My First (and Last) Kukri

What an ordeal this thing was! Someone asked me if I could make a Kukri (khukuri) for them and I said yes. I am glad I did, but it was a challenge. I had never ground something so big before, I had never ground a recurve before, I had never ground fullers before...on and on and on. But it worked out nicely in the end and I learned a lot. Unfortunately grinding such a large awkward blade exacerbated problems that I have been having with my shoulder for the past couple years so this will likely be my last. On the plus side grinding normal sized knives feels like a breeze now.

The blade is quarter inch 1095. Handle is Cocobolo and copper.

 

Crazy!! I would not be attempting something like that yet myself... Love the Cocobolo! It is probably my favourite wood.

 

Very nice indeed! I am not usually a fan of fullers when they are thick and broad like that but I must say that it works quite well on this one. I like the abrupt fuller plunge near the ricasso vs the tapered transition end point. Much nicer than my first attempt at a kukri which ended up looking like the offspring of a boomerang and a bowie knife.

 

Yeah Cocobolo is my favourite too. Its too bad rainforests have to be destroyed to get it.... :/

 

Thanks! Yeah I'm not sure how I feel about them. Honestly I based a lot of the fuller design off recent work that Hatcher Knives (USA) has been doing on Kukris. The plunge effect on it was more due to lack of any better ideas or skill but I like it.

 

Awesome khukuri. Do you have an idea of what it weighs? I've been swinging a machete clearing brush this summer and had Popeye arm in no time. I'd imagine it has some serious forward heft to it.

Dan

 

With that fuller and flat grind I am betting it probably feels quite nice to wield. Just guessing but the center of balance probably isnt too far from the ricasso still right ...somewhere around your maker's mark?

 

Unfortunately my scale is out of batteries so I have no idea.

 

Yeah just on the end of the mark toward the tip. Feels good.

 

Nicely done.

 

What a beast! Love it.

 

I like it. Well done. I feel your pain on the build as I ran into a lot of the same issues. Keeping the fuller even is really tricky.