Photos My First Attempt At A Build

Bühlmann

Bühlmann

North Lake Forge
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Jan 6, 2022
Messages
475
Hello. I am humbled by the talent I see here, so I hope by posting I can improve my skills and share some experience and follies along the way. I shaped this out of a cutoff scrap piece, so the tiny size is a function of that. Only 4” long, a little two-finger hold box cutting sheepsfoot. 1075 stock removal. I attempted a chisel grind, but I didn’t do it right so I ended up with secondary bevels. Wood is curly maple with some leather dye, black vulcanized liners, & topped with about a half dozen coats of pure tung oil. Pins are copper sleeved in brass, peened & ground.

There are plenty of flaws and missteps, and learned much by fixing even more. We’ll see how the next one goes. Critiques & tips welcome & encouraged!


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Yeah. For a first I would say there is a lot of really, really good technique there. The only thing I might say is strive for a thinner edge when you are grinding … something like 0.008” or less. You will really notice the difference. great work!
 
Nice job, lots of positives.
You have a clean tang without scratches on the spine. The finish on the wood looks nice, the file work is evenly spaced.
A few points: 1) you want to get the flats clean and the handle polished at the front before gluing to avoid the arc of scratches in front of the scale, 2) try for a crisp plunge and transition from the bevel to the flat, 3) the secondary bevel gets a lot taller towards the tip. This probably means that the edge is thicker there. That is OK and perhaps desirable to some degree, but maybe not as much as you have here.

I'm looking forward to seeing your next one.
 
I agree with everyone above. One thing I'll add is to watch how close to the edge you drill your lanyard holes. The thinner the material, the more likely it could crack or break.
 
Make more knives and enjoy it.
Have a tube in the lanyard hole, it prefents the wood from splitting
 
Thank you fellas. The lanyard hole is 3/16" with 3/32" material left at the tang radius. That looked okay to my eye in terms of proportions and spacing. I snapped another pic for clarity, since the small size and odd angles of my original pics may be misleading. I still may not have given myself enough material though, let me know your thoughts. I like the tube idea, and will incorporate that for sure on my next go. Thanks!
https://imgur.com/a/VLNEa7u
 
Ah, that does look a bit better from that angle.
 
Without a thing tube to provide internal support the thin wall of wood on the backside of the thong hole, it will snap off easily in use. Not the end of the world, but annoying. Many folks just break the other side off and clean the gaps up evenly on both sides to make it look like an exposed tang thong hole.

To reiterate Richard's handle suggestion:
After drilling the scales to fit the tang, temporarily attach them together with pins or dowels. Use a strong rubber band, tape, or a clamp to hold them snugly together. Sand and shape the front end to the final grit, then buff it. This solves the difficulty of trying and do this work on the finished knife after installing the scales. The rest of the handle can be easily done after assembly.
Also, once the handle is assembled on the finished blade, tape the blade up with several layers of blue painter's tape to protect it from accidental scratches while shaping and sanding the handle.
 
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