Poco Bowie WIP

[pocomoonskyeyes]

OK, I went to the shop this afternoon, Right after I posted in the forge thread of Crash's. To reiterate, this is the design I came up with. You can kinda' ignore the dagger for the moment(Unless you want to make one!! Feel Free to use the designs!!) This is the Bowie design I am using:

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After about an hour in the shop (Kinda' lost track of time) Anyway that is what Dottie said when she came to get me to go run around town.This is how much progress I had made......

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Really rough looking profile. But you can get a general idea. I understand how you feel Crash,canid,Frank - about it not looking good enough....yet.

[RangerXanatos]

I must say that I like it.

[crashdive123]

Nice progress.

[Camp10]

So far so good! I like the design.

[Ted]

What ,can't think of anything bigger!.LOL
Just kidd'n Bro,can't wait to see it progress.

[hunter63]

Looking good, planning on a full profile handle?

[Rick]

That will be one nice looking knife. I like the shape.

[pocomoonskyeyes]

Thanks everyone!! Andy Roy AKA "Fiddleback" of Fiddleback Forge knives, is kinda' mentoring me over the 'Net. He hasn't seen the knife yet or my diagram either. I had some knife makers suggest for me to keep my knives to the "Basic" designs starting out. "They are 'Basic' for a reason", they told me. This is my own design though, although it resembles many other knives. BK 7 Comes to mind. I don't know if I will put the "Blood Groove" in it or not. But I drew it in to see what it would look like.

I wanted to design something that was standard, but multi-purpose too. In a "fighting knife" the tip should be close to the center line of the handle. My tip is just a little above it, Trying to compensate to be a good skinner as well. The width of the blade should be enough to give a good grip if you use it as a scraper (A side benefit of the Blood Groove too... finger purchase)
That is 3/16"thick O-1 steel. It should have some heft,and strength. It should be tough enough to Baton with.

I would appreciate some input from some hard core hunters, as to their thoughts about using it for field dressing animals. It could, I believe be used to chop through those spots that need it.

[welderguy]

I like the handle shape, thats is going to be a nice knife. what are your planes for a handle ?

[Ken]

Nice work, Poco!

Hey, you don't have to rush it ya' know. My birthday is still 9 months away.

[panch0]

Looks good poco, keep it up.

[randyt]

looking good. but be careful, making knives is very addictive

[your_comforting_company]

Poco, I'm a hunter and skinner, and that looks like a really nice blade. I might suggest leaving the thickness on the back of the main part of the blade, and tapering it thinner from the point it clips or drops (whichever you wanna call it lol) to the tip to give you a good surface to beat on, if you need to do some hammering on it to split ribs or cut saplings, etc.
One thing I'm missing on the new knives is the saw back.. a nice set of saw teeth on the back would eliminate the need to beat on the knife for things like wood and you could probably saw down trees faster than beating on the knife to cut them down. A lot of folks talk trash about the old survival knives but the saw on them was always my favorite part even though the saw design was pretty useless as it was (teeth too big).
I wonder if it would be possible to set up finger grips in the blade (kinda like brass knuckles) for scraping, etc.
I'm looking forward to your progress. Keep it simple for now and when you get better at all that is involved in knife making you can work with other suggestions and intricacies and features you want included. Good job so far bro! I like the design!

[standingbear]

Good looking knife I have mad a few from old files (O1) steel that i tempered ( softened with a torch then clamped between steel plates to let cool flat), it is easy to work with and to get heat treated. Will post my knives when I figure out how heh.
Keep up the good work and take it slow on grinding to control.

[hunter63]

I would appreciate some input from some hard core hunters, as to their thoughts about using it for field dressing animals. It could, I believe be used to chop through those spots that need it.

My favorite field dressing knife is a small Buck folder, second favorite is a long narrow fixed blade, with a small hand axe to handle any thing else, (carry all three)
You don't need the big knife unless you are fixing on chopping something, and if you gotta chop it, your doing something wrong.
Big knives are pretty much useless for working inside a chest cavity, or pelvic area, need to owrk in all kinds of directions.

I prefer a meat/bone saw, if I need to quarter and carry a big animal, unless I'm in a really big hurry (don't ask), then a small chain saw w/salad oil for bar oil, is the ticket.

Mostly when skinning, you only need to make the starting cuts, with a sharp knife, then pull, or "fist" off the hide, force your fist between the hide and carcass, some trimming is needed and a small knife is easier to control, just need to know where to cut.

