An entirely new knife.............

[British Red]

As some of you know, I do like things to be "right". Now I have some good knives. In fact I have some great knives. Sadly, I don't have "the" knife.

However, I have been chatting recently with Stu Mitchell and after batting designs around for a good long time, we have come up with a design that, in my head, will equate to the perfect Bushcraft knife.

Now for the design. Well, as you know, I have the odd axe (or ten ) so this is never going to be a "hacking" or "batoning" knife.

Stu suggested a "blog" on the knife making process....sounds like a great idea to me. So, with his (and your) permission, we'll do just that!

Heres a few "sound bites" from the early exchanges - (Stu's comments in Blue - me in black)


You say you find 4mm too thick.... Do you think that would be the case if we were to go witha full flat grind... I would, without doubt, go with a full grind.... I just don't see a "chunky" Scandi grind suiting those slimline designs....

I think a 4 1/2", slimline blade (the blade you have designed), full flat grind with the slightest of secondary bevel, will give you the "surgical" field knife you are after!

"Long, thin, a centre spear point for boring and, for me, most importantly, a Scandy grind. I know others love full flat, but the secondary bevel puts me right off to be honest and my utter loathing for convex rules that out too."

As for the handle, desert iron wood and nickel silver sounds spot on to me.


First up is a design I came up with today.... Based on, and utilising, most of the ideas in your own drawings....

Red

 

[Phil562]

Trust me BR this will be the start of many PM's/emails between the two of you

 

[British Red]

Phil,

That was post one - the e-mails are up to about 30!

As for your sig line the only correct response is "Harris - give im yours"

Red

 

[British Red]

Right stu - see if this makes any sense

I'm trying to imply a few things - the point finer and onto the centre line (spear point I guess)

Certainly slimmer but with a relatively strong palm and pommel swell

The bolster could be just a tad squarer. In my head the Scandy grind is to the centre line from the spear point to the bolster

Red

 

[British Red]

You will find a link to another couple of profiles....

The first (top) is almost exact to your design, the one overlayed on my first.... The second has a couple of alts, mainly the back of the handle and the butt of the handle....

What are your thoughts on these?

Stu

 

[British Red]

Stu,

The changes are

Make the overall still a shade slimmer
Bring the bolster in so in effect it was an "end cap" to the scales rather than protruding so much above and below the scales
Make the blade the same width as the scales and bolster. Overall shape more parallel tapering to a centre line spear point and less "triangular"

 

[British Red]

Hi Red,

Right then mate.... I think the blade profile might be there..... The bottom one here....

You will see i have altered the design of the bolster slightly also, you see how the front edge is rounder and doesn't extend the full width of the blade guard... I think this helps to soften the lines throughout...

What do you think?

Stu

 

[British Red]

This is pretty much the working line drawing...I'll leave it now for stu to chip in and show how the knife develops!

Red

 

[Phil562]

Phil,

That was post one - the e-mails are up to about 30!

As for your sig line the only correct response is "Harris - give im yours"

Red

..................

 

[stuart m]

Trust me BR this will be the start of many PM's/emails between the two of you

Is that good or bad

 

[British Red]

Its been good for me ...

Wish I still smoked.......

 

[stuart m]

Its been good for me ...

Wish I still smoked.......

You will... You most definitely will

 

[Phil562]

Is that good or bad

Bad of course

 

[spamel]

I was a chosen man once, but then I got promoted to Corporal. Chosen man was before the use of Lance Corporal as a rank.

 

[stuart m]

Well I have really enjoyed my recent e conversation with Red... I have found him to be both a gentleman and a pleasure to deal with

I am delighted to say that I am as happy with the final design as Red is and work should commence this week with the cutting of the blank.

We have finalised the materials to be used but I think it best we save disclosure of them until we use them... You will just have to wait and see

There will be some very pleasant surprises in store though

Photos as it happens here.....

Cheers, Stu.

 

[Dougster]

I am really looking forward to seeing this.

 

[British Red]

Me too

I'd love to here peoples thoughts on the lines of the knife....It's not exactly a standard Bushy design I know...feel free to hate it!

Red

 

[stuart m]

Me too

I'd love to here peoples thoughts on the lines of the knife....It's not exactly a standard Bushy design I know...feel free to hate it!

Red

Or love it

 

[JonnyP]

I am really looking forward to seeing this.

Yeah, me too...Just one question....How come you want such a long blade length Red....?

 

[British Red]

Fair question,

Well, part of it is "slicing" ability.

When working out what I wanted, I thought mostly about the tasks I wanted to do and cuts I wanted to make. When it all comes down to it, there are really only four actions I consider:

Impact cuts - the act of "batoning" if you will - I doubt this knife will ever be used for that given my axe penchant

Push cuts - feathering and wood work. Going to be plenty of that going on

Slicing - Quite a bit of that too. I know this is hardly a clasic butchers knife, but think how a fish filleting knife or a steak knife looks. The longer slimmer blade lends itself to a "draw" cut in my head

Boring - hence the spear point.

There were a few things in my head - as well as a steak or fillet knife, think what a Case "doctors" folding knife looks like - or my folding Ti-lite which is the best d*** tree tapping knife you will ever see.

In reality, its less than 1cm longer than a Mora - but the slimness of the knife overall makes it look far longer in the line drawing

Red