Would this be a good design for my first knife?

J

JakeThomas

Joined
Dec 28, 2014
Messages
6
I like the tanto so I am thinking I will make one for my first knife. The tools I have is an angle grinder with a grinding wheel, cutoff wheel, and a flap sanding wheel, I also have a bench grinder that I plan on using to make the bevel, as well as several different files. I am not sure what I will make the handle out of, I am thinking just a paracord wrap or g10.
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I just did a tanto for my second knife that I posted just yesterday, and researched a ton of designs. I would say it will be a while before I do another tanto...it wasn't fun shaping the bevels.

As for your design, I would add some gentle curve to the handle spine.
 
In my opinion, it is great to aim pretty high, but you should probably start with a blade design that has one grind edge rather than multiple grinds. It is difficult enough to get a good product with just a single grind.

Even reshaping the cutting edge into a gentle re-curve will pose grinding issues for many makers with better tools than you have at your disposal.

How about changing the cutting edge into a simple flat grind? You'd have better results rough shaping the flat bevel with your angle grinder and then finishing with files, than trying to grind the edge on a stone grinding wheel.

Mike L.
 
I'm also just starting out and I'll be honest, if someone made me make that knife I'd probably cry at this point. Just looks like a lot of tedious work getting multiple grinds not only straight, but to line up in the end. I started my first few practice knives with a full flat grind, you could try the same. Nice looking knife and if you decide to go with it, I hope it turns out great!
 
Personally iv made a few tantos since iv started making knives trying to keep the line separating the two bevels is a challenge I don't recommend for your first knife if you like the design you can do the same tanto lay out with out the second bevel for the tip just a nice even flat grind can be done. Just take your time use the angle and bench grinder to rough out your shape and knock a little off the bevels but mostly use your files to true it all up. Time and patience will give you a nice knife in the end.
 
I would use the files for all your bevel work. The bench grinder will be ok enough for helping to rough out the profile, but for bevels I would not consider it. Basically they are too fast, cause the blade to bounce giving terribly uneven grinds, and make a mess. Is it possible to do it on a bench grinder? Yes. Is it likely that it will work well? Not even a little. IMO it's better to spend a couple hours filing in nice bevels, than a couple hours trying to use a file to salvage what a bench grinder did in 1 minute. Do a search for filing jigs on here and they will give you some good ideas. It may seem tedious to do it that way but it's not nearly as bad as it sounds. Secondly I would skip the double grind Tanto for the first few knives and start with a nice drop point profile with a flat grind. Much more chance of ending up with a knife that looks like your vision in the end.
 
Welcome to Shop talk.

You can do a tanto with only files and sandpaper ( backed with a hard wood block). Work slow and steady and pay attention to keeping the bevels flat and straight.

The shape of your design needs a little tweaking. Not only will it be harder to make as is, it will be uncomfortable to use. There is a disconnect between the flow of the handle and the flow of the blade. Also, those pointed places on the handle bottom will be hard on your hands. Try re-drawing the knife with the blade spine curving down into the handle with a slight curve (removing the raised "bump" on the spine). Also, when you redraw it, make a light line from the center of the butt to the point of the tip. This is the line of force for the knife, and the main mass of the blade and handle should be centered roughly along it . Any large deviation may make the knife feel clumsy and loose efficiency in the cut. If you draw a line as it is now, you see that the tip is too low, placing the bulk of the knife's mass above the centerline.

Classily, a tanto has the tip above the center of mass. Look at some tanto photos in an online search of "tanto images". Like this one:
https://search.yahoo.com/search?fr=mcafee&type=B011US747D20130219&p=tanto+images

Try refining the current drawing, or make a new sketch and lets see what you come up with.
 
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