-
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.
The Try Stick
- Thread starter thurin
- Start date
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2014
- Messages
- 1,400
Well this is my tri stick. Had an errant tree growing so I took it down with my Runt. Plan on using the KEB to practice my skills. More updates to come.
cmroberts1
Gold Member
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2014
- Messages
- 669
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2012
- Messages
- 2,921
That's pretty cool - taking it down with the Runt!
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2014
- Messages
- 1,400
Cut into it like butta!
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2014
- Messages
- 1,400
I got a few minutes to myself on this sunny afternoon in the Nati, decided to break in my new buchcrafter and get to work on my tri stick. Please excuse my crappy pics, a camera is on my list but I can't quit buying knives ling enough to get one!
First, I removed all the bark from this little sapling. I thought this would take longer than it did, it took all of 5 minutes. I stropped the 1/8" thick blade to a razors edge before starting and it removed the bark with all the effort it takes to peel a carrot! Unbelievable! Say what you will about thicker knives, but to me 1/8" is where its at and with Andy's heat treat I can imagine it ever failing me under sane conditions. If I ever have to use a knife that hard, a 1/4" blade would probably fail me as well.
Next I thought I would make myself a little rounded end like I would use for a bow drill. I've never made a bow drill but I saw an article Mist did and thought I would try and mimic it. Aside from the sharpness, I noticed with this blade that I can literally hold it in about 8 different positions and it is always comfortable and always gives me precision quality control. It's uncanny, really. It's almost like having 3 knives in one. I spent a lot of time in restaurants as a cook, of course using knives, and while wood working is a little different, I assimilate it to having a chef's knife and a pairing knife all in one. It was a joy. I flattened a little part of my tri stick and drilled a whole for my spindle. The spear tip blade handled this with ease,and the dexterity of the handle allowed me to get in there and really fine tune it to fit.
Then I made a hole in a stick. Easily done.
Feather stick? No problem.
I'll admit this is the most wood working I've done with a FB. It has really made me appreciate them in a whole new light. It is the best knife I've ever worked with, hands down. Andy has really made something special. Thank you Thurin for this exercise, it has opened my eyes to how great Andy's work is and how lucky I am to have the knives I have. Collecting is great but I am so thankful I put some of them to use. They are incredible. If your le hesitant to use your blade, don't be. The sap wiped clean off and the knife still easily shaved my arm. In the words of Andy "get out there and cut stuff!"
First, I removed all the bark from this little sapling. I thought this would take longer than it did, it took all of 5 minutes. I stropped the 1/8" thick blade to a razors edge before starting and it removed the bark with all the effort it takes to peel a carrot! Unbelievable! Say what you will about thicker knives, but to me 1/8" is where its at and with Andy's heat treat I can imagine it ever failing me under sane conditions. If I ever have to use a knife that hard, a 1/4" blade would probably fail me as well.
Next I thought I would make myself a little rounded end like I would use for a bow drill. I've never made a bow drill but I saw an article Mist did and thought I would try and mimic it. Aside from the sharpness, I noticed with this blade that I can literally hold it in about 8 different positions and it is always comfortable and always gives me precision quality control. It's uncanny, really. It's almost like having 3 knives in one. I spent a lot of time in restaurants as a cook, of course using knives, and while wood working is a little different, I assimilate it to having a chef's knife and a pairing knife all in one. It was a joy. I flattened a little part of my tri stick and drilled a whole for my spindle. The spear tip blade handled this with ease,and the dexterity of the handle allowed me to get in there and really fine tune it to fit.
Then I made a hole in a stick. Easily done.
Feather stick? No problem.
I'll admit this is the most wood working I've done with a FB. It has really made me appreciate them in a whole new light. It is the best knife I've ever worked with, hands down. Andy has really made something special. Thank you Thurin for this exercise, it has opened my eyes to how great Andy's work is and how lucky I am to have the knives I have. Collecting is great but I am so thankful I put some of them to use. They are incredible. If your le hesitant to use your blade, don't be. The sap wiped clean off and the knife still easily shaved my arm. In the words of Andy "get out there and cut stuff!"
schmittie
Gold Member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2009
- Messages
- 2,965
Well, thanks to this thread, I'm giving this a go finally. I started last evening before dinner.
There is a nice PDF that can be found with google.
