Stag DDR-1 project

SharpByCoop

SharpByCoop

Enjoying the discussions
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 8, 2001
Messages
12,336
Well I've been busy these last few days. I got another one of these great knife kits from www.KnifeKits.com, and it has been consuming my time. The problem with knifemaking (...and life for that matter! ;)) is once you set a standard for yourself, it's *hard* to do anything less.

I wanted to try a bigger knife, and also wanted to do something in stag with all those slabs Darrell Ralph has for sale. So I bought a set, and BOY did it take some work to trim them down to fit. But trim I did with the help of a belt sander. They taper nicely outward at the end of the handle. I also cut a piece of Rosewood for a back spacer.

Going further, I wanted to really dress this up a bit. So I did my 'Lightning Bolt' filework on the whole blade, as well as some careful pattern work on the liners. (This was the hardest part of this whole project.) Actually, I didn't use a file at all, but used rotary stones for all of the work. Measured and scribed marks with machinist's dye and went at it!

Since the bolsters come pre-drilled for the clip, I needed to use it. So I styled it, keeping with my liner filework pattern. I gave the blade, bolsters, clip, and liners the hand-rubbed finish, and thinned and modified the thumbstud for a better grip. Lastly, I carved out a small cutaway for the liner access to close it.

The action on this knife is unbelievable! The blade swings open effortlessly, clacks tight, and closes dead center with only .010" liner clearance on each side. The mechanicals couldn't get any better for any price.

I'm sure proud of this one! It took a lot of work, and even more forethought, but it was well worth it! Hope it inspires you too!

Coop

orig.jpg
 
I am impressed.
I may have to take the plunge :)
Great job!
Ebbtide
 
Beautiful + perfect !
What else could i say ?

OK, - i try it: wanna trade ?
You want my car or my house?

:cool: :D
 
The problem with simplicity is that it looks simple.
Click to expand...
Yeah! I saw all these pics of people building the ddr kits and thought to myself, hey, that doesn't look too hard. You could probably do something like that. Only to find out that I can barely hold a piece of sandpaper steady!

Coop's is some of the best!
 
That looks great! I am very,very impressed. I might have to get you to build me one. ;)

As stated above it looks like you are ready to build one from scratch.
 
Coop,
That is without question some of the cleanest filework I've seen. How many years did you say you've been at this?
 
Outstanding job Coop! and those are some extremely crisp photos.
You should do more.... and send me one:)
Mark
 
Thank you guys for all your great comments!! I'm flattered.

It's an honest question and one that is asked often.

I have the wisdom to know that I don't yet have the skills OR the tools to grind a blade and make all the minute precise measurements to make a folder work as nicely as this. There is FAR more involved in the engineering of a folder than *just* the skills to shape and carve it.

Some makers do it all, including forging their blades. Some grind existing stock, and create the rest. And some.... :D This is just for fun for me, and I would lose my shirt to try to make them and offer these for a profit. I have spent nearly 20 hours just finishing this. Can you believe it? But..... like Ed Fowler said in another thread, there are untold amounts of small decisions and choices that were uniquely made for this piece, regardless of the base parts. Just because I didn't grind the blade or create the mechanisms doesn't minimize the creative aspect of this. THAT was probably the biggest hurdle.

MtMike and Nybble nailed it: It only LOOKS simple! I am very lucky to have a belt sander, drill press, and lots of rotary tools and experience. Tools and equipment make all the difference. Each step was a process of sitting there and staring at it to figure out what I wanted, then how I could achieve it. Even still I practiced on some scraps and found my designs were largely product of the tools I had available. For instance that design filework on the liners was all that my stones would allow. And once I tried, I found it was much more accurate to hold the shaft tool in the vice and work the liners against the stone, instead of the reverse. These are the things that you may learn too.

My point? Take the plunge yourself. You'll learn three invaluable things:
1. Customizing a knife is not *so* far removed from a making a Custom/Handmade knife.
2. It's not easy ;)
3. How much more you can appreciate another *real* maker's work!

In the end, it's all for fun!! You guys are the BEST!

See ya,

Coop
 
What I can't figure out is, how are Darrel and Alex making a profit on these kits? :confused:
 
OK Coop,

That's IT, no more KITS for you!! We wanna see FROM SCRATCH on the next one!!!!! :p And by the way, I'm sending a certain Mid Ninja Blank to you for filework ;)

Neil
 
Just gorgeous filework Coop.., really impressive job! Thanks for sharing the pictures...


"Hunters seek what they [WANT].., Seekers hunt what they [NEED]"
 
Coop, you keep blowing me away with each one! Great looking work. Congratulations.
 
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