Better late than never .... maybe

So I haven't had a lot of time to spend in the shop these past weeks but the calendar on my wall has me scared as February is nearly gone. I figured I'd better go ahead and get this thread started.

I decided on a more or less classic Scandi design with a peened tang (That may prove to be a fatal mistake for the knife and me, but nothing ventured....) For the blade, I decided to break away from my usual O1. Instead I'm using 1/8" 1084. I won't bother showing the design; instead, here's the profiled shape.




I still haven't decided on the handle. I have a few options mulling over. I need to make a decision soon.

The scandi grind may be simple but getting it right is another matter. This thing has been kicking my bum all over the place. I think maybe I finally got it with blade number three. You guys can tell me if I should be moving on to number four. Here it is, rubbed down with 180grit to take some of the grinding marks out. I also started rounding the back end for peening.



Next up, many hours of hand sanding.

 

Thanks guys! If it wasn't for my new high-tech grinding jig, I'd never have managed it.

 

I tried grinding it freehand on my belt grinder and that was a disaster. I never have gotten the hang of that. Then I tried using the little jig I made for grinding folder blades. That almost worked but grind was too wide towards the tip. So I decided to do it old school. I stuck an old plastic cutting board in my Workmate, clamped the blade to the edge of the Workmate, and taped a file to a stick. It was just a matter of setting the cutting board to the right height that gave me 12.5 degrees on the file angle, and I was in business.



Just goes to show, sometimes more power isn't the answer.

 

Quick question for you guys that have done a thru-tang before. I left my tang the same width all the way down (except for where I'll peen it). When I look at other builds. I notice the maker tends to taper the tang. Should I be considering that? Will it make it easier when it comes to fitting my handle?

 

Thanks for that, guys. That makes perfect sense.

 

Just a quick update on where I'm at. The blade is pretty much finished. I've done the heat treating and hand sanded to 1500. I don't do buffing, so other than a final rubdown at the end, I'm ready to move on to the really scary part; the handle.


(Image isn't great. I realized later that I had the ISO set to 1000, so the bright light made it a bit grainy, but you get the idea -- it's a knife )

I have a bit of an idea what I'm going to do for the handle. I'll post more once I get a start on it.

 

You and me both! It will be a surprise all around, I think.

 

I've managed to get into the shop for a while over the past few days, so it's about time I updated my progress.

Deciding on the handle was tougher than I thought. I changed my mind several times before coming up with the final mix. I stuck with brass for the front and back, since the plan was to peen the tang. At the front, I had originally planned for some antler, but after I got it cut and fitted, I didn't really like it. So I went more modern and made a stack of brown paper micarta, with a thin white liner in the middle. For the rest, I went with a chunk of Myrtle. It's a little more subtle than Maple, though I was worried it might turn out too dark in combination with the micarta.

Here it is all glued and clamped:



Here it is out of the clamp, peened, and ready for shaping:


There were a couple of little flaws in the wood that I hoped would get sanded away.

I didn't try to get fancy with the handle shape. I kept it simple, focussing on making something that felt good in the hand. After some hand sanding and a couple of coats of linseed oil, I think it's pretty much finished.





As you can see, the flaws in the wood are still there, but that's life. The handle is really nice to hold, though it should really be a couple of centimetres longer. If (when) I make another one, I won't have the KITH length restriction. I'm also debating whether to wax the handle to preserve the colour that's there, or leave it and let it change with use. I was also unhappy to see the front brass pulled back from the ricasso just a tiny bit. I should have put some JB weld on there first, before doing the rest of the handled. Lessons learned.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with my first Scandi. I can honestly say it won't be my last. Next mountain to climb, the sheath. With some luck and lots of help from Mr. Chuck Burrows, I'll have one in the next few days.