One Sided Bowie ("chisel forged/grind")

RMLamey

RMLamey

Joined
Nov 13, 1998
Messages
2,598
Here is one I just finished for a customer. Forged with bevel only on 1 side, ground only on one side. Fun to forge, fun to grind, I really like making them this way. Its kinda like getting 2 knives to look at for the price of 1! Maybe I should double the price... :)

Any how, blade is 10" x about 2.25", overall with Exposed Tang is 16". Forged from 1095 1/4" stock, black micarta, keep it simple.

big_bowie_004.sized.jpg

big_bowie_012.sized.jpg
 
Cool knife. Having seen your pricing, if you were to double it the price would probably still be pretty darn good.
 
Though I'm not generally a fan of chisel grinds on this type of knife, I gotta say I really love the sweep of the contours and lines on this piece. The shape of the blade and handle seem spot on. I might also prefer the handle material to go all the way to the end of the steel at least on top and bottom, as the tang can get uncomfortable when gripping further back, but still not bad. Could you describe a bit about its dynamic balance? Where are the rotational centers?
 
thanks guys! they are fun to make, for me anyhow. A bit trickier to forge/heat treat but less grinding and Im all about that!

The handle is 6" so you can choke way back without worry, your hand doesnt ride on the bottom of the exposed tang. The micarta holds your pinky in a secure location.

Balance is about 3/4" ahead of the handle, as I wanted a big heavy knife. There is virtually no distill taper, the tang is full thickness out to the clip, as you can see in the pics.

Ive made 1/2 dozen or so like this, and will eventually be making most of my knives in this construction method (albeit some will be fancier).
 
Matt I saw your website, and your knives are totally cool...You have no idea how bad I want this knife...lol. Stupid skinny wallet....lol:p
 
Matt,

Rocks! As usual. Can you give us a quick rundown on how these cut versus a more traditional grind? I know Jimmy Fikes' knives cut great, but others seem to have trouble getting performance out of a chisel grind.

Thanks,

John
 
John, I really dont see a difference as far as performance goes (all things being otherwise equal).

I like to make them as they are more fun to forge, and there is much less critical grinding. I can focus more on forging and heat treat, and less on grinding.... Thats the + for me. I also have come to really like the way they look. You have 2 drastic looks in 1 knife, just flip it over to the other side and there are new things to look at.

I have a few traditional blades to finish up, after that most I will be making will be forged 1 sided, be it hunters, utility, tantos, Bowies etc...
 
RMLamey said:
Balance is about 3/4" ahead of the handle, as I wanted a big heavy knife. There is virtually no distill taper, the tang is full thickness out to the clip, as you can see in the pics.
Click to expand...

For the record, I wasn't really asking about the balance point, as that doesn't tell us much. As far tang weight goes, well, a knife doesn't actually have to be heavy to act like it in use. It all depends on where you put that mass. That's what I was getting at asking about the rotational centers. Still looks like a nice knife, though.
 
Possum, not really clear or well versed on rotational centers, but the sweet spot is broad, about 3/4 of the way out.

If your ever down this way, drop by with a knife and we can do some cutting.
Always nice to have a reason to cut something:D
 
I'm always eager to discuss this subject if you'd like to hear more.

If your ever down this way, drop by with a knife and we can do some cutting.
Always nice to have a reason to cut something
Click to expand...

Yeah, thanks for the invite. Don't think I've ever been that far down, but ya never know. The other day I was fighting my way through some brush, and the khukri on my hip said, "Hey, boss... Let me chop it down!" Well alrighty then. Good enough excuse for me! :D
 
Keith Montgomery said:
Cool knife. Having seen your pricing, if you were to double it the price would probably still be pretty darn good.
Click to expand...

Yer absolutely correct, Keith. Judging from his pricing, I think what Matt does is charge the tax on the sale of a knife, but forgets to charge for the knife. Anyone would be hard pressed to find a better value in a knife... or a better knife for any price, for that matter... than one from Matt. We've tested enough of 'em out in the woods behind my shop, and I *know* how fine his blades are. Not to let the cat out of the bag, but I also know that Matt destroys blades that way out perform knives from other makers that I've tested. Reason? According to Matt, "The *&$$##*@@%$# thing wasn't good enough." Yeah. Right. Not good enough. ROFLMAO:p

Keep up the good work, Baldy.:thumbup:

Old crazy Jimmy
 
Sweet lookin' blade,love the look,rustic with that awesome hamon.:thumbup:
Great to hear from you as well,old crazy Jimmy! :eek: :p :D

Doug
 
Good to see Jimmy on this one!!!

Matt/Jimmy, What do you flatten the backside with? (I have a 2x72 and a 9" disc, but no 4x36 or anything.)

Thanks,

John
 
Well the back side stays flat when you forge. You only do a little bit of clean up depending on how much scale youve pounded into the edge :D

On this particular knife i think i used Jimmys big 6" wide belt sander to flatten the back side. On some ive used my 12" disc sander, on others my 2x72. Basically your just doing a bit of clean up on the flat side, so any good flat grinder will work. A bit tricky on theg 2x72, the 12" disc and 6" wide are much easier to flatten on.

To me, thats the real beuty of making blades in this manner, very little grinding. Total grinding time on this big Bowie was under 20 minutes. They can be a bit odd to forge, and they definitely add some different obstacles in heat treating but overall this is the way I really prefer this method.
 
Thanks, Matt.

Yeah, I can see where one of those big, wide, flat woodworking sanders would be great for blades like this. I'll have to make do with my disc. Either way, you definitely have me wanting to make one of these things.

John
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top