What is a sleeveboard pattern?

[Easyrider]

The title pretty much asks the question. I have seen references to sleeveboard patterns and to be honest I have no clue as to what they are or look like.

TIA

 

[Pipeman]

Morning Easyrider
A sleeveboard has a narrow end and a wider end, like an old fashioned ironing board made for sliding inside shirt sleeves.

Best regards

Robin

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[Easyrider]

Thank you very much. That helps.

 

[Beard&Owl]

What Pipeman said. This is probably my favorite pattern and definitely my favorite knife I own at the time. Here's mine a #79 workhorse sleeveboard.

 

[VCM3]

Well I'll have you know...This is why this forum is cool beans. I recently listed 2 of this pattern and hit a spot of non clarity on the pattern. Then I see this & now I have clarity :thumbup:

 

[Pipeman]

Well I'll have you know...This is why this forum is cool beans. I recently listed 2 of this pattern and hit a spot of non clarity on the pattern. Then I see this & now I have clarity :thumbup:

:thumbup:

Best regards

Robin

 

[black mamba]

I'm not positive about this, but I think it's only called a sleeveboard if in pen form, blades at both ends. If in jack form, then it's called a regular jack or a swell end jack. This GEC #78 American Jack is the same frame as the #79 Workhorse, only in jack form.

 

[Bob Warfield]

Call it whatever, that's a stunner!
Bob

 

[Will Power]

This may count. My GEC 26 in Primitive Bone, a small sturdy knife with monster snap

 

[pertinux]

I'm not positive about this, but I think it's only called a sleeveboard if in pen form, blades at both ends. If in jack form, then it's called a regular jack or a swell end jack. This GEC #78 American Jack is the same frame as the #79 Workhorse, only in jack form.

Interesting! I hadn't heard that as a distinction (sleeveboard vs. swell end jack), only as one description trumping another. From an earlier pattern ramble (sadly, Blues's image link is now broken):

Perhaps?

Going off of that thought, however: does a sleeveboard pattern typically have its main blade at the larger end, thus distinguishing it from a swell-end jack (as one example) that would have its blade(s) at the smaller end?

~ P.

On a sleeveboard jack, (both blades on same end), most had the blades from the smaller end but either method of construction was common enough.

On a sleeveboard pen, (blades on each end), normally the master blade was on the wider end.

Sooo... is it possible for a sleeveboard jack and a swell-end jack to be two different names for the same thing (not universally, but in specific instances)?

~ P.

The careful observer will notice a difference in the elongation and swell between the patterns. It is sometimes subtle but where the sleeveboard is generally straight sided with a rounded end, the swell end...well, swells. Look at some images of (especially) older patterns and you'll see the difference pretty clearly.

Hang on a moment and I'll post an image just by way of one example...

Subtle, but nonetheless not a sleeveboard:

In person the gentle swell is a bit more apparent and it has a bit of a "waist". The sleeveboard would be more rigidly straight sided until the curved end (like the ironing board) in most cases.

Companies did and do take liberties with the nomenclature.

Thanks, Elliot-- pictures really do help. I would not have called the above knife a sleeveboard, but have seen some (what I now know to be) sleeveboards called swell-end jacks.

Most illuminating for me so far is that neither single spring nor pen configuration has anything to do with defining a sleeveboard. The Venn intersection of sleeveboard knives I've seen that also contained those two features had led me to wrongly conclude otherwise.

~ P.

Sleeveboards also have the master blade coming out of the wide end of the knife.

Take from that what you will. I do enjoy these pattern explorations-- better yet with knives in-hand, although that is a rare treat. I'm grateful for everyone's specific examples, as pictured, in the meantime. :thumbup:

Speaking of which...

This may count. My GEC 26 in Primitive Bone, a small sturdy knife with monster snap

I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying seeing your pictures of the knives you've mentioned throughout.

The sleeveboard has revealed itself to be one of my favorite patterns, if the jack form is acceptable as "sleeveboard."

To whit:

GEC 25s - Gots em?

and

Photos and Impressions: GEC #79 Workhorse Whittler (3-spring)

Finally, don't miss Lambertiana's photographic look here:

The Old and the New - Sleeveboard

Such goodness shared, here in our midst.

~ P.

 

[black mamba]

Thanks, as always, Sarah. Looks like the #78 is a sleeveboard jack according to Elliott. You just don't see them listed that way, but it is definitely straight sided. Elliott says, "It is sometimes subtle but where the sleeveboard is generally straight sided with a rounded end, the swell end...well, swells."

My next question is, what is the difference between a swell end and a teardrop, or are they the same?

 

[Alnamvet68]

Wouldn't this also apply to a Teardrop knife?

 

[Will Power]

I think Teardop and Swell End are the same, but...it's true some Teardrops are much more pointy ended (depends on how they were squeezed out??!) but they can be referred to as Candle-End/Tip. The forthcoming CASE version is like this and apparently follows old English pattern in this. Old catalogues seem to refer to Swell End, so perhaps Teardrop became a more vogue name at one stage??

I begin to suspect I know nothing.....the great leveller

 

[iSaur]

The way I have always understood it, a sleeveboard has the pivot for the master blade at the wide end (like Pipeman's examples), while a swell end or teardrop has the pivot at the narrow end. edit: I just noticed that the thread quoted above by Pertinux already covers this.

 

[VCM3]

The way I have always understood it, a sleeveboard has the pivot for the master blade at the wide end (like Pipeman's examples), while a swell end or teardrop has the pivot at the narrow end.

Makes sense & I think this might help the realization

 

[ptradeco]

Even on these Sleeveboard Pen (?) knives there is a discernible master and that is the wide end:

 

[Beard&Owl]

From what I've read the sleeveboard pattern is also a variation on the elephant toe pattern.

 

[pertinux]

From what I've read the sleeveboard pattern is also a variation on the elephant toe pattern.

I believe an elephant toenail/sunfish is typically equal-ended (as gleaned from the earlier thread, quoted above-- Sunfish vs. Sleeveboard).

Back to jack, Jack:

Is there such a thing as a Sleeveboard Jack, blade(s) pivoting from the narrower end of the frame, or is that not a thing? Or a mis-named thing...?

(I vote, "thing," but need to look further again to justify how I've come to that conclusion.)

~ P.

 

[Pipeman]

Here are Bernard Levines words on sleeveboards.
Pens. "A sleeveboard pen has round ends"like a senator", but it's handle tapers"." Sleeveboard pen knives ordinarily have the master on the wider end."
Sleeveboard jacks and jumbo jacks." Regular jacks have squaredcorners at the blade end. Similar tapered knives that are rounded at both ends are usually called sleeveboard jacks.Unlike regular jacks, some sleeveboard jacks have their blades at the wider end." There is more on jumbo jacks but i'm tired of typing


Best regards

Robin

 

[VCM3]

Here are Bernard Levines words on sleeveboards.
Pens. "A sleeveboard pen has round ends"like a senator", but it's handle tapers"." Sleeveboard pen knives ordinarily have the master on the wider end."
Sleeveboard jacks and jumbo jacks." Regular jacks have squaredcorners at the blade end. Similar tapered knives that are rounded at both ends are usually called sleeveboard jacks.Unlike regular jacks, some sleeveboard jacks have their blades at the wider end." There is more on jumbo jacks but i'm tired of typing




Best regards

Robin

Thanks to this thread & the info,witch I probably knew at one point,I have re described a pair on my site. Thanks All