What's happening in the David Mary Custom shop?

[David Mary]

Was asked for a sharpfinger quite a while back. I ended up putting that run on hold but will make it from a chef knife. Here is the blank cut out, AEB-L, 63 RC.

 

[David Mary]

Was asked for another Santoku like the MagnaCut and stabilized wood one I made a couple weeks ago. Here is the blank cut out from the same chef design that spawned the sharp finger.

 

[David Mary]

Left overs from the Sharpfinger. Waste not, want not.

 

[David Mary]

I’m still at the shop. Been working all day. On things. All the things.

 

[David Mary]

Sneaky peeky:

 

[David Mary]

Let’s just say it was a busy twelve and a half hours in the shop

 

[BlindMouse2of3]

4th from the right caught my attention. Can't wait to see what the group photo looks like.

Your scale combinations are getting very impressive to watch.

 

[David Mary]

Thank you. They are fun to make. Yesterday I woke up at 7 am, after only 5 hours sleep. I tried to go back to sleep, but when that wasn't happening I played maybe a dozen chess game, and went to the shop. It was a slow, start. I thought I was going to hand sand and refine the two I put together Monday, but found myself putting the first steps together on over half a dozen blades, most of which are expected by you and a few other guys, but in the frenzy of making up scale combos, I had this itch to clean up my cut-off in various materials. So not only did I start a bunch of knives, but I also have a few other scale combos I put together for future use.

Here are some of the pics from yesterday that I uploaded to Postimages but didn't get around to posting while I was at the shop.


Fried Liver Attack, still needs blade grind and handle shaping; customer gave me creative license on this one, so he gets Dymalux front and back, (two slightly different colors since they were cut offs left over from EDChefs I made a few weeks ago), with spalted tamarind inlay which was a tiny piece too small to do anything else with. That material was sent in by a customer for a commission I have finished for him already. Interestingly, I actually messed up some scales for him that were initally meant to be spalted tamarind, by not clamping the piece when I drilled pin holes. Usually it's a non-issue, with say carbon fiber or Micarta, but this material is quite workable but it also grabbed in the drill press as I tried to back the drill out of the hole, resulting in a diagonal pin hole which is unacceptable. So that material always gets clamped now if i have to drill pin holes. It was the MagnaCut santoku. I offered him a swap to one of the stabilized woods I had in stock, and thankfully that was an acceptable solution to him. So I kept the scales and acutally once I remove the portion that has the wonky pinholes, I will still have enough spalted tamarind for full scales on a handle up to 4 inches, I believe. Already has black liners glued to it as well.

 

[David Mary]

Black Micarta Bolster, Fat Carbon Gold Marbled Carbon Fiber inlay with green G10 liners and spacers, and python Micarta main scale segment. Not planned for anything specific yet. Will be fairly thin scales, as I started with 3/8" thickness python Micarta, and split it down the middle on the table saw.

 

[David Mary]

Here's the other slice of python, which I made into a small scale blank with some black G10, and sliced red burlap Micarta:

 

[David Mary]

Here's a pair of totally weird scales I made for a Prevail. From Bolster to butt, stabilized box elder, Dymalux, firedog Micarta, spalted tamarind, Dymalux, firedog Micarta, stabilized mango. I got the handle assembled, cured, and rough shaped already, and filled the remaining voids with superglue, which I will clean up next time I work on the knife.

 

[David Mary]

Small knives take little time, so I did go pretty far on the "Sharpfinger left over". Still needs clean up, but note the table saw split and grinder flattened red burlap Micarta liners to go with the suretouch scales. Part of me thinks I will cut the blade down from 3 1/2" down to maybe three, and do a drop point with a swedge, but that's only an idea for now.

 

[David Mary]

Significant shaping on the fancy dagger. I was given creative license on this one as well, and I had a piece of left over stabilized poplar burl from the Prevail I started, so that is the butt segment, then an inlay of alternating stabilized black palm x 3, dark matter gold marbled CF x 2, and a bolster of black marbled carbon fiber. Note that I alternated the grain orientation of the center black palm strip relative to the two outer ones.

 

[David Mary]

Almost forgot this scale blank of crosscut micarta outside, frogwood inside with red burlap liners.

 

[David Mary]

Package I was awaiting just arrived at the house, so I'm ready to head back to the shop for a bit. It's cold and rainy, so I will allow myself a shorter session, given the last two somewhat oversized shop sessions. I have three MagnaCutters I want to make ready for Friday postal run at least. If I do better, great.

 

[David Mary]

This.

 

[David Mary]

Now offering “the groove” on suretouch as well.

 

[Chronovore]

Now offering “the groove” on suretouch as well.

The right groove can be very comfortable.

 

[David Mary]

 

[David Mary]

The right groove can be very comfortable.

I’ll call it the Tom and Hihat groove