A quick trip to a meat/game processing shop will tell you what the pros use, and it not a Bowie/survival/machete, mostly look like a fillete knife, and very sharp!

[pocomoonskyeyes]

H63 I guess what I am really after, is that all elusive,"Perfect knife". The One all the numpties come around looking for. Like all those threads that start out - "I'm taking just my knife and I'm gonna' survive forever". From a design stand point that is quite a challenge. What would be the "best" design? Oh I know everyone has their favorite design. But seriously, what would be the most useful knife,for as many purposes as possible. I know that there is no such thing as a "Perfect" knife. However I would like to come as close as possible. I am thinking that it would possibly be a minor variation on an existing "Basic" design. That is why I am asking these questions.

[Ken]

Poco, you may wanna' take a look at the 15th.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...h=11&year=2010

[hunter63]

H63 I guess what I am really after, is that all elusive,"Perfect knife". The One all the numpties come around looking for. Like all those threads that start out - "I'm taking just my knife and I'm gonna' survive forever". From a design stand point that is quite a challenge. What would be the "best" design? Oh I know everyone has their favorite design. But seriously, what would be the most useful knife,for as many purposes as possible. I know that there is no such thing as a "Perfect" knife. However I would like to come as close as possible. I am thinking that it would possibly be a minor variation on an existing "Basic" design. That is why I am asking these questions.

I hear ya, seems to be the holy grail of knives, the perfect knife.
I don't believe there is such a thing, even if it Bears $1200 custom.
More expensive/ best?

Your orginal question was in part, was directed to hard core hunters.
And although I might not be as hard core as I once was, I do kinda know what I like and what works, and why.
The answer was my opinion from a hunters point of view.


I can only attest in what I personally consider my "useful" knives, not necessarily "cool looking".

Actually my most useful is a SAK, for all round, next small folder, then general purpose, Buck fixed blade.

If in buck-skinner costume, Green river short utility knife (really do love that one, and if i had to pick one that would be the one), Bowie style big knife, and hawk.
In a different enviorment, the machette would be more practical?

IMHO the classic basic designs are just that, because they are tried and true, made and used for hundreds of years, and the designers, users seem to have a lot more practice on really surviving/living than most any of us.
They didn't have any Rambo movies back then.

We are fortunate to be affluent enough to have "cool" knives, that we really don't HAVE to use.
As far as a "fighting knife" goes, the classic Bowie would serve nicely, but I would have to be completely out of ammo, don't want to bring a knife to a gun fight.

I do enjoy see y'all efforts, creativity, hard work, learning many different skills, getting good at those skills..........You never know you might just succeed in making the perfect knife.

Didn't make these blades, but are my favorites......different tools for different jobs. Green river-small, bowie-big, hawk chopping....revolver for keeping other knife fighters far enough away, so I don't have to use mine.

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[Camp10]

H63 I guess what I am really after, is that all elusive,"Perfect knife". The One all the numpties come around looking for. Like all those threads that start out - "I'm taking just my knife and I'm gonna' survive forever". From a design stand point that is quite a challenge. What would be the "best" design? Oh I know everyone has their favorite design. But seriously, what would be the most useful knife,for as many purposes as possible. I know that there is no such thing as a "Perfect" knife. However I would like to come as close as possible. I am thinking that it would possibly be a minor variation on an existing "Basic" design. That is why I am asking these questions.

Poco, Thank goodness there is no such thing as a single perfect knife! Most of the knives I make are hunting knives. People tend to ask for either a drop point or a clip point for their hunting knife. I make most of them with a blade length of 3 1/2" -4 1/2". I also have made a bowie with an 11" blade for a guy. I am working on a pocket knife now for someone and when it is done, I am going to finish up a blade I forged a few weeks ago for a knife I designed to stick in my BOB.

I guess the point is that you should make the best knife for it's purpose and if someone wants to use it for something different they can always ask you to make them another.

[pocomoonskyeyes]

LOL Thank you both Hunter and Camp!! I suppose you are right. I guess there is no such creature as the "Perfect knife"!! One can only dream. I take no offense and hope I didn't offend either.
Hunter I know, I have more than one knife on me right now!! Only one is a sheath knife.

On with today's progress!! I did a little refinement today and still have to drill my pin holes. But I think that is all before I "Fire" it, for the heat treat. Here are some shots of progress thus far......

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If anyone thinks I need to do something before the heat treat,please tell me.