[SQUAWSACH]

I haven't made a knife in a while and I had the afternoon off. I decided to see if I could make a decent working knife in one afternoon. It usually takes me days to make a knife. I don't have the tools needed to make knives quickly and I don't mind spending time on a hobby I like but the one afternoon thing was a challenge.

I had some 1/8" O1 barstock in the garage and many different choices of handle material. I cut the blade with a hacksaw, shaped and ground it on a bench sander, and heat treated it. I didn't spend any time on the blades finish, just hit it on a wire wheel.

I found an old piece of burl that had been sitting in the garage for a while. It was dry so I decided to use it for the handle. There was a piece of deer antler laying on the bench so I used it for a spacer. I used Rhino glue because it has a short cure time (40 minutes). After the glue set, I shaped the handle with a half round file and sanded it smooth. I used super glue for the handle finish because it dries quickly.

After looking at the finished project, I wish I had spent more time finishing the blade. I had no idea the handle was going to turn out as well as it did. The blade and handle look a little mismatched.

 

[Vincent]

You said "working knife" right? I think the blade finish is just fine for a working knife. Very pratical.

Agoetz2005 make some beautiful pens and he sometimes uses SuperGlue to finish them.

I like it. A lot.

 

[Que]

thats a great looking "quickie" you have done there. I could only dream of being able to do something like that. Sir once again I say I believe you do excellent work.

since it just took you so little time to do it I'd imagine you'd give me a heck of a great deal on it :bthumb:

 

[Markbo]

Super Glue wood finish???

Man... I still learn something new here every time I log on!

Beautiful little knife. Those Norwegian style knives with no bolster to stop the finger from slipping on to the blade worry me a bit though... as me why.

4 fingered Mick

 

[cnelson181]

That is truly a beautiful work of art.

If that only took you an afternoon I'm afraid and excited to see what you could do with more time.

Just awesome.

I have a special place in my heart for handmade knives. I have some old Marbles, Hess, Bark River, Rapid River, and Anza knives.

If you can whip that out quick, you could sell a bunch of them here I bet. I'll buy one.

Great job.

Craig N.

 

[Handcannons]

Squawsach,
Haven't seen you around here for awhile.
That is a very nice knife,I like the style of it and the handle material came out looking great and I have seen blade finishes that where not that good and some guys think there done. I don't see any Grind marks so you put a nice satin finish on it
Ilike it.
Dave

 

[Arrowhead]

That is a good looking knife and especially for only a half day's work. I really like the figure in the handle. What kind of wood is it?

 

[small]

Wow that knifes got some nice wood, Great job, now make a sheath and price tag.

 

[HUSHKABOOM]

Very well done! Takes me about half a day to decide what handle material to use.

 

[Old Hickory]

Sure is nice! Hey, about the handle length, give yourself a pat on your back for me. Many of my knives have longer handles than average knives because I firmly believe a knife is a working tool and has to have enough handle. You can bet on most of my knives having at least a 4 1/2" handle, some longer after I measure the customer's hand with my own hand. I make the handles at least as long as the customer's hand is wide and they seem really happy with the idea and fit.
Another thing, that is a fine choice of handle material and more for an owner to show off.
See, you are even better than you thought you are.

 

[050]

i remember havin a conversation with the late ralph bone one day at the tulsa show back in the early '90s.... among other things, he told me of the time dan dennehey came to visit his shop......

dan mentioned that he'd like to see how ralph made BONE knives sometime....ralph invited him out to the shop to show him.....dan said it was late, and they didn't have time before dinner...

ralph asked him "you don't have 15min?"

dan was in shock, but ralph took him out to the shop, handed him a watch to time him with, then walked him through his process.... he did everything but the heat treat and waitin for the epoxy to dry on the stacked leather handle, and finished it 'cept for the sheath in 15min!!!!!....

not every knife design can be done quickly, but most successful knifemakers i know can put out a finished workin grade knife complete with sheath in less that one manhour of labor....

this may seem like alot of money for the time involved, consider the time spent on everything other than makin the knife that goes into gettin out in the marketplace, most are lucky to make $15hr before taxes......not much for a jouneyman or master craftsmen!!!!!!...

