that they like and find the blade thickness. An even better idea is to take a micrometer and measure a few you and friends have.
With modern steels and HT a thick and heavy knife is not needed except for survival or combat gear.

I have make most knives with .060 to .125" stock. The only blade that ever broke as far as I know was a .040" fillet knife used to pry open a stuck drawer ( I replaced it for free).

For reference:
The Puma White Hunter is a big and rugged knife with a spine thickness of .15".
A buck 110 is .120" .
A big fullered Buck 119 is only .175"
One of the thickest hunting knives is a Loveless Drop point. He used .250" steel and ground it to around .200" at the bolster and tapered to a tip of .060".