my second attempt at making a knife

[huskymill]

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So I started with a piece of 1040 sheet metal .133 inches thick. I used the CNC plasma cutter to cut out the basic shape. It was pretty awesome, took about 40 seconds. Next I used Crash's technique to make micarta out of a couple of old t-shirts. I took the block of micarta with me to the shop and used the band saw to cut out the basic shape of the handle. I used my dremel with a sanding drum to round off all the edges and that’s where I am now. I plan on case hardening the blade and applying a layer of duracoat to the blade before sharpening it and calling it done. I’m waiting on the case hardening compound at the moment so I’ve got some time before it will be done. Best part of all of this is that I’m getting a grade for this project.

[randyt]

looks like it's coming along nicely. I think a plasma cutter could spoil a fella LOL. I have a big 54 inch circular saw that I've thought about having my nephew take into work and cut out a bunch of blanks on the plasma table but I don't have a belt grinder.

[Winter]

Interesting design. What is the thought process behind the design?

[huskymill]

Interesting design. What is the thought process behind the design?

well mostly just looks. im not sure ive ever really seen a design like that before. do you like it?

[Winter]

It has some cool factor. Best of luck trying to make a sheath for it.

[huskymill]

yeah i realize that the sheath is going to take some thought. im thinking kydex but i havent gotten that far yet

[hunter63]

Keep us posted....have you got a cool name for it yet?

[huskymill]

haha nope hadnt really thought about naming it.

[hunter63]

Looks cool, needs a cool name.......

[huskymill]

well im up for any suggestions

[hunter63]

That's it...have a naming contest!....yeah.....
"Dragon tooth"

[Winter]

"Ted"..........

[GreatUsername]

I have a suggestion for the sheath: you might be able to base it somewhat off the design for Orchrist's sheath in Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Hobbit. Normally I wouldn't suggest taking designs for things from a movie, but the blade is a rather unusual shape, and the design for the sheath is actually ingenious, or at least creative enough that I wouldn't have thought of it on my own

This is what orchrist looks like: http://mikeshouts.com/wp-content/upl...enshield-1.jpg
And this is it in its scabbard: http://www-images.theonering.org/tor...rist_g_lrg.jpg

Now of course, a straight scabbard would work fine, though a bit rattley, but if you watch the movie you can see why this is such a cool setup. The blade-side of the scabbard is open from the hilt to about two-thirds of the length of the sword, where the blade width is the thickest. This allows the blade to be safely shrowded while fully seated, but when drawn the large part of the blade clears what would normally be a narrow and impassable part of the scabbard because it's open.

To apply this concept to your knife, you could try making a sheath that is open on the side of the spine, until the widest extreme of the blade. When drawn, the backward curve could come straight back unimpeded. If you leave an inch or two of the blade side open near the hilt, you could rock the handle forward a bit at the end of the draw, and the bend would clear easily, since the end of the knife would have clearance through the blade-side of the sheath. The one issue with this style of sheath would be that you'd have to be aware of where the blade is when drawing and inserting, but that wouldn't be too big a deal, I'm sure. Just be sure to warn your friends about how to use it before loaning it to them!

You could also look at the designs for parang sheaths, as they are somewhat similar in shape to your knife, though less extreme, and are challenging to make sheaths for sometimes.

[huskymill]

thats a very cool idea. ill have to think it over.

[huskymill]

finished the knife today. havent started working on a sheath yet. its been kinda crazy with classes. I only have a week and a half left until graduation. the duracoat did not work as well as i had hoped but im still learning on all of this stuff. i dont expect to be able to make a factory quality knife for a long time. this is still alot better than my first attempt so im pretty sure if i keep trying and make a few more knives the quality will continue to improve.
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