M14 Forum

Earthquake · October 24th, 2011, 12:15 PM

I really want to make a knife of my own design, I cut this out on the water jet machine where I used to work. It is just a piece of 1/8 mild steel to give me a idea of how it would look and feel, when I actually cut it it will be made out of "D2" and I will send it out the be heat treated. It needs to be a bit longer in the grip as it a little tight, It will be cut from 1/4" stock, it is 14" over all and 2 1/4" wide at the belly, the grip panels will be made from micarta that I will cut on the jet as well [I still have limited access to the machine] If you could change any thing what would it be? Be honest you are not going to hurt my feelings.

Casey

1KPerDay · October 24th, 2011, 01:30 PM

Looks good to me, but I'm not a "knife guy" really so I don't know how much value my opinion has. :)

mercman · October 24th, 2011, 02:02 PM

I think that you're on the right track depending on what you want to use the blade for. Spear points have several utility uses and the full tang design is strong. You might try some of the dedicated knife maker forums for more ideas.

I attended a NW Blacksmith show last weekend and I've got the bug again, too. I made several knives and axes from large circular saw blades, files and railroad spikes over the years but never really sat down and built a dedicated work area for knife making. Maybe when I retire!

Delta · October 24th, 2011, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mercman

I think that you're on the right track depending on what you want to use the blade for. Spear points have several utility uses and the full tang design is strong. You might try some of the dedicated knife maker forums for more ideas.

I attended a NW Blacksmith show last weekend and I've got the bug again, too. I made several knives and axes from large circular saw blades, files and railroad spikes over the years but never really sat down and built a dedicated work area for knife making. Maybe when I retire!

+1 My only concern would be sharping the curve in the blade in the field.

SOCOM42 · October 24th, 2011, 05:56 PM

Add a washer shaped piece on end for a lanyard.

Curve the tang top and bottom for a palm swell.

NE450N02 · October 24th, 2011, 06:21 PM

What do you want to use that Blade for?

Once upon a time, I was a Butcher, and I havfe gutted, skint, and butchered a lot of wild game.

I have found the best overall blade shape is the shape like the Randall No5 for sport use, and the No1, as a "fighter" and the No 14 as a "fighter/survival" knife.

The Puma Game Warden blade for a pocket knife works great as well.

With these blade designs, you can process game, stab or slash someone, and make a peanutbutter and jeally sandwich, and do most other Utility would as well....

These blades have a good sharp point, a good section of straight edge, and enough belly to skin or make a sandwich.

Their length in comparision to their thickness is in a proper ratio, IMHO of course.

Earthquake · October 24th, 2011, 10:34 PM

I was thinking it would be a heavy duty utility knife, camp knife for chopping wood, maybe cut open a few car hoods. I can take the "Wasp waist" out of it no problem, I was thinking it might need another inch added to the blade length. I may cut one from a car leaf spring first, I wish I could get a flat leaf so I could keep the heat treat of the spring, I can cut the profile and grind it no problem.

Casey

NE450N02 · October 25th, 2011, 12:04 AM

That blade design looks like it would be more suited to Mortal Combat, carried by a warlord, or if of fairly thick steel suitable for light [compared to a hatchet/hand axe] chopping for survival use, not as a General Utility use blade.

I would want it to be 2 or 3 inches longer and the handle an inch or so longer.

Blademaker · October 25th, 2011, 01:35 AM

The blade shape is not really to my taste, but I'm more of a traditionalist. My only real concern is the handle, it's too straight and the shoulders and butt are too sharp. Even if you contour the handle slabs your going to have a sore hand with much use. I've heard it said that the best way to learn ergonomics on a knife is to cut a telephone pole in two with one and you'll learn all you ever need to know about handles. I've never cut a pole in half with a knife, but I have used knives a lot, and studied the hand and different handles.

Take your blade, and hold it and try to imagine using it, see where the sharp corners are and where they rub your hand. One thing I've done is to take clay and grip it, then study the shape of it. Also look at nature, there are no straight lines in nature. The marvel of the human hand is that it's very adaptable to different shapes. I'm a firm believer that the only sharp area of a knife should be the edge. Everything else gets smooth up and rounded and contoured.

