Need some feedback on a knife profile.

W

whetrock

Member
I've made a few knives so far, however this one is that first, that's slightly out of the ordinary, I was aiming for a Bud Nealy-esque, sort of small fixed blade. I'm having second thoughts, about the absence of a finger choil, but I'm unsure. I like the aesthetics without, and I realize the handle, is supposed to be backed up by the palm, but I'm not sure how ergonomic that'd be. Has anybody here attempted to make small, choiless knives like this ? I know the whole psuedo-Japanese thing wears on some people, but I was thinking of attempting a handle wrap when all said and done.006.jpg I apologize for the crudeness of the profile, it's just that I didn't want to progress too far on this one, without a bit of consultation.
 
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Personally, I dislike profile where the back of the handle is smaller then the front.....for me its all about how the human hand is shaped.....and that particular handle is "backwards" considering how it will fit a hand.
 
Hmmm? Its hard to really see your vision with as unfinished "Lack or a better word" this profile is.

If you have some kind of idea in your head? Go for it and make it. Then Test it. That will determine if there is anything there. Iv'e made a few strange ones and one is a big seller My Rhino Chop, :cool: The others will stay where they are in my shop in the retired can! :shush:
 
Not real sure what your going for to be honest, but like Laurence said go for it. Best way to learn is to try it.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Personally, I dislike profile where the back of the handle is smaller then the front.....for me its all about how the human hand is shaped.....and that particular handle is "backwards" considering how it will fit a hand.
Click to expand...

Thats a very interesting comment Ed and I dont mean to hijack the thread or be argumentative, you clearly are the voice of experience but I have been mulling over this very issue myself.

I see a lot of knife handles where they get taller toward the back of the hand (ie little finger) and many times I find this very comfortable. However thinking logically (and having nearly 3 decades of weight lifting experience) I find that the better or more finger wrap I can get around something the stronger the grip I have. Now clearly not all uses of a knife requires a vice like grip but certainly stabbing (think tactical) would be one of them. The handle that tapers in the rear would allow the rear fingers to close more around the handle and especially in cases where there is no guard or anything to prevent the hand from sliding up the blade upon impact that tapered handle would be desirable. On the other hand a skinning knife would need more control and articulation, the majority of the work being done by the larger fingers and the little fingers just adding control/stabilization. Something you couldnt achieve with a vice like grip on the handle.

Just my uneducated 2 cents but a very interesting topic for us aspiring knife makers to ponder.
 
Thats whats so cool about knifemaking......a person can make whatever they want....however they want. :) The reason for my answer was two fold.... 1. It's just an opinion....and we all have those. 2. As a general rule, knives are "multi-purpose" tools, meaning that they are expected to do more then one thing. With that in maid its advantageous for a knife to be comfortable, and usable when gripped in a variety of different ways. I have to respectufully disagree with a human hand being able to hold/control something better if its smaller near the little finger....while that might logically appear to be the case, in reality, that area of the hand is the weakest, and least controllable.....a larger cross section in that area will provide the best control in a variety of positions.....again, just an opinion that I've gained over years of knifemaking.
 
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I don't have a ton money tied up in the steel (it's AEB-L), also I was looking at the Bud Neally "Kwaito", when trying to come up with this pattern, really I was getting 20 blades made up and sent to Peter's to get heat treated, and thought the Kwaito I had seen looked like something different. I've already left a weird impression with my first post. I'm not that outlandish I promise. It's a loose idea, at best. I should have in hindsight, not cut out a profile, and asked, or progressed further and asked. I really do appreciate the feedback though, that's why I get on forums. I bought a nice grinder, and am very enthused about getting some more knives made up. Most of my other current knives I'm working on are upswept Sharpfinger knives, a couple are pretty much copies, I like the Schrade Sharpfinger, and one of the reasons I wanted to get into knifemaking was to make a sharpfinger with AEB-L. I have 8 more feet or so of steel on hand right now, if this one is a flop it won't be the end of the world
 
I'm with Ed on handle design theory here..this is all opinion of course.

The strength in a sword (or knife) grip comes from your ring and little finger. That's why in the movies you see the bad guy Yakuza chopping off a small finger one knuckle at a time for some transgression -- it hurts their sword grip....of course that is movies. I couldn't tell you if that really happened in old Japanese culture or not. It looks like it really hurts though and you didn't want to screw up. It's almost like modern day big company management technique.

A handle that gets a bit larger towards the butt of the knife helps give you a stronger grip. It's not how your fingers are shaped of course but it seems to be how they work.
Having said all that, a knife is not a sword and you don't have the massive leverage forces in a knife you would with a sword so the strongest grip knife handle isn't as critical I. To prove this to yourself, make a big chopper knife and put a big handle on it (bigger towards the butt) and chop, then put a taper to the handle and chop for a bit. I have and it's obvious pretty quick which handle will give you more strength and which gives you hand fatigue fairly quickly.

Now for slicing, skinning, "quick work" (what ever that is) I find a tapered handle works better for moving the knife point around and spinning it sideways....say like cleaning a fish with a fillet knife. When skinning a few deer several years ago, I used a big handle and small handle. I preferred the big handle for taking the hides off. I preferred the smaller, tapered handle for caping. Again, this is all personal preference and your preference and experiences will almost certainly be different.

Whetrock, thanks for letting us wander a bit in your thread. Getting back to your question. Your design is clearly Japanese influenced and not that far off from what a personal carry knife might have been in the "old days". Traditionally you would see this cord wrapped with a large knot of cord braid acting as a guard. Keep the blade cutting edge to the front 1/3 and you should have something. Have fun...
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I like having a handle smaller than the blade at the handle junction, or a nice choil or guard (Both sometimes) Having worked with knives in wet slippery conditions it is very easy to have the blade work its way into your hand. Nothing like realising the wet in your hand is not rain its blood.

Something I like to do if I'm not too sure about a knife shape is to make a template out of wood, cardboard anything really. It gives you a great way to see how something will feel in hand without investing hours of labor into a knife.
 
Here is my take. Follow the link to a couple of knives made by bearpawcustoms. They are similar to your blank. For whatever reason your blank reminded me of these completed knives. It is not an exact replica - just a similar idea. A simple shorter knife without a finger guard.

http://knifedogs.com/showthread.php?36121-New-Model-Smaller-Version

I totally agree with this sentiment. . . "a person can make whatever they want....however they want." However, I would add, it does not mean everyone will like it or enjoy it.

My suggestion - make the knife. At worst, it does not turn out. At best, you learn something along the way.

DeMo
 
interesting shape. wish you had a ruler next to it for reference. I would use 1/2" thick plain wood for handle scales(walnut or maple). this would give you plenty to work with to find that shape so the handle just seems to disappear when in your hand. i want to be aware of the blade not the handle.
i like this law of knifemaking "If is works, there are no rules."
 
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