Group knife build

[Knecht]

Are you planning to make the kukri's handle in your classic style we've seen on your other knives, or the more traditional shape?

[warthog]

I am doing the Ulu, have started work on the Cocobolo, a bit of sanding and the like, for the handle. I also have a block of Cocbolo that I plan on making a stand for the knife with since this seems to be the way these are done. It also makes sense to me so what the heck. (picture of that one later, sorry)

Next is the "kitchen" style knife I was speaking of... sort of a Butcher's Knife look to it and is how I plan on using it. Not sure of the wood I will use for it yet, leaning toward the Olive that I have on hand though. Here is a picture of this blank though...

Click on this one and it should get really big so you can really check it out)

This is a Hudson Bay from Cold Steel which was the Carbon V run of "Classic" knives they did a while back like the Krupp blades they have now, eg Finns & Hunters. (There were about five different ones IIRC but this is the only style I have managed to acquire. I would love to see them bring this line back BTW as it had a much better set of knives IMO and they had wood handles and leather sheaths... farewell Camillus! )

Finally, I found this little Damascus dagger in a box that I had not seen previously.

(Sorry it is so blurry, I will take a better one later)

I would really like to do this knife as well but I lack what I need to finish it up. I do not have any wood for this type of tang nor any space type stuff that appeals to me to make an "RC style" handle for it, which I would really like to do. What I DO have is some trade material, another one of the above Hudson Bay type of blanks, So perhaps someone is interested in arranging some kind of exchange, wood for blank? Maybe even a smaller piece of a separate wood for a two piece type of handle? Feel free to PM or email me if you have something and are interested.

Pix of the Ulu and wood when I can go back outside for them, plus I will take better ones of these too. I don't have the lighting for interior pix unfortunately and I am currently on my Night Owl sleep cycle.

[nalioth]

This will be a sticky until March 1st, 2010.

Further glue may be used, depending upon the situation at that time. .

[BigJoe]

guys thes look great!

Hope to get some handle material today. Road trip to Phonix, whear I have found a decent specilaty woodshopthat has odd pieces for very little money. If I find some good prices I will get some for trading/ gifts. Got a 2"X2"X12" piece of cocobolo a few years ago for $18.00 if I recall correctly. I made a small billy club out of it.
here is the site forthe shop: http://www.woodworkerssource.com/3_hard ... mples.html

They have some scrap bins and samples are resonable to make handle slabs out of.
Hope to post some pictures soon.

-Joe

[Ivan the Terrible]

Beautiful materials you have there guys! I will post mine soon.

[Knecht]

Very nice too! Seems like a good way to make knives that fit your needs but save some tradition. Well done!

[Knecht]

Nice progress RC!

[Knecht]

Cool! Maybe the handle is a little big, compared to the blade? But that's just an opinion, the craftsman work on it is great!

[warthog]

WOW! That was fast!

I have been outside all day, it was cold but nice so I did some of the things I had to get done out there...

I am stalled for the moment with the knife project until I get a few more things. Need to wait for payday for this to happen. Then I will get started on mine as well.

[Ivan the Terrible]

RC thanks for this wonderful post, the procedure has clear many doubts and the handle is great.

[warthog]

Sorry I am so slow out of the gates... I am still needing a few items, once had I can take off. I am simply now awaiting my payday. Then I should be able to finish the Ulu in no time flat, the the Hudson Bay... The dagger is new ground for me so once wood is procured for it, I will be a lot slower with it...

That is a nice piece of wood on that Kukri, I am quite envious. I should be a real beauty when it is all dry and buffed out. Very nice! I am starting to see how this type of tang can be done easily now, which makes me want to get some other types of blanks to try out eventually with this kind of tang... then I should be able to do one of these too someday.

Also, FYI everyone. Once the various "How To's" have been completed by those of us who do these in this thread, I will break the different types of tang down into different threads, and move them to the "Workshop" forum so we can save them for future reference. So what would be best is to just keep posting here about this and the build and leave the pruning and sorting to me later on...

[warthog]

The swirls in the burl must look even sweeter when you can see the Damascus swirls better too...
That turned out to be a very nice looking knife indeed!

[BigJoe]

RC,

Looks great! I like the how to you have done on the assembly for the hiden tang. I had always been curious of the process, and now feel it is more redily avalible for any new stuff I may purchase.

Thank's!

-Joe

[RC1947]

Thanks guys. An awful lot of the work can be accomplished with drills, and a good part of the effort is in shaping and finishing the wood, or whatever you use for a handle. I do it that quickly only because I like to get in a day long burn when I build a knife, without becoming too obnoxious about it (I hope). Also, I've done this, and in the past in a more difficult way, many, many times, and I've screwed up many times, and though I like and use the stuff, 5-min. epoxy is only your friend when you, first, quick shot, get everything right, and an hour later can work on finishing your knife These blades from India come pretty dark, and need hand cleaning with a scrub pad in order to rid them of the scale left from the forge, but other than that, they're a good value for an excellent blade. I took the first kukri I made (12") and compared it to a very nice Nepal kukri I have, and the Damascus stood its ground quite nicely. SR, from India, is sorta secretive with his RC numbers, and I suspect that has to do with how these blades are so easily shipped - unsharpened/decorative blades.

I'm looking forward to see the progression of all concerned, and I'll begin the full tang knife - one critical step, drilling the pin holes, and a couple of non-discussed, but helpful techniques.

RC

[Knecht]

Awesome work RC! Looking forward to try some knife done this way. All I've tried were rat tail tangs or scales (and "box-scales" on sword hilts).
When I have some workshop time again, these 3 blades wait for their handles and sheaths: a kinjal blade, old Solingen knife and an Austrian-Hungarian cutlass (issued to engineers, artillery, medics...basically all those who had no rifle). Early 1900's probably - there were several similar types but without the guard it's hard to tell which one is this. Unless I would want to make it more like a machete style, it has to wait until I forge the guard. So it looks like first come those two smaller blades. I also have a FS dagger blade (not original but well made) and since I don't really like FS daggers, it could be used for something different. Which one would you like to be done first?