Damn! I'm a procrastinator by nature, so I'm a bit leery about having to hold onto it for so long...
I'll get cracking early (hopefully) and have some extra time to play with it and see how it feels in hand.
-
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W&SS knifemaking passaround and giveaway
- Thread starter andrew7978
- Start date
Damn! I'm a procrastinator by nature, so I'm a bit leery about having to hold onto it for so long...
I'll get cracking early (hopefully) and have some extra time to play with it and see how it feels in hand.
- Joined
- Mar 19, 2007
- Messages
- 7,440
PBW,
If it worries you - you can send it to my address in Michigan - I will just have MORE steel to fly home!
TF
If it worries you - you can send it to my address in Michigan - I will just have MORE steel to fly home!
TF
PBW,
If it worries you - you can send it to my address in Michigan - I will just have MORE steel to fly home!
TF
Oh I'm not worried. I'm gonna enjoy this project.
Big Mike -- Did you get my address?
Address received, and the blade was shipped this morning.
Ill e-mail you the tracking number.
As far as sharp, Id say it will be scary sharp,
even without formal sharpening, just after finishing the primary convex grind, it was starting to scare me.
Big Mike
Scaring the tree huggers.
Forest & Stream
I've got it in hand and I must say that Big Mike did a very nice job with the grinding. It's going to make for a really useful knife. Big enough for the tough stuff, but not too big to get detailed.
My thoughts on the scales seem to fall back on a handle that doesn't dictate how the knife needs to be held. I love the contours of my Koster Bushcrafter and I've enjoyed holding the two knives made by Walter Davis, but I think I'm going to be a little bit conservative with the shaping. I really like how my Laconico feels with a gentle taper from the middle toward the ricasso and a gentle taper toward the butt end. It fills my hand and lets me choke up on the blade or hold it further back depending on the task. I'll take it slow (not too slow though) and handle it (pun intended) a lot to see how it feels as I progress in shaping it. Good thing I've got a bunch of new and sharp files to break in. Wish me luck!
My thoughts on the scales seem to fall back on a handle that doesn't dictate how the knife needs to be held. I love the contours of my Koster Bushcrafter and I've enjoyed holding the two knives made by Walter Davis, but I think I'm going to be a little bit conservative with the shaping. I really like how my Laconico feels with a gentle taper from the middle toward the ricasso and a gentle taper toward the butt end. It fills my hand and lets me choke up on the blade or hold it further back depending on the task. I'll take it slow (not too slow though) and handle it (pun intended) a lot to see how it feels as I progress in shaping it. Good thing I've got a bunch of new and sharp files to break in. Wish me luck!
Great PB, glad to hear it arrived safely.
I really look forward to seeing how you handle “Shapes-Up”.
This is a very interesting passaround; I’ve never seen one like it.
I’ve got to give a nod to andrew7978 for coming up with the idea and getting the ball rolling by providing the steel.
Big Mike
”Scaring the tree huggers.”
Forest & Stream
I really look forward to seeing how you handle “Shapes-Up”.
This is a very interesting passaround; I’ve never seen one like it.
I’ve got to give a nod to andrew7978 for coming up with the idea and getting the ball rolling by providing the steel.
Big Mike
”Scaring the tree huggers.”
Forest & Stream
You're hitting it right on the head of what I was thinking when I was designing this. I find that handles that are overly shaped really only fit one way. They may fit real good that way but if you need to hold it another way they can seem uncomfortable.
I saw this knife as a sort of do it all and therefore needed an appropriate blade and handle shape. Can't wait to see the next step completed.
Charlie
I don't want to hijack this thread but I had mentioned earlier on that I thought another good idea would be to get 5 or 6 makers together to do a set of knives. Each person would do the same thing to a matching number of knives and in the end every one involved would get one.
If any of you are interested in this send me a pm. I'll start a separate thread about it and we'll see if we can't get something rolling.
Thanks,
Charlie
If any of you are interested in this send me a pm. I'll start a separate thread about it and we'll see if we can't get something rolling.
Thanks,
Charlie
Well I wasn't procrastinating as I mentioned above. Honest. I've just been busy but I did get some time in the shop to get the handles started. Here's what I did so far:
I picked out some Wenge lumber from my stash, resawed it, jointed it and cut it into oversize blanks. I chose Wenge for a few reasons. It's tough stuff. It's about as heavy and dense as some of the Rosewoods, is very durable and pretty striking looking to me. It's used in high end flooring, turning and musical instruments like guitar and electric bass necks and fingerboards. They should last a lifetime on this knife.
After I got them sufficiently flat I lined them up on the blade and drilled the holes for the brass pins and the brass lanyard tube. My hat's off to the full time knifemakers. It wasn't as easy as I thought to get everything all lined up perfectly and fit together without any gaps. I eventually did though.
Next step was to grind the area near the ricasso becuae once they're glued onto the blade, it'll be a real pain in the rear to clean them up.
Here they are after a bit of shaping.
Finally, here they are pinned to the blade. The outline should give you an idea about how it'll look once finished.
When I get another stretch of time in the shop (hopefully this weekend) I'll get shaping and send it off to Tal for a sheath.
I've also got a bit extra for a matching firesteel handle. I'll get them both out soon.
