Please Critique Kitchen Knife Designs

[AlaskanHunter]

Ok, I think this is looking a lot better than my first attempt. If there aren't any further suggestions on how to improve it, I think I'm happy with it, and my wife agrees (she'll be the end user).

Now I'm off to try to fix the Santoku and the paring knife.

 

[jdm61]

I would say that your handles on the chefs knife designs are a bit long for a full tang knife, especially one made from such thing stock. You might have some balance issues.

 

[AlaskanHunter]

How much should I try shortening? Cardboard cutouts don't tell me much about balance of the completed knife. It's 5" now, should I consider 4.5", or even 4"? That seems to be getting rather short to me, but I'm just learning.

 

[Matthew Gregory]

Your next step should be to make one, and use it. You're just not going to figure out what's right or wrong without USING it.

Design looks great, btw, but you'll be telling us what's wrong with it - after you've made it!

 

[i4Marc]

AH,

I think the blade is looking very nice now. The handle doesn't seem too long to my eye. Leave it long for now. You can always grind off some length later but adding it on, not so easy. When you place your pins don't space them with even distances to the front of the scales and to the back. Leave extra distance from the butt in the back so if you have to remove some material that back pin won't end up too close to the butt end of the handle scale.

 

[AlaskanHunter]

Thank you for your compliments, but it's "looking nice" only because you have taken the time to teach me how.
Here is my redraw of the santoku and the paring knife. I like the improvements on the santoku, but the paring knife seems off. I just cant put my finger on it. The cardboard cutout feels good, but in my mind looks worse than my first attempt. Am I missing something obvious? Is it something more subtle?

 

[i4Marc]

Did you take a look at the knives at Chef Knives to Go? Take a look at the paring knives.

http://www.chefknivestogo.com/paring-knives.html


I think more taper in the profile would help to make it "look right". Not so straight across the top and bottom of the blade. Think "sleek". Try graceful, gradual curves instead of long straights then quick curves.


Same thing with the Santoku. It definitely looks ok. But just for giggles, try a sketch or tracing where all the lines are the same except for the following. Using the intersection of the green vertical line and the top line of the blade as the fulcrum, rotate the top line to the right a degree or two so the height near the tip is lowered to a downward angle and the height of the butt is increased a bit. This will do a couple of things. It will make the blade look less blocky or rectangular while removing weight up front and it will shift the balance rearward making the knife feel more neutral and balanced in the hand. Please keep in mind, These aren't things you have to do. This is your baby. Do it the way you feel is best. These are just things to consider.

 

[timos-]

It looks like you are using splines. Look up proper use of spline points, you really only need one at the heel and one at the tip. For the bottom of the handle you need a point at either end and only one additional where the palm swell is. This will make getting nice intuitive curves easier.

 

[AlaskanHunter]

I guess I'm struggling to transfer what I see to the paper, but determined to improve at it. I tried to tweak the santoku per your suggestions (or should I say 'tweaked per what I think I understand your suggestions to be') and I think I like it. I also reworked the paring knife. I like it better, but it still seems to be a bit off. I may be too picky, but if I don't strive to do better, I'll never improve. Someday I hope to be good enough to join the ranks of the knifemakers here, but I've got a long ways to go.

I didn't notice until I posted the pics, but I think that the choil/handle joint needs to be softened a bit on the santoku.

 

[i4Marc]

AH,

You're doing great. If you want to do this long term it is helpful to cut yourself some slack in the early stages. This stuff is hard to do. You'll pick it up quickly enough. The choil on the Santoku is your call. I don't think it looks bad. Do what your heart tells you. The paring knife looks pretty good. Keep in mind how the different knives are used. The paring knife isn't used so much for chopping tasks so the straight section isn't as useful as it is on larger knives. Perhaps try a version that has a nice gentle curvature all the way from the heel to the tip. Maybe try the same thing with the spine as well. For the paring knife take a look at an option of making the front of the handle, forward of the swell, a bit narrower. That would give you a larger visual separation between the handle and blade sections as well as providing a bit more protection for the fingers.


Every day there are one or two more people starting their knifemaking journey. It is the right of every one of them to do their best. There are no rules about who can try. The ones that will do the best however are those who have more than a passing curiosity about knives. Have a love for knives. Be a student of knives. Be a student of form and function. Have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. And try to draw more on paper. There is a connection between your mind's intent and your eyes and hands. When your hand is drawing a line and your eyes see that line happening, your mind will tell you pretty quickly if the line is right or not. Even if you don't draw well the interaction still happens. You may have to make more corrections but your designs will be more intuitive and feel more natural. The more you draw, the better you will be at it. If you can get the drawing pretty close to where you want it then you can bring it into the computer and clean up the lines with whatever tools you have at your disposal.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Good advice from marc.

I really like these last drawings for these three blades. They are ready for steel.