To me I like to know why, why is a blade point shaped like this? Why is the belly this shape? What is the purpose of the butt cap shape? Every aspect of a knife has a purpose, even if it's just to "look good". Case in point, I had a customer want a cleaver, I asked what was he planing on cleaving, meat, or bone, or both. The blade thickness and edge geometry for each is different, as is the profile. Or to put it another way, you don't want to batten fire wood with a fillet knife, or try to fillet fish with a large camp knife.

I've seen a lot of knives that were beautifully put together, absolute perfection on fit and finish, perfectly ground and sharpened, expensive materials and engraving, some with beautiful damascus, inlays, ect, and pretty much no balance and or would be uncomfortable to use. At one show I handled a maker's knives that were a bit on the rough side, visible solder joints at the guards, satin finished blades, ect, not bad, but he didn't take them to the next step. But when I picked them up they were alive and perfectly balanced and felt like a natural extension of the arm.

If it was me, I'd keep the blade profile pretty much as is, but maybe get rid of the sway back and drop the handle down a degree or two and add a bit of a palm swell to it and round off the "guard" and butt, maybe take a little less deep a recurve. Also think about the length, a longer blade makes for more force as a chopper, but makes for more difficulty carrying it. I like big knives, but they tend to stay at camp or in the truck, not on my belt.

Just my .02 cents. Any way it goes, make what you want, how you want, and have fun.

Earthquake · November 16th, 2011, 10:55 PM

OK
I have Been toying around with the shape of my design a bit, I stretched it out about 1" in the blade and about a 3/8" in the handle and went with more of a "Bowie" shape.
I'm thinking about canting the blade forward a bit and adding a saw back [like a Gerber BMF] it will get a lanyard loop on the flat at the base of the handle. It will be cut from 1/4" tool steel. [D2 I think] should I get rid of the "Wasp Waist" in the middle of the blade? would it make sharping easier? I can modify the program to cut the grip panels [1/4" micarta] so they will fit exact. What do you think?

Casey

Blademaker · November 16th, 2011, 11:23 PM

I really like the blade shape, but still think you need to contour the handle a bit more. It all depends on how it feels to you though. The recurve blade isn't really harder to sharpen if you are used to doing it by hand, and it puts more weight up front for chopping, and provided better slicing in swinging cuts.

Sweets · November 17th, 2011, 01:26 PM

The deep bellied blade shape strikes me as being good for a skinning knife, and the overall design as good for a throwing knife. an unusual combination already. I'd have to heft the thing to know how the design would work all round, esp for what you want.

ecm14 · November 20th, 2011, 08:28 PM

If it's for cutting you may want to make the space between the blade and the handle wider to prevent your hand from moving forward toward the blade. Sorry don't know the name or nomenclature but I do know that's how we catch stabbing suspects... Their hand slides up the blade causing damage. Just Saying.

Earthquake · November 21st, 2011, 02:56 PM

OK
I did a little playing around on the water jet machine today, I made a few design changes to the blade. I canted the whole blade forward so the point is about 1' forward and made a saw back, I need to work on the saw teeth , the design I started with are too fine and probably would not make it through the heat treatment. I cut a blank from 1/4" 304 stainless that was in the scrap bin to see just how heavy it will be and I cut a pair of aluminum grips to see how it will feel in the hand. I like the forward cant and the grip does not feel to bad even better once it contoured down a bit. I added a loop to the blade on the base of the grip for a lanyard. I think its going to half a hide to make a sheath for this thing. I may cut it out of 3/16" to get the weight down a bit, I was thinking about D2 tool steel but that not set in stone, do you think there would be a better steel for it?
Too be continued.

Casey

NE450N02 · January 16th, 2012, 01:34 PM

Looking better, but with that much belly up front i would want the blade to be 2 or 3 inches longer.

You are outside the design for a general purpose hunting, utility, camp knife and more into the realm of a combat, survival knife, so morre length is a good thing IMHO of course.

I find even a 5" blade to be too long for "handy" game butchering.

But I would not want a blade shorter than 7" for a dedicated fighter.

Somewhere between 5" and 8" is the ideal for an all round Utility/Combat knife, again IMHO.