Please rate my knife

K

Kevin Granlid

Joined
Nov 7, 2021
Messages
9
Hi can you guys please rate my first ever homemade knife. I made it all with hand tools in my small appartment kitchen. PS. I know the blade is a little scratched and im going to polish it up again.
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on a scale of 1 to 10?
 
For a first attempt with hand tools only, I would say very good! I would just make a couple comments if you wish to apply them on the next knife :-) . In terms of visual appeal, I would say there are too many straight segments, kind of abruptly ending in short curved segments, on both the edge and spine of the blade. In particular, on the edge, there is a long straight segment towards the handl side of the blade that visually could look more elegant, and will be really hard to maintain as you sharpen in without creating a concave segment of the edge. I would try for more of a continuous curve from back of the blade to the tip, and eliminate that sudden curved segment about 3/4 of the way to the tip.

Likewise on the spine. There is a flat spot where the handle begins, transitioning through a curve about half way to the tip, then flat from that curved spot all the way to the tip. Again, shoot for an elegant ("eye pleasing") continuous curve starting much closer to the handle, curving continuously all the way to the tip....

What sanding finish did you take the scales to? If you take it to 1000 or 1200 or finer, then put wax on it and buff it, you should get much more of a shine

How thin were you able to get the edge?? I know it is hard with hand work .... but it you are able to get it down below 0.01" before putting the actual edge on it, that would be a good spot to shoot for for now....

Recognizing this is a first knife - good job .... keep it up!
 
Kevin Granlid said:
Yeah if you want but if you could give me pointers on what you like or dislike or what i could improve. I want to learn so i can improve my craft.
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ah, I see.
from a design perspective, what you have going on at the front of the handle is trouble

I think you did surprisingly well with the pins, all other factors considered. If you can get precision there now, you're doing pretty good.
 
Yep, finish the blade and the section of the handle scales nearest the ricasso, then attach the scales. That way you won't risk scratching the blade trying to shape the scales.
Other than that good job. I'm impressed. I've never made one with hand tools.
 
A lot of good stuff in that first make with hand tools. You should be proud. Also a lot of good thoughts shared here. I’ll contribute a couple, and leave space for some others to comment more as well. I like that blade shape and size, and tend to reach for something in that size as my EDC, so I am biased there. I see a lot of new makers (myself included when I started) do some radical things with handle shapes, and find with more experience, handles become more refined and less extreme with features. The choil will be a limiting factor on that knife along with the rest of the handle geometry. One test I do with a knife in that category is try to hold it in a few different grips and see how comfortable it is. Hand it to some other people and watch what they do when they handle it and make note of whether the knife accommodates their grip, or if you see them re-grip to accommodate the ergonomics.
I used to make finger choils on everything because they are pleasing to my eye, but it wasn’t until I evolved away from them that people started really loving my ergonomics. That’s not to say all choils are bad, but I think there needs to be a good reason that’s based on your intended design for the blades use….ie…I design a handle that grips your hand back on a chopper, but not on a bushcrafter.
 
Kevin Granlid said:
I did but i was probably a little careless and scratched it when i shaped the handle.
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You have to finish the front of the handle before mounting it. Is should be sanded and polished to final finish. Also be sure to tape the entire blade while working on the handle.
 
Overall, a great first knife.:thumbsup::thumbsup:
As others said, finish the blade completely before doing the handle.
Put the scales together without the blade after drilling the tang holes then sand and polish the front of the handle. You can't get to that area after the handle is on the blade.
Once the handle is on, tape up the blade to prevent it getting scratched up while shaping the handle.
That pointed tit at the finger choil is way too long and thin. It will likely breakoff in use. Sand it back to half its length and round it into the handle. It should be a smooth bump at the most.

The blade shape is a bit "pointy". It would look and last better if the tip was rounded down a tad more as a drop point instead of that sharp spear point.

Again, great job!
 
Nice work!!! IMO, I’d grind the point off at the bottom of the handle and take the tip of the blade down to make it a drop point. Otherwise, you have a VERY nice first knife.
 
Finish the front of your handle scales, where they meet the ricasso, before glue up. It's near impossible to sand the scales without scratching the blade. Just pin them together and finish as a single block. Bonus: symmetry...
 
One trick that would help is to use either q tips wet with denatured alcohol or take a razor blade and wrap it in folder paper towels soaked in denatured alcohol to clean the excess epoxy from the blade right in front of the scales. That will give it a nicer look. Like others have said, finish the blade 100% before doing the scales and finish off the front of the scales before attaching to the blade.
 
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