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

[chrisanson]

Hello Red,
Interesting thread!!!
I like the design you have there , very nice LOOKING knife.
I am a great believer in if it looks right it probably is.
However as you know I dabble a bit my self and I find that it is not just what looks right but also what feels right as the knife it being made! So I am really looking forward to the rest of this post.
M8 I am farley shore I have said it before but I will say it again anyway I like your style. I like haw you look at things and then share it with others. Good on ya mush

 

[Tadpole]

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

I know little enough about “bushcraft knifes” as I’ve never handled one let alone used one, but the shape of that knife in the drawing at the bottom is almost exactly like my most used and favourite kitchen knife. The one I use for almost everything, chopping, slicing, cutting, peeling, digging out the marrow from bones, if the truth be told cutting string, opening letters, I mean almost everything.
Were my kitchen knife slightly thicker (it’s about 1.5 mm) I’ve be tempted to sharpen it to a razor finish and use it as my camping knife (it’s sharp enough for doing everyday things, but with an eight year old who also ‘helps me’ in the kitchen, I’m loath to have that particular knife super-sharp)

 

[Gailainne]

I look forward to seeing it (her?) in the flesh, between the two of you I would be amazed if it was'nt a thing of beauty, and a user.


Stephen

 

[Snufkin]

I like a bit of lateral thinking when it comes to knife design. I'll look forward to the finished result. I think perhaps the handle would be a little slim for me. I find a chunkier, deeper one more comfortable for long working sessions. But everyones different and I'm sure this one will fit you like a glove .

 

[British Red]

Thanks for all the comments and feedback .. I do like to hear other peoples views! Stu's input into the design has been great - lots of suggestions but always geared towards what I want the knife to do which ultimately matters most...but also with some views on how it should look - which as chrisanson observes is always a guide since "form follows function". I knew stu had "got it" when he asked me once if it was looking "surgical" enough .....it is a great word for what I'm looking for..."precise" and "refined" kind of cover it too. I'm greatly encouraged by Tadpoles comments - a well designed kitchen knife but a bit thicker...thats it entirely! Not too thick either. This will be from 3mm stock. It is a slim handle but I have fairly small hands and some knives just feel crude and awkward to me...my Ti-lite gets a lot of work but its handle is thinner than a marker pen - and it sits just great with me!

Red

 

[Snufkin]

Now, most importantly, how long do we have to wait until we see it?

 

[British Red]

Well depends what you mean by "it". Stu is going to start cutting steel at the weekend, so, the plan for this thread is for Stu to put up some pictures and let everyone watch the knife develop, from steel, to blank, to grinding, heat treating handle and bloster fitting, sheath making etc.

Red

 

[FGYT]

looks very similer in blade profile to several Global knives I would be worried about the tip strength for boring if you lay a say 6mm grind line (28deg) for eg


any body do variable angle Scandi ???

obviously a stronger tip in point or grind will compromise slicing and filleting


ATB

Duncan

 

[Steve R]

the shape of that knife in the drawing at the bottom is almost exactly like my most used and favourite kitchen knife.

Pretty much what I was thinking, if my kitchen knife was slightly wider and had a scandi grind instead of flat. Its a joy to use, almost as if its not in the hand.

Looking forward to seeing the finished knife.

 

[scanker]

Looks very nice. That's got an almost Sgian Dubh look about it. I like the "thumb ramp" effect of the bolster. Tell me is the bolster just for aesthetics or is there another reason behind it? I'm not saying aesthetics is a bad reason, I just wondered if it had more of a purpose.

Stu made my bushcraft knife and he did a superb job. Mine's one of the No2 blades (do a search over on BB). I'll try and get a photo up next week some time. The spine throws sparks from a firesteel like nothing else I've found.

Mine's full flat grind and I have to say for food prep and slicing I've found it far superior to my scandi ground knives. But if you're a scandi man, you're a scandi man....

 

[British Red]

The strength at the tip shouldn't be a problem (I hope )

My Ti-lite is scandy ground 3mm and my absolute choice for boring.

I could of course be completely worng - time will tell! Taking a few risks with this one!

Red

 

[Shinken]

Cant wait to see this finished, the same things have gone through my head about design. Stuart is making my ideal bushcraft blade too!

Be interesting to see what we both come up with, maybe we can do a comparison!

 

[JohnC]

I like the shape of the knife & like everyone else interested to see it when made. I agree with the Sgian Dubh comment.
Can I ask what may be a silly question. .What are the advantages of bolsters? Do they protect the scales (and hands) or what?
I've never put them on any knife I've made (only made 5 so far however)

 

[British Red]

The bolsters will be for a variety of reasons - partially they will protect the scales when doing close chest lever cuts, partly aesthetics, partly I have found a bolster helps me index my thumb by "feel" which is important to me. I have slimmed them from stus original design but they do serve a purpose as well as being pleasing to the eye

There is a Sgian Dubh / small dirk influence - culturally relevant I think and knives designed for use imo. Stu suggested full flat, but I'm "scandy all the way" for the types of cuts I'm making.

I'd love to see yours when complete Ash - I'll show you mine if...

Red

 

[BorderReiver]

The strength at the tip shouldn't be a problem (I hope )

My Ti-lite is scandy ground 3mm and my absolute choice for boring.

I could of course be completely worng - time will tell! Taking a few risks with this one!

Red

Doesn't matter (cost apart),you've had a go,that's the important thing.

 

[stuart m]

At present cut from 3.5mm O1, this will reduce to 3mm when finished...

 

[Rhodri]

Looks interesting - nice overall shape (blade reminds me of a Frosts 115mm Lapplander with a spear point). What sort of edge angle are you going for? 3mm isn't very thick and will need quite a short bevel if it's going to have any strength as a zero-ground edge...

 

[British Red]

Looks very interesting Stu...lovely to see it taking shape! Rhodri - I'll leave the details of the grind angle to Stu, but this is intended to be a precise blade so I'm not after impact cutting strength - Moras are 3mm stock and I've had no problem with their strength!

Red

 

[spamel]

Looks interesting - nice overall shape (blade reminds me of a Frosts 115mm Lapplander with a spear point). What sort of edge angle are you going for? 3mm isn't very thick and will need quite a short bevel if it's going to have any strength as a zero-ground edge...

By zero ground do you mean a flat grind? Red says that it will be scandi ground, so there shouldn't be an issue with edge retention.

 

[British Red]

D*** straight it'll be scandy! Didn't realise zero ground meant "full flat". How would you get a choice of angle on a full flat though? I thought zero ground meant "without a secondary bevel"?

Showing my ignorance on "knify" terminology here so I'll go shtum!

Red