What's going on in your shop? Show us whats going on, and talk a bit about your work!

Attended the Arkansas Knife show this past weekend and was honored to win
Best Traditional Knife Award
My Texas Trapper pattern
Bill Poor bold River of Fire Damascus
Mammoth Covers
416 integral liners and bolsters
Alice Carter engraving
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Now I have to wait and post something for a while. It would be like hanging one of my kids' drawings next to a Monet or something.
That's fine craftmanship right there.
 
Eric, can you take picture of spine ? How thick are 410 stainless and how much is 52100? Do you do HT or you send them out ?
ideally the core should be 1/3 in my experience, assuming you are going to forge it out.
for stock removal, I think the core should be thinner %
 
LEnENiF.jpg
A full tapered tang petty in z wear and some maple burl. This goes to a lady that works at the post office near my house in Arizona. I tapered the tang on my surface grinder in Arizona and finished the knife up here in France. It’s a bit tricky finishing the handle with a wear resistant steel like z wear against a non hardwood burl. The wood sands away much faster leaving the spine “high”.



igVuhnj.jpg
 
About to burnish a 9oz backsewn sheath for my newest puukko, just before it gets hot waxed, punched, stamped, and fitted with a dangler. These are made without a wooden insert, as I think the insert hinders functionality greatly. Just one man's opinion though, but I want to unsheath/sheath my knife with ease and be able to do it one handed.

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LEnENiF.jpg
A full tapered tang petty in z wear and some maple burl. This goes to a lady that works at the post office near my house in Arizona. I tapered the tang on my surface grinder in Arizona and finished the knife up here in France. It’s a bit tricky finishing the handle with a wear resistant steel like z wear against a non hardwood burl. The wood sands away much faster leaving the spine “high”.



igVuhnj.jpg

You have a very good looking amount of tapering on your tangs. It's apparently not easy to find that balance. Many times it can look akward, to me.
 
You have a very good looking amount of tapering on your tangs. It's apparently not easy to find that balance. Many times it can look akward, to me.
Thanks. Murray Carter taught me 2:1 taper (but that’s laminated steel). My friend Tim Wright insists on 3:1 taper. I think I did this one at about 2.5:1.

part of the problem is that if it gets to thin on the magnetic sine plate, There isn’t enough mass and the tang wants to come off which ruins your whole day...
 
LEnENiF.jpg
A full tapered tang petty in z wear and some maple burl. This goes to a lady that works at the post office near my house in Arizona. I tapered the tang on my surface grinder in Arizona and finished the knife up here in France. It’s a bit tricky finishing the handle with a wear resistant steel like z wear against a non hardwood burl. The wood sands away much faster leaving the spine “high”.



igVuhnj.jpg

That handle material is stunning
 
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Did a cleaver for a friends partner: 5160, black micarta and stainless steel fittings. Blade is about 15cm (6 inch), the handle is quite long.
Overall i'm happy with it: i could have got the pins in better spots, should have paid more attention to that when shaping the handle. The recipient is happy with it, so that's good.
 
N Natlek Nicely done slot. May I see an image or two of your broach, please? Thank you.
Nothing special my friend , I just cut and shape them as I need them .I have a dozen of them ,long, short, wider ...etc . I use these two the most time , I even put handles on them . Two minute job for that slot .Start one side and then flip broach and use that slot as guide for slot on other side ....then finish both side :)
e0TM0Q1.jpg

I make them from this saws.....teeth are from M42 steel , will last lifetime in my shop .
oVG3SmX.jpg
 
Nothing special my friend , I just cut and shape them as I need them .I have a dozen of them ,long, short, wider ...etc . I use these two the most time , I even put handles on them . Two minute job for that slot .Start one side and then flip broach and use that slot as guide for slot on other side ....then finish both side :)
e0TM0Q1.jpg

I make them from this saws.....teeth are from M42 steel , will last lifetime in my shop .
oVG3SmX.jpg
How did you get that long of a thin slot drilled though? I didn't know they make that long of a drill bit that skinned hahaha
 
Nothing special my friend , I just cut and shape them as I need them .I have a dozen of them ,long, short, wider ...etc . I use these two the most time , I even put handles on them . Two minute job for that slot .Start one side and then flip broach and use that slot as guide for slot on other side ....then finish both side :)
e0TM0Q1.jpg

I make them from this saws.....teeth are from M42 steel , will last lifetime in my shop .
oVG3SmX.jpg

Thank you, N Natlek I felt almost certain that you'd have made your own, and wanted to see not only the material and construction but shape. Simply put, you're more creative than me with tools. I know how to make pharmaceuticals, poison poeple, blow shit up, etc, as a chemist, but mechanical comes with effort. And those are nice slots. :) I use the same technique as you with the hole drilled first with a bit thick enough not to wander. I used a lot of stag, so used a 3/8" (9.5mm :) ) bit to get the spongey core out, then slotted.

I have a purchased broach from John Perry and one David Wesner (RIP) made and gifted me.

I have a couple I've made from jigsaw blades but they're too short for much use other than the specific reason I ground them.

There's a little bag of spent reciprocating saw blades somewhere in the shop, so I will try to use your examples as ideas. Thank, you, sir! It's appreciated. I haven't made any full tang knives in a long time, so it is good to see what people are using now for digging the holes. 12 years away has produced a lot of change.

Thanks, again, my friend.
 
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