18" Keffeler Sword (K18), AKA The KOD Piece

WValtakis said:
I believe that's the thin ground slicey side, while the main edge is for all the stupid stuff like PVC full of rocks;)

Speaking of slicey, that beast cuts milk jugs as well as my Angus Trim longsword...and that's REALLY saying something :eek::D
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I'm jelly you have an Atrim longsword. I think the point-leading back edge will be superior at cutting free hanging targets, or anything that could tend to be pushed away by a standard blade with a belly.
 
mb> said:
madcap_magician madcap_magician

He made a few proto's. I believe that is one of them. Nathan said the final version of the K18 will be a little different. I would expect them to cut just as well though since Dan is in on the collab.
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madcap_magician madcap_magician I think I misspoke. Looking back on IG, Dan does call the 3 K18's I was referencing "customs." So when he posts K18 action (and to your point), I don't know if he's using a proto, a custom, or if there's even a difference in them spec-wise. I guess anything Dan makes is custom, and the proto would just be the first one. But when I see "K18" now, I associate it with what Nathan will be making.

I think Nathan clarified that with his post, and I'm just babbling out loud here.:confused:;)
 
Dan Keffeler said:
The K18's that I have been testing our customs from my shop. These are the pieces that the production model that Nathan will be making is based off. I am continuing to refine and tweak the design to ensure maximum versatility and performance from this piece.
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So basically prototypes. I know the fuller is supposed to be smaller in the production. Have other changes been made to the production design based on the testing?
 
mb> said:
Hey Nathan the Machinist Nathan the Machinist or Dan Keffeler Dan Keffeler , what did you think of the flex in that chop demo? I don’t know squat about swords, so I’d be interested to hear your design thoughts if you care to share.

I imagine there’s a balance between cutting ability and desired flex, with a trade off between them? Looked good to me tho. Definitely not a noodle.
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I talked to Dan about it last night. There's no bend or ding in the blade. I'm certain that blade can be bent 90 degrees to the side without breaking (I will demonstrate this) though it will take a bit of a set from that. I think that video is a good example that illustrates a difference between a sword and a knife. A sword is not just a large knife, there are additional dynamics and this is one reason I would want to collaborate with an experienced sword expert like Dan on a project like this.

This piece is specifically designed to win KOD. That is a pretty brutal course but our experience in blade racing competitions has shown that your piece needs to be built to hold up but should not be over-built or it won't be competitive. Weight and cutting ability are critical in a competition and this piece is tuned to perform, there's no extra fat on it.

There are trade-offs in a design, but a design criteria that isn't obvious is the particular grind geometry that has been proven to work in these applications is pretty narrow. You can't just change an angle a degree in order to get something to fall somewhere without screwing up the formula. There are some rigid constraints that are not obvious that drive aspects of this design. Being double edged adds width to the blade which changes the dynamics which can be adjusted to play well with the intent of the blade. The end result is something I feel confident would perform at the highest level and would be very competitive on that race course.
 
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