Shop Talk Q4 - Build Challenge - Kephart Knife

I ended up saving my Zmax blade for later experiments. I did heat treat a hitachi Blue2 blade this past weekend. 10 minute soak at 1480 deg.F into the parks 50 for a few seconds and then finished cooling it between plates.
Ill take some pics when it gets ground.
 
FredyCro said:
Really cool thread, keep the pics coming.

N Natlek let me know if you want, and I can put you a block of walnut in the post free of charge.
Click to expand...
Thanks for offer Fredy but I have walnut more then I will use in my life .I cut walnut for scale 8 , 9 and 10mm thick and I was thinking that 10 mm will be not enough ....And to cut thicker scales, I should have gone to a friend in his furniture factory :) Anyway, these are the third scales....from 10mm thick Iroko wood 🤣 I made the first one from beautiful mulberry, the next one from something like G10 but white as snow but i cut them too short in front :mad:
I am almost done , all that's left is to thin the carbon pins on lathe, to glue scale and shape the handle a little more.....
RuRgCTp.jpg

:eaving one or two millimeters of excess wood on the handle is smart, you will get a better radius/shape at the end after hand sanding/finishing handle
UmhyNXg.jpg

EL9W1lK.jpg

The balance of the knife moved only 5mm. Light wood and cabon pins..................... :)
 
Tony Mont said:
Since micarta cannot be peened like a metal guard to close up any tiny gaps, I used my file guide while filling. This ensures I will not overdo it while filling.
This step is a bit repetitive, file a bit, try it, replace the file guide, file a hair more and retry etc.
View attachment 2389742
Click to expand...
I make/use vice just for that task :) When I file flat one side I use this file /surface grinded both side , teeth only on spine / and shims in different thickness to adjust how much I grind on other side . So I am 100% sure that both sides will be parallel and it will be easy and fast to put the guard back in vice after the test fit........I hope this all makes sense :(
1eMnzzM.jpg

File and shims for fixing guard in vice
2EWql1j.jpg

xbiTNhb.jpg

azArnmN.jpg

40WjrND.jpg

XiSZ9J0.jpg

HHm7eb4.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hello Guys,

Firstly thank you all for your fantastic posts on this thread, they are truly inspirational.

I thought long and hard about the steel for this knife as I would like to remain as close to the original specification as possible, I decided on a forging type steel and thought high carbon may give the best results. I did wonder if the knife had been made from a bit of old plough blade or something like that but you can only speculate so much and so ended up deciding on 26C3, I am probably miles off.
Anyway, my bar stock has arrived and I have promised myself to sit it on the anvil and hit it a bit with a hammer so I can call it forged. Also ready are my pins which will be six inch nails. Walnut is on its way from the other side of the pond thanks to Bob, Rufus1949 Rufus1949 .
 
Last edited:
Crag the Brewer said:
First time using it..... I hope to get Better.
(I'm a free-hander)
Idk if it would work good for those angle jig guys?

I Really do like it though.
It's a little heavy, but it's well balanced.
I looked around a bunch. I wanted carbide, stainless, and wide enough for kitchen knives
Click to expand...
I ordered one and I am an angle jig guy that hopes to become a free hander. I use the easy jig that Walter Sorrells has on his YouTube channel and it works great with it. If you were going to use a high angle plunge I don't think it would work but I did a knife with a 20ish degree plunge and another with a 90 and it worked great I'm sold. I may even spring for the expensive one you have posted. I just got the economy one from pops and it works fine, I think with heavy use it'll get gouged all to hell though.
 
Done , and I like it even more now ... Horace Kephart designed an excellent knife, thanks for that . I hope that I copied at least 70% of the original. Tomorrow I will grind new one , with longer blade :)

UsPnhVq.jpg

Vkt3J8B.jpg

nlrUnYI.jpg

OMLTSut.jpg

balance is between Ricasso and front pin weight 135 grams

uGQa1x9.jpg
 
Last edited:
Natlek said:
Done , and I like it even more now ... Horace Kephart designed an excellent knife, thanks for that . I hope that I copied at least 70% of the original. Tomorrow I will grind new one , with longer blade :)

UsPnhVq.jpg

Vkt3J8B.jpg

nlrUnYI.jpg

OMLTSut.jpg

balance is between Ricasso and front pin weight 135 grams

uGQa1x9.jpg
Click to expand...
Looks amazing - well done! I hope to finish mine this weekend.
 
Looks like a great start aareeyesee .

Ill post some pics on Sunday After I finish my grind. Ill make sure I get my rough ground edges and geometry, the convexing part ... Im planning to convex to zero thicness behind the edge and then just touch up the edge on my nanohone 400 grit stone. For the handle, I think Im gonna go for peened brass pins on the toughest and plainest wood i can find in my stash.
 
I won't be able to participate in this time frame, but I'm glad that this thread is here with all its collective knowledge. Horace Kephart is buried in a graveyard across from my elementary school and behind the church I went to growing up. "Our Southern Highlanders" are my people and his national park legacy was my playground. With these connections, this knife has been on my wish list since I started making knives. Unfortunately, I need to close out other projects first. Maybe I can have one ready in time for spring camping.
 
Natlek said:
Knife need sheath ? Which one you will make ?
luHZPpI.jpg

BaMIjFy.jpg
Click to expand...
Kephart is retained best in that taco style sheath. Needs to be just snug when the bolster goes in. Having tried both. If you do one with retaining strap, build it with the strap low and close to the bolster so knife doesn't try to slip up. Kabar got it right with their BK 62 sheath IMHO.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top