quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
Gorgeous work!

Thank you. Some leather for them and then back to the Bearded UTI.

quote:

Originally posted by Von Gruff:

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
Gorgeous work!

Thank you. Some leather for them and then back to the Bearded UTI.

New one today. Had an enquiry about an EDC sized Khukuri so have got this trial one under way. A piece of 1075 (.170 /4mm) and decided to do a forge finish on it with a scandi grind. Drill lightened the handle so it has a blade balance for any chopping work it may be used for. I have a hunt organised at the end of the week or I would have carried on with the Bearded UTI but I want to give it a run on a few goats and hopefully a deer to get some field experience in how it works as a hunting knife. I will have a three days to get this ready to go and get all my gear sorted so it will be next week before I can concentrate on the Bearded UTI and then it will get my undivided attention.

A micro kukri! Love it!
Quite a useful tool. Reminds me of the knife used by the winner of the first season of “Alone”
Love the large handle size too. It will give you some extra rear grip position for chopping.
http://knifenewsroom.com/2016/...nels-alone-season-1/

Awesome work

PS
I am not a big fan of clip points, but I can see it being useful on this design for puncture purposes, that would bring a straight line from the tip to the butt of the knife.

Got the Khukuri EDC finished and like the blade weight if it was to be needed for chopping. It does balance at the front of the bolster so feels nice in hand. The asian rosewood is a really gummy wood and clogs up the sandpaper faster than any other wood I have worked with but it does finish well.
The spine front 3 inches is very much like a skinner so it shoud be very handy in that application. There is a good angle on the blade edge from the tip back toward the belly so it will slide under the skin and slice from the inside to open up for skinnning as a good skinning knife should. I am looking forward to giving it a trial at the end of the week.

I decided to make one of the mini hunting versions with 4 1/4 inch blade to take with me on the hunt rather than the larger model. It is more suited to the size of knife I prefer for hunting. I used a thinner steel (.125 instead of .170 for the larger version) and it is a nice little knife in hand. Sort of like the little skinners I do but with the different angle to the blade that will make no difference to how I dress an animal .


Then I made a start on the Bearded UTI's Have them ready for heat treating now with the web between the handle and the blade to sty and keep the warping at bay as the last lot I did had to be scrapped as they were fully shaped and the wrinkles were to much to try and take out. There are two kitchen versions and one camp version.

Excellent to see the beginning of a new kind of knife.
Question... Would drilling a series of small holes along the lines of the web portion to be cut out after heat treatment be beneficial in removing it later?
I think I am going to “need” matching kitchen and a camp versions
Should this knife have its own thread?
Thanks for the update!

I can do the bulk of the cut out of the web with cut-off wheel in the angle grinder and tindy the rest on the 2x72 grinder. I have a few special grinding drums on the way that I think will help to clean up in this enclosed area.

Handsanding a camp version

looks great!
I know it’s a bit early without the handle, but any comment on balance and feel?

I like the feel in hand but as you say without the handle it can be a false input so tomorrow will tell the story

The first Bearded Utility knife done. Not polished to a very high degree as it is a shop test blade to check the cross purpose usage I anticipate it will have. At 14 oz it is a well balanced knife and with the multiple hold options should offer a lot to the user, with the same uses as a Serbian chef knife, an Ulu, a western chef and even a skinner. I will do a video at some stage when the leather is done on the various uses and hold options.



A friendin the US asked about a knife that might have been a Confederate officers knife from the 1860's. Had trouble getting decent antler and would have prefered to use one piece but he wanted scales so that always leaves a lot more of the white interior of the antler visible. I have a couple of lightly curved pieces of good antler that I use on a similar knife.

I wish I was there to see how that bearded knife feels in the hand. Looking forward to the use updates. the lines of the bearded knife are so lovely.
PS. Lovely knife that other one as well.

A little more in the way of trials to be done with a couple of production aspects and I will get the first one done for you as instigator of this project.

How does the knife feel in hand?
Balance, cutting efficiency etcetera?
This seems a new spin on some old designs combined together quite well.

I havent had much opportunity to use it yet but from simple hold and play use it seems that it will be as usefull and cross purpose capable as we intended during the conversational start to this project

That made my day. Thank you.
Looking forward to the kitchen one!