Here are my FBs -
Alrighty then.
Step 1-
Put chicken on the grill.
Step 2-
Slice a wedge of lime.
Step 3-
Insert lime in beer.
(Ya it's light beer. So maybe I gained a few pounds over the worst winter we had in decades. So what?!)
Step 4-
Carve.
(Note, although I started this last night when I was grilling chicken the mrs was so hungry, there was no time for other pics. Today, I ended up switching from seasoned walnut to green mulberry. I probably will get interrupted for later for our patio crab boil.
I've completed
1- Blunt end
2- Reduction
3- Pot hook notch
4- Saddle notch
5- Dovetail notch
Halfway there!!
There is a nice PDF that can be found with google.
Here are my FBs -
Alrighty then.
Step 1-
Put chicken on the grill.
Step 2-
Slice a wedge of lime.
Step 3-
Insert lime in beer.
(Ya it's light beer. So maybe I gained a few pounds over the worst winter we had in decades. So what?!)
Step 4-
Carve.
(Note, although I started this last night when I was grilling chicken the mrs was so hungry, there was no time for other pics. Today, I ended up switching from seasoned walnut to green mulberry. I probably will get interrupted for later for our patio crab boil.
I've completed
1- Blunt end
2- Reduction
3- Pot hook notch
4- Saddle notch
5- Dovetail notch
Halfway there!!
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2014
- Messages
- 1,400
That's awesome man! I love it!
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
- Messages
- 7,743
Anyone know if citrus wood is particularly hard? I have a tree that I cut down a couple of years ago. It's roughly 1.5" in diameter. It was a sucker going off of my orange tree. Had wicked 3-4" thorns growing from it.
I tried making a spear point with my 5/32" Kephart. Gave up after about 10 minutes getting only about half way through. Absolutely the hardest wood I've ever cut into. It had aged in my hot garage for those two years. Crazy hard!
I tried making a spear point with my 5/32" Kephart. Gave up after about 10 minutes getting only about half way through. Absolutely the hardest wood I've ever cut into. It had aged in my hot garage for those two years. Crazy hard!
- Joined
- Jun 13, 2007
- Messages
- 7,743
Gonna have to lay down after that. 
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2012
- Messages
- 2,921
Nice Will. Sometimes you just gotta work with whatcha got and have fun.
Not really a Try Stick, but here's something we were messing around with in between challenges at the meet I was at this week.
Carving a featherstick and then lighting it with a firesteel while holding everything in hand. Restriction of you can't blow on it to ignite any embers, it has to light on its own.
Here's the featherstick:
Notice the notch I carved to keep the firesteel in place:
It shouldn't have taken that long, and it might have been lit enough a few strikes earlier. But I hope you get the idea.
[video=youtube_share;uLHTVgC_tP0]http://youtu.be/uLHTVgC_tP0[/video]
I will not be responsible for anything you catch on fire.
Not really a Try Stick, but here's something we were messing around with in between challenges at the meet I was at this week.
Carving a featherstick and then lighting it with a firesteel while holding everything in hand. Restriction of you can't blow on it to ignite any embers, it has to light on its own.
Here's the featherstick:
Notice the notch I carved to keep the firesteel in place:
It shouldn't have taken that long, and it might have been lit enough a few strikes earlier. But I hope you get the idea.
[video=youtube_share;uLHTVgC_tP0]http://youtu.be/uLHTVgC_tP0[/video]
I will not be responsible for anything you catch on fire.
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2011
- Messages
- 3,006
Very cool.
Need to get a stick and give it a "try"
Need to get a stick and give it a "try"
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2014
- Messages
- 1,639
Here is the current state of my try stick. The spear notch started to crack so I had to wrap it with a little artificial sinew.
I started out using my arete on it, but when I got my new kephart, I had to give it a go. Holy $@*#! This thing chews through wood! This is hand down the sharpest blade I own. Something about the way it was ground? This thing cuts through paper before it even touches it! No seriously, I love this kephart!
This tip was made for the hole through the stick!
Fun stuff!
I started out using my arete on it, but when I got my new kephart, I had to give it a go. Holy $@*#! This thing chews through wood! This is hand down the sharpest blade I own. Something about the way it was ground? This thing cuts through paper before it even touches it! No seriously, I love this kephart!
This tip was made for the hole through the stick!
Fun stuff!