I picked out some Wenge lumber from my stash, resawed it, jointed it and cut it into oversize blanks. I chose Wenge for a few reasons. It's tough stuff. It's about as heavy and dense as some of the Rosewoods, is very durable and pretty striking looking to me. It's used in high end flooring, turning and musical instruments like guitar and electric bass necks and fingerboards. They should last a lifetime on this knife.
After I got them sufficiently flat I lined them up on the blade and drilled the holes for the brass pins and the brass lanyard tube. My hat's off to the full time knifemakers. It wasn't as easy as I thought to get everything all lined up perfectly and fit together without any gaps. I eventually did though.
Next step was to grind the area near the ricasso becuae once they're glued onto the blade, it'll be a real pain in the rear to clean them up.
Here they are after a bit of shaping.
Finally, here they are pinned to the blade. The outline should give you an idea about how it'll look once finished.
When I get another stretch of time in the shop (hopefully this weekend) I'll get shaping and send it off to Tal for a sheath.
I've also got a bit extra for a matching firesteel handle. I'll get them both out soon.
Looking good BP. :thumbup: :thumbup:
I cant wait to see it after you flesh it out.
I just realized that a list came with the blade when I received it and it has the participant info listed.
Next is Richard J for finish work on the blade, then James Terrio for the Firesteel.
Sorry I missed this, I will mail it to you.
PS I think this knife should be passed around to the participants for review before its given to its final owner.
Big Mike
Scaring the tree huggers.
Forest & Stream
:thumbup:I cant wait to see it after you flesh it out.
I just realized that a list came with the blade when I received it and it has the participant info listed.
Next is Richard J for finish work on the blade, then James Terrio for the Firesteel.
Sorry I missed this, I will mail it to you.
PS I think this knife should be passed around to the participants for review before its given to its final owner.
Big Mike
Scaring the tree huggers.
Forest & Stream
Wow guys. I'm sorry that this has taken so long. I've been taking care of the family while my wife has been away on business, starting up the new school year and taking on a bunch of problems and the knife has taken a back burner. I really apologize. My plan is to finish the handle shaping this week and get it in the mail asap. I'll also send a chunk of handle material for the matching firesteel out as well.
Life just seemed to get in the way. Don't worry about the knife. It'll look great.
Life just seemed to get in the way. Don't worry about the knife. It'll look great.
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2007
- Messages
- 2,798
Wow, I just stumbled onto this thread, and this knife is looking awesome!!!!
Hurry up and finish the handle I can't wait to see the final product!
Hurry up and finish the handle I can't wait to see the final product!
First off, I realize that I've had this knife project for so long it's almost criminal. I've been in touch with Tony regarding the details which I don't want to get into now except that it involved the health of a family member. I always intended to get this project finished and passed off but other issues seemed to get in the way. For that I apologize.
Second, the handle is shaped and ready to ship out. It's made from Wenge, an African hardwood that is beautiful, tough stuff and not often used in this application (with an exception made for Fiddleback blades). The only downside to using it is that the dust is a major irritant for me. I had read that locals sprinkle the dust on the water to stun fish! I'm not certain if this is true, but damn if it didn't mess me up. As a handle, it shouldn't pose any threat to the user. Bass guitarists have been using this material for many years with no ill effects.
Anyway, here are the pics I took. I guess that I should make a new year's resolution to learn how to take better pics. I've added the pics from the post abbove that got lost in the shuffle too.
The handle shape is built for comfort. Because the tang gets taller toward the butt end, I made this a bit thinner than the area toward the blade. I think it's a comfortable knife, not because of my handle shaping, but because of the handle shape itself. I like how the blade extends down below the blade and I'd bet that it'll be great for food prep.
I left it unfinished because it's going to be given a final polish down the line. I've used thin super glue, various wiping varnishes and furniture wax on previous projects. All will work well although oil finishes may darken the wood (which still looks great, just different).
Again, I apologize for the delay. I'm just glad that this project is still in production and will make someone happy in the outdoors for years to come.
One last thing, I'll be sending out a matching piece of wood and brass tubing for the firesteel to go with the knife. It should make for a nice combo.
Second, the handle is shaped and ready to ship out. It's made from Wenge, an African hardwood that is beautiful, tough stuff and not often used in this application (with an exception made for Fiddleback blades). The only downside to using it is that the dust is a major irritant for me. I had read that locals sprinkle the dust on the water to stun fish! I'm not certain if this is true, but damn if it didn't mess me up. As a handle, it shouldn't pose any threat to the user. Bass guitarists have been using this material for many years with no ill effects.
Anyway, here are the pics I took. I guess that I should make a new year's resolution to learn how to take better pics. I've added the pics from the post abbove that got lost in the shuffle too.
The handle shape is built for comfort. Because the tang gets taller toward the butt end, I made this a bit thinner than the area toward the blade. I think it's a comfortable knife, not because of my handle shaping, but because of the handle shape itself. I like how the blade extends down below the blade and I'd bet that it'll be great for food prep.
I left it unfinished because it's going to be given a final polish down the line. I've used thin super glue, various wiping varnishes and furniture wax on previous projects. All will work well although oil finishes may darken the wood (which still looks great, just different).
Again, I apologize for the delay. I'm just glad that this project is still in production and will make someone happy in the outdoors for years to come.
One last thing, I'll be sending out a matching piece of wood and brass tubing for the firesteel to go with the knife. It should make for a nice combo.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2004
- Messages
- 4,030
You did a great job on the handle!