I got the fisture made that keeps them from warping and even straightened one of the blades I thought was in the discard pile just to see if it worked so that one will be the shop demo to go with the camp one

quote:

Originally posted by Von Gruff:
I got the fisture made that keeps them from warping and even straightened one of the blades I thought was in the discard pile just to see if it worked so that one will be the shop demo to go with the camp one

Great news!
They are just too darn cute to throw away.

quote:

Originally posted by Von Gruff:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?...&ab_channel=VonGruff

Brilliant!

Right?!?!?
Can’t wait to get mine to show off.

This is a PH EDC with maple burl over the buffalo horn CB bolster on the 1075 blade


Another PH EDC with NZ Rata over the bronze CB bolster on a 1075 blade

And a pair of blades I made from a bar of cu mai I bought in. It has a layer of copper between the 1084 central (edge ) and the outer 1020 layers. Both are for sale.
This one is a Wapiti Hunter Butcher with Maple burl over the buffalo horn CB bolster




This is a PH EDC with amboyna burl over the CB buff horn bolster.

And finally the bearded Chef which comes in at 11 1/2 oz with the stabilised eucalyptus handle. This is the test model and will give it to a local chef for a week or two and get some honest feedback

I love the look of the trinity pins in the black horn. it looks stunning. You sure have a trove of gorgeous wood to put on your creations. I can see an acid dip to darken the steel to get the copper stripe to shine more to be a cool esthetic highlight if that were desired. have you ever done a hidden lanyard hole? (a recess in the butt of the handle scales exposing a hole in the tang for a lanyard) I bet those knives will go quick!

My wood supply comes from Jason Williams in TX who has the best stabilised handle blocks available. He is a real gent to deal with for those wanting the best of the best he can be contacted at jwstabilizedwoods.com
I do the odd lanyard tube when asked but in the standard format although I have never had a need for one myself in near 60 years of hunting knife use.

A bit of leatherwork finished

Have the first two official bearded blades done with the bearded chef and the bearded cook. The difference is that the cook is made from 3.2mm HC steel (1084) and the chef is from 2.4mm 1095. There is a weight difference with the cook being 400 gram and trhe chef comes in at 320 gram. The cook has slightly more curve up on the blade at the tip for the different chors a camp cook may need it for and the handle is a fraction longer with the lanyard tube. The chef blade is ground thinner than the cooks blade before sharpening for the different uses each may be put to. This pair has eucalyptus handles as they are shop demonstration knives. The local chef is testing one over the next week but is very enthusiastic about the design and how he can use it for a variety of chores. These are just done to 600grit till the packet off 1000grit comes in.

First Bearded Chef after the test blades and it is for the instigator of the design. A grade two piece of Tasmanian blackwood to dress it. Cheers Jonathan for the idea and the feedback during the process. A 12 1/2 inch Cimeter with exhibition Koa makes a good pair for him.

The local Dr is renovating an old home and yard here which had some 150year old Cypress trees that needed to come down and asked me to make a couple of knives with the cypress for handles. Of course the fresh cut trees were too wet to use but her last years firewood pile gave up a couple of dry blocks which I oven dried and stabilised before use.
A 7 inch chef and a 5 inch general purpose kitchen knife will go to her at the weekend.

Another couple finished
A Light Hunter with Spalted Buckeye over curve back brass bolster on the 1084 blade in border stamped sheath with black dye air brushed edges. Just bought the air brush so liking the effect if adds to the sheath
A field scalpel with antique linnen micarta on the 1084 blade
Then Girrafe bone over curve back buffalo horn on the 1084 Light Hunter blade in stamped sheath with honing steel

Nice!

The giraffe bone and buffalo horn knife is just sublime.

quote:

Originally posted by boom stick:
The giraffe bone and buffalo horn knife is just sublime.

I am fortunate in having a source of raw giraffe bone straight from South Africa. Have a half dozen handles worth in the hot cupboard.

Garry, you sure have been busy all right! Like Boomie, I find that chef blade most intriguing.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Garry, you sure have been busy all right! Like Boomie, I find that chef blade most intriguing.

Thank Bill. Been while since we spoke last. Nice to hear from you again.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Garry, you sure have been busy all right! Like Boomie, I find that chef blade most intriguing.

I’ll give it my full review once it comes in.