-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Survival knife (my favorite) made by Dave Beck
- Thread starter lytefoot
- Start date
Bill Siegle
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2000
- Messages
- 6,790
Only you could pull that pic off Not2sharp 
You're my hero! 
You're my hero! 
not2sharp
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Jun 29, 1999
- Messages
- 20,441
OH! You're a tease, tell us more about it...
The Beck Pathfinder is an excellent camp knife. He has started with the basic bolo profile, shorthen it a bit, then tapered the entire knife to give it a decidedly blade heavy feel. Throw in his nice deep edge and you end up with a real chopper, that is still compact enough to carry a real cutting edge without chipping out.
I am sure that Bill will do Dave's design justice. Just look at what he did with my model 1909 US bolo. (the top one is a 95-year-old knife, the bottom one is Bill's rendition of the knife.)
n2s
The Beck Pathfinder is an excellent camp knife. He has started with the basic bolo profile, shorthen it a bit, then tapered the entire knife to give it a decidedly blade heavy feel. Throw in his nice deep edge and you end up with a real chopper, that is still compact enough to carry a real cutting edge without chipping out.
I am sure that Bill will do Dave's design justice. Just look at what he did with my model 1909 US bolo. (the top one is a 95-year-old knife, the bottom one is Bill's rendition of the knife.)
n2s
RokJok
Gold Member
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2000
- Messages
- 4,169
Steel: 5160, 1/4" thick, differentially hardened, faint hamon can be seen when angled just rightlytefoot said:
OAL: 15-3/8"
Blade: 10" with a 3-3/4" swedge from top of hump to tip
Handle: 5-3/8" brownish green canvas micarta, slight flair makes it solid in hand
Sheath: kydex with Tek-Lok
Weight: over 1 pound, since it pegged my 16 oz kitchen scale
Gossman Knives
Edged Toolmaker
- Joined
- Apr 9, 2004
- Messages
- 9,401
5160 is tough as nails. Edge holding is good but IMHO, the other steels hold an edge a bit better with D2 being much better. 5160 is excellent in the large camp knife/chopper size.
Scott
Scott
Could you get a little more specific with your specs of the Pathfinder Knife. How Long is the Blade? How wide is the Blade at the wide Bolo end? Reason why I am asking is I really want a knife like this! but need more info on the specs. If you could post some more great pics of this knife it would be good!
Mel Deweese ( I don't think I spelled his name correctly) favors a Bolo that is about the size of your Pathfinder. So some real good Survival Guys know that this kind of knife is great in the field. Now I just have to get one.
If Dave Beck is surfing the net, I want you to know that this knife paired with the Companion Knife that you sold with the WSK would make a great 2 Knife combo. That little Drop point would be perfect with the Pathfinder. So if you are ever in need of work Mr. Beck please drop me a line and I will pay you now to start on a set.
Mel Deweese ( I don't think I spelled his name correctly) favors a Bolo that is about the size of your Pathfinder. So some real good Survival Guys know that this kind of knife is great in the field. Now I just have to get one.
If Dave Beck is surfing the net, I want you to know that this knife paired with the Companion Knife that you sold with the WSK would make a great 2 Knife combo. That little Drop point would be perfect with the Pathfinder. So if you are ever in need of work Mr. Beck please drop me a line and I will pay you now to start on a set.
RickJ said:
Exactly the guy and knife I was thinking about RickJ!
Did anyone else see his bolo that was pictured in Tac. Knives some issues back? It said it was made by some Aetas (indigenous peoples here in the Philippines) who served as jungle survival instructors and wilderness guides that shared knowledge with him. It was made from old truck leaf springs.
Generally though, the bolos here are much thinner (about 1/8" to something only slightly thicker), about 8-9" max. blade length, and with lower Rc's for easier sharpening on ordinary flat kitchen stones.
- Joined
- Feb 9, 2004
- Messages
- 1,447
RokJok said:
RokJok,
That is a great looking knife :thumbup:. I dont know one of Bill Siegle's blades, but I have used one breifly, on one of my survival adventures. The knife was owned by Greg Davenport and the knife performed great at everything I threw at it.
Ron
RickJ said:
Nope... didn't forget.
Dimensions on my Dave Beck Pathfinder:
- 1/4" thick O1 steel
- 13" OAL
- 8 3/8" blade from tip to handle - tapered point (thickness) last 3" (which is about the point of maximum thickness of the blade.
- 3" blade width (at its widest point)
- Blade grind starts out at 3/4" nearest the handle and goes to 1 1/4" as it sweeps up to the spine
- 1 1/4" handle width (at the midpoint of the grip)
- 3/4" handle width (pretty much the entire length)
Also, I would prefer a slightly longer handle.Let me know if you need anything else.
Bill Siegle
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2000
- Messages
- 6,790
RickJ I dug around and found the Tac Knives article with Mel's bolo. It's scary how close it is to the Beck design. Not insinuating anything at all by that. It's just amazing how Mel's knife is evidence the design is valid Heck I was at one of Greg Davenport's courses and my handmade chopper matched almost line for line the Philipino Bolo Greg's co-instructor had. His had horn scales and mine was epoxy soaked cord wrap.
Heck I was at one of Greg Davenport's courses and my handmade chopper matched almost line for line the Philipino Bolo Greg's co-instructor had. His had horn scales and mine was epoxy soaked cord wrap.
- Joined
- Feb 28, 2003
- Messages
- 19,847
not2sharp said:You never know what might turn up there....
n2s
super sweet!
apparenty i ran across your page with an extensive google search some time ago, when i was looking for a becker machaxe, and i never was able to find it again - what stood out was the old style sheath that your listed machax had, which i've only seen one other example of, and it a completely different blade style for a machace than i've seen before as well - apparently some kind of oxide coating - black. i've only ever seen the nickel-type coating, the bead blast, the craptastic gray epoxy like coating. the black i speak of was very smooth - almost like blueing, but not, and definitely not like the current camillus stuff. extremely sweet example.
and that beck, holy !@(*$*$ so sweet :>
bladite