'satch, i get a very serviceable satin finish by grinding with 60gr, heat treat, then finish grind with 60gr/120gr/220gr cork face polishing belt or scotchbrite wheel/belt for the final finish.....when doin batchs (the only way to go!) i have about 10min in my finished blade blank ready to handle up.....

find a satin finish you're happy with, and figure how to do it quick and easy....and, don't be afraid to modify your designs to make them easier/faster to build....

you've shown you can make a difficult knife, now apply that thinkin cap on makin a workin knife as quick and inexpensive for your customers as possible!!!

cletus

 

[Te Hopo]

For a quick knife, that is a beauty!
I quite like a dull blade finish on a working knife, and that handle looks great on there.

 

[Ozob]

A 'quicky' made from stuff at hand in an afternoon. Man, I can't plan and execute a trip to the mail box in less than a week.... True talent always shines through! Another beauty.:t :t :t

I am always inspired by your work. I just need to figure out how to get the talent part to follow along.

 

[Handcannons]

This is for cletus,
Hey cletus why don't you show us one of your 1 hour knives so that we can see the fit and finish you describe. I know I would like to see it.
Dave

 

[050]

that one is less than 1hr with sheath!...heck, i think the sheath took 3x as long as the knife!... i've make over 1k of that knife (thinner stock and with slabs) so i have all my patterns........i wish i had some other pics to show ya....it's as much design as it is time on fit/finish...some knives are just easier to make than others, it's just that simple.... the randall/bone/stone style of clip point stick tang is extremely fast to make except for fitting the guard.....a broach fixes that, but is only economical if you're doin a bunch...they ain't cheap!

.... other than mirror polished, file worked, tapered tang, etc, pretty much all my stuff could be made in one hr, once i learned my skills and made stuff in good sized batchs...it's the constant set ups that eats your production time...... makin a bunch of the same knife over and over will speed ya up also....you don't spend so much time lookin at it wonderin about the exact next step....

look at john greco or bob dozier's using grade stuff.... johns stuff is a bit quicker due to the blasting, but their using grade stuff is designed for ease and speed of makin... if you couldnt' copy one of bob's knives in an hr, you just ain't tryin!!!....not countin his sheath, of course...

how many knives to you get out of the shop weekly??? how many hrs???

 

[Handcannons]

I Don't Hollow grind and every knife that leaves my shop has handles and is Flat ground with a mirrior finish and a leather sheath.I'm 65 years old know and only work about 3 days a week and get out 5 knives a month. Prices range from $150 to $1100.
I use to make all metal knives until I tried to gut and skin a Elk in -10 degrees weather and that steel knife got so cold you couldn't hold onto it and the blood made it even worse as it got slippery
Dave
http://bearpawcustoms.blademakers.com

 

[Old Hickory]

That sure is interesting what you fellas are saying. I sure like those quickie knives when you can kick them out that fast and they look that good. Just like my old single speed Square Wheel, I only got one speed, though.

 

[050]

I Don't Hollow grind and every knife that leaves my shop has handles and is Flat ground with a mirrior finish and a leather sheath.I'm 65 years old know and only work about 3 days a week and get out 5 knives a month. Prices range from $150 to $1100.
I use to make all metal knives until I tried to gut and skin a Elk in -10 degrees weather and that steel knife got so cold you couldn't hold onto it and the blood made it even worse as it got slippery
Dave
http://bearpawcustoms.blademakers.com

skin out an elk in -10deg weather w/ a skeleton knife???....lol...no thx, i'll just watch that one!!!!.....lol...

i do like a skeleton for everyday carry (i live in town), or while fishin/etc though...and, i sold alot of them to cops/military folks in full sized models for use at work...

i just really don't like buffing, and used satin finished blades to cut costs to my customers and give me a break....lol..

i mentioned mr bone's tale just to give folks an idea of what someone can do that puts their mind to it like any other production business.... my jaw was on the floor as he was tellin me about it.....15min!?!?!?...lol....

cletus