The perfect Bushcraft knife!

[Tiffers]

I know when I'm thinking about this knife I've been calling it the....

"BushSpyder"

Tiffers

 

[Martyn]

Sorry Red, curiosity got the better of me, had to look up O2, never heard of it before.

Oil hardening tool steel.

C 0.85-0.95
Mn 1.40-1.80
Si 0.50
Cr 0.35
Ni 0.30
Mo 0.30
V 0.30
Cu 0.25
P 0.03
S 0.03

 

[British Red]

What's O2 steel?

Its O1 tool steel typed by a bloke with dyslexic fingers (which I suspect you guessed?). Cant think about trig and metallurgy (Neither of which I really understand anyway) at the same time

Red

 

[Andy]

"BushSpyder"

Tiffers

sounds like something they might have in Australia (no doubt is a small cute little thing with enough venom to take out a heard of elephants)

 

[British Red]

yeh but the steel tends to come slightly under thickness. my calypso jr was meant to have 2.5mm thick steel but it was only 2.478mm

degree maths is so much less fun

I can't stop

Hmm now lets consider this for a mo

Sin 15 degrees (half angle) / 1.5mm (half depth) = hypotenuse (bevel depth)

1.5 / 0.2588 = 5.796mm

So accepting for a moment that the steel comes up thin ....about 1% in your example

1.485/0.2588 = 5.73mm

So if the steel comes up thinner should we round down to a 5.73mm bevel rather than 5.79mm?

:sad6:

I'll stop now

 

[Martyn]

Its O1 tool steel typed by a bloke with dyslexic fingers (which I suspect you guessed?). Cant think about trig and metallurgy (Neither of which I really understand anyway) at the same time

Red

No I didnt guess, I'd just not heard of O2 being used, I think it could be though I have no idea what kiind of knife it would make.

 

[Rhodri]

We're doing the math on a 30 degree Scandi on a 3mm thick blade.

sal

That would be just about perfect IMHO.

Some of the lads have got carried away with the sums I see...

How precise are your grinding jigs Sal? Can you do tenths of a mm?

Cheers,
Rod

 

[soa_uk]

I visit British Blades less, as I'm trying to minimise my knife expenditure for going out into the woods type things.

So, OK, the axes, and the F1 were, of course essential, and I bought those for bushcraft.
I had a momentary lapse and bought a Military, L'il Temperance and a Police. RIght. No more folders. So now Sal's making a bushcraft FB. In *two* versions.

Give my wallet a break!
The design looks really nice so far; I'll be interested to see it in a sheath...

 

[Marts]

Desert Ironwood

 

[Martyn]

The techno model will prolly be a plastic/resin based material, but are there any ideas or suggestions on the handle material for the traditional version knife ...

I like the naturally oily woods like cocobolo or rosewood. But, maybe curly birch or maple might be more popular?

Mark

Cocobolo might be the best bet, but some people are strongly alergic to it. Desert Ironwood is nice, but it's rare, expensive, proteced and not exactly eco-friendly. Perhaps Walnut or somesuch. There is no shortage of oily hardwoods in the US.

 

[Roefisher]

Cocobolo might be the best bet, but some people are strongly alergic to it...

A very important point, Martyn ... here's a good explanation of possible problems ...

"There is no doubt that some woods can be potentially toxic to some people. The question is always one of "what degree". This cannot truly be answered. Each individual has different degrees of resistance, some more prone to allergic reactions, and others not so. Every day our knowledge of tree biology and chemistry grows, leaving us with more information, but also more questions. How all this relates to each individual is impossible to know. All we can say is "be cautious". Use new woods in a limited way, with proper respirators, until you know that it has no adverse reaction with your body.

Toxicity can mean a lot of different things to different people so here are some basic ideas:

Natural Chemical Poisons:
This normally refers to chemicals produced by the tree. It has been suggested that these chemicals originated as part of the tree’s natural defense system against insect and other animal attack. They tend to be present in higher concentration in the sap, bark and foliage of the tree, and to a much lesser extent in the trunk. For example, the foliage of black cherry contains a precursor of cyanide, but yet we work with the wood with little difficulty. Woods that are naturally oily, even after kiln drying are much more likely to cause an allergic reaction, just because the wood’s oil can transfer onto your skin more easily and enter the blood stream. The reaction can range from that of a mild irritant, to something that is truly toxic and lethal, although the latter is very rare."

My own opinion is stick with Cocobolo and give out rubber gloves to anyone in doubt

Mark

 

[tarmix101]

Cocobolo might be the best bet, but some people are strongly allergic to it. Desert Ironwood is nice, but it's rare, expensive, produced and not exactly eco-friendly.

I agree w/ Martyn on the Desert Ironwood. Looks very nice but will add to the price of the knife and is harder to get. Cocobolo is easy to get, looks nice, great for durability, and cost less.

I myself have a slight allergy to cocobolo (break out in hives on my skin) but only when I am working/sanding it. Once I have the handle done and treated it dosen't bother me. I can even handle a untreated block and that really doesn't affect me.

 

[soup_monger]

I would still vote for Micarta or a synthetic handle for an outdoors knife.

 

[British Red]

I have a strong liking for Ironwood myself failing that burr oak would look nice. Dark browns or reds I feel (not olive wood or anything Ikea like please). I'm not wild on walnut unless you get real exhibition grade stuff.

Red

 

[tomtom]

Desert Ironwood

isnt there/wasnt there some bans on the collecting desert iron wood as it is becoming quite rare.. i dont think the use of rare/endangered tree species fits well with the bush craft ethic

 

[Nemisis]

This is why I think the knife should be offered in a kit form or as a finished blade/sheath option. That way each knife is individual to its owner and in some ways the most important way the handle fit. We all tweak cutting edges to our own taste so long as we are happy with a basic grind type, if not happy we don't buy. But there tends to be more complains and niggles about handles and there shape/fit rather than for aesthetic reasons

Dave.

 

[Bjorn Victor]

I really like curly birch (and other light coloured woods).

I have seen a poll for the grind. Maybe a poll for handle material?

Split it in two:
Wood (curly birch,...)
Synthetic (kraton,...)

Make two knives: one with the most chosen synthetic handle and one with the most chosen wood handle.

Or is that not possible?

Bjorn

 

[British Red]

Bjorn,

I think Sals plan is to make a "traditional" knife and a "Hi tec" version so yes both are possible. Not sure how to list all the woods though or whether sal has one im mind?

sal???? Do you have a preference for handle material?

Red

 

[tarmix101]

I really like curly birch (and other light coloured woods).

I have seen a poll for the grind. Maybe a poll for handle material?

Split it in two:
Wood (curly birch,...)
Synthetic (kraton,...)

Make two knives: one with the most chosen synthetic handle and one with the most chosen wood handle.

Or is that not possible?

Bjorn

That is a good idea IMO. Red do you think you could set up a poll?

 

[Bjorn Victor]

Good evening "O Red One",

some tips:

List 6 or 7 easy to find, common wood sorts (birch, maple, ...), but nothing too exotic (read: expensive) or illegal or something that causes allegies (like cocobolo does, so it seems).

List 4 or 5 five synthetic types that are easy to manipulate. I'm not an expert, but many knives have kraton, thermorun,...

No bone or horn for reasons of animal wellbeing. (just my opinion...)

What is micarta? I see it a lot, but have no idea what it is...
It should be in the list though.

This will also help.
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=10436

Bjorn

EDIT: It's also up to Sal of course. :You_Rock_