O1 steel knife templates

Hughesknives

Hughesknives

Joined
Dec 4, 2014
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Hello fellow blade enthusiasts, I have been a lurker the past few years on this site and have always learned such amazing tips about heat treatment of various steels, tool modification and other fine bits of information, so I thank you kindly for your vast knowledge. In the past I have just dipped my toes in the water when it came to knife making, however in the past few months I have become quite serious about the hobby. I guess you can the bug bit me hard! I need some solid advice on a tricky matter... Which design do you like best?? I would appreciate any feedback wether it's positive, negative or nasty (I can take it just hit me!) I'm trying to make a knife which apeals to the user who wants a knife that can "do it all". While I realise that this is impossible to confine to just one knife I want a design that will be able to tackle anything you throw at it pretty well while still being esthetically pleasing and tough as nails. Thanks for your time and I hope to make a great first impact with this post and sturr up some good conversation about blade grinds (hollow vs Convex vs flat) and knife blade/ handle design. (I'm praying to the forum gods that that photo link works, I looked up how on this forum and hopefully I did it correctly)
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Let's move this to a more appropriate venue.
Shoptalk is a better place to discuss all the "how to, how do I, when would you" type questions.
 
The first is not a good design. handle is wonky, and blade is too angular, wide, and "stiff".
The second is better, but a tad too curved. Straighten it out about to have half as much curve and it should be great. I would use all the same size and type of rivet. If you have a featured rivet ( mosaic, bullet shell, etc.), place it in the center.
 
Thank you for the input Stacy, I was liking the second one better myself as well. I was what would you recommend as a good pin size? I was planning on using 1/4 inch as the large pin in the center, would that be too large for all three pins?
 
I also like your second knife better with a more gradual curve on the spine.

As for pin size, I guess it would depend on the handle material you are using. If you have a nice piece of Burl or highly figured wood I would go with smaller pins. 1/8" is a pretty common size. The smaller pins will not.take away the focus from a nice handle. If you are using a manmade handle material (micarta or.G10) then I personally like slightly larger pins or screws. Has a more industrial feel that way.
 
I'm going to make 2 of these knives and give them to some of my good friends who are really into knives that way they can give me some honest hard use feedback after a few weeks, as for the handle one will be made of a bocote wood and the other is going to be Osage wood. So I'll go with the smaller pins, thanks for the advice (I'll change up the designs a bit to add less of a dramatic curve)
 
1/4 center and 1/8 or 3/16 end rivets.

A mosaic rivet in the center is a nice embellishment.
 
I second everything Stacy said. That will make a very handy, comfortable knife that's also pleasing to the eye. :thumbup:

I also think you're on the right track with blade thickness and width, and grind height... that will allow very good cutting performance :)
 
Thanks James I hadnt even given too much consideration to the grind height other than referencing other blade shapes and grinds from my favorite knives. Stacy seems to be very knowledgeable as well as yourself so I'll make sure to follow that advise and post a photo of the finished result. I'm going to have 10 blanks laser cut by a friend who can do it for just the cost of steel for me. At the moment I'm making a model out of mild steel just to get a feel of the knife in hand.
 
Stacy definitely knows what he's talking about ;)

Sounds like you have a good plan, and you have a good design. Take your time and enjoy the process!

The only thing I can really add is, you will need someone with experience to help you heat-treat the blades. O1 is a great steel, but it won't live up to its full potential with half-vast HT.
 
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I would skip the 01, good steel, but rusts just looking at it, I went to A2, same steel with some chrome to help with rust. Or just 1084, its real disappointing to come out in the morning and see dew has rusted away all your sanding, just make sure to keep them wet with WD40.

I like the 2nd one, Two pins.
 
I have a few knives in o1 steel and find its one of my favorite, Im making a leather sheath to accompany each of the knives and the inside of the leather will have a thin coat of oil to protect the knife. (It will add more oil each time it's taken out of the sheath) Patrick, I contemplated the 2 pin design however I wanted to add three for slightly more strength and I prefer the look esthetically but I agree on some knives 2 pins looks fantastic. Could someone recommend a heat treat service? I heard that Paul Bos does a great job but only with air hardening steels. Any recommendations? Thanks for all the imput so far
 
Peters' HT does an excellent job on oil-hardening steels, as well as tool steel and stainless. I've employed their services for years, and recommend them without reservation.
 
Then I guess Peter is my man, just looked him up, looks great, good price and puts out high quality (exactly what I need)
 
Call ahead and ask to speak with Brad Stallsmith in the Cutlery Division if you have any questions. He can advise you about pretty much everything that has anything to do with HT'ing knife blades. :thumbup:
 
Wow thanks I'll be sure to do that! In the future I have a plan to do a run of about 30 knives various different levels of materials from domestic to exotic to synthetic and a few different blade steels. So ill be sure to call in regards to that
 
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