Brief tutorial - a simple fixed blade

[JTW Jr.]

Awhile back a co-worker approached me about what to get her son for making Eagle Scout , and she was trying to decide to get him camping gear or a knife as a reward. I suggested she go with the camping gear.
That shocked her , since I am known as the knife nutt at work. Go figure 2thumbs

When she asked Why not a knife ? I informed her that he is getting a knife , only she ain't paying for it , then I asked her permission to make him one , which after showing her pictures of some of my past work as well as my carry knife , she readily agreed.

This is the simple design I came up with:
blade steel 154CM .140 thick (donated to the cause by Alpha Knife Supply)
blade length: 3.4"
heat treat: Paul Bos

The beginning , drawn on paper , then traced onto the steel , rough cut ( and I do mean ruff ) on the band saw , then final profile done on the Bader with 60 grit.


Here it is profiled , surface ground poor boy style on the flat platen and also the 9" disc. Wasn't sure if I would taper the tang or not , so I drilled many holes just to be safe . (blue stuff it Dykem for laying out the edge )


Can't find the pict of the rough grinds... I know I took one though. :banghead:
Grinds done , jimping done on the spine with a 20LPI checkering fille , sand hand satin work done ( up to 220 ) and it was off to Paul Bos for HT.


Fast forward a little bit ( that's knifemaker time for 2 months ).
blade is back from HT , hand satin to 400 grit ( sorry , that all the finer I have in my shop )
Time to start to work on adding the scales.

 

[JTW Jr.]

Next - Drill the holes for the corby style bolts , scribe the profile and off the to bandsaw.


Repeat for other side and now I have a pair of scales....I have also counter sunk the holes for the bolts , which never seem to fit just right , so I turn the bolts down to fit the holes nice and tight.


I then shape the scales up to the scribe lines , and shape the front of the scales so they match , then do a test fit..


All going according to plan , I add the red liners into the mix and shape the front of the scales , final sand and buff...

 

[JTW Jr.]

ok so all is set , I cut the lan tube , test fit it , and disassemble , clean everything with acetone , tape up the blade...
Ready...set


Glued.. yeah the Kant twist clamps are over kill , since the Corby's will hold it tight , but I never take a chance. With the Corby bolts the epoxy is just a sealer.


Now , in a few hours , I can get to shaping the handle and get started on the leather sheath. Screw football....

The plan is to present the knife to him at his awards ceremony , along with a photo album with pictures of the build. Hope it brings him many years of good use..... more picts as it progress's.

 

[Valkman]

Is that all there is to it? Heck I'll go mke me a few....

Nice job and I'm sure he'll love it!

 

[JTW Jr.]

oh yeah , nothing to it my friend

Couldn't remember to take picts of all the other little steps and processes , once I get going , stopping to take picts is never remembered. I did get a cheap $125 Fuji Finepix to keep in the shop , so I don't have to worry about getting the D-SLR all dusty.

 

[bikerdoc]

oh yeah , nothing to it my friend

Got to laugh, took me two years to figure out what your pic tutotial just showed.

Still learning the fine points.

Kudos. Very nice work,for a good cause, by a generous, thoughtful man.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Good looking knife so far.

 

[JTW Jr.]

Got to laugh, took me two years to figure out what your pic tutotial just showed.

I found that to be the case when I looked at tutorials when I first started this "hobby" years ago. I feel the same now still , when I look at the work in progress posts by the folder makers when they do the buildoff competition on CKG.

had someone PM and ask what the bolts look like on the other side...
well...


The heads will be ground off on both sides , the bolt on the show side of the knife will be smooth , the other side will show as a circle with a ring inside it .

 

[JTW Jr.]

With the epoxy cured , it was time to trim of the excess bolts on the band saw and get to profiling. Sanded the outside shape and broke the corners with a 60 grit belt.


Then 80 grit to rough in the contour :


From here on out , all handle work is done in the knifemaker vise using 1" shop rolls in 80 , 120 , 220 and 280 (sometimes 400).


taking shape pretty nice , at 220 grit here.


Love the effect of the red liners against the OD Green

 

[JTW Jr.]

This is about it for today , will do final cleanup , logo and sharpen after I make the leather sheath:





Now to find all my leather working tools....and a clean spot on the bench to work the leather.

 

[Yo Mama]

Dude, lucky kid! Eagle Scout is respectable, and that knife is also.

 

[hso]

That's one lucky Scout! Beautiful work!

Now, have the boy make one with you and he'll appreciate his even more (and you might create another knifemaker).

Again, nice work!

 

[StungunMike]

Beautiful Job. Thanks for the lesson. You've got me thinking about trying my hand at it.

 

[chris150]

Awesome job, and lucky kid. Please, more pictures!!!

 

[7X57chilmau]

Great work, and thanks! I've been wanting to see a step-by-step on a stock-removal build. I really like the result.

I second HSO's suggestion on gettin' the kid into your shop some day. Seeing and doing will give him a deep appreciation of that piece, and may addict him to a new hobby for a lifetime.

J

 

[Fergy35]

Nice work and nice tutorial. That's a lucky kid indeed. Making Eagle Scout is no small feat and this knife will certainly add to the special memory of that ceremony.

I like the idea of having him make one with you. Might just start him on a whole new hobby. Heck, I wish I had someone local to teach me. I keep trying but I make more of a mess than anything.

Also, a quick question - What all can be used for liner material?

 

[PT1911]

that is pretty damn awesome. I am quite jealous..

 

[JShirley]

VERY nice. Good work, and I know he'll treasure it.

John

 

[JTW Jr.]

I will gladly open the shop to him should he express interest.

Thanks for the kind words , shop time has been few and far between lately , but this is one I just had to do , Eagle is a huge accomplishment , I just hope he likes it.

 

[Floppy_D]

I just hope he likes it.

If he's an Eagle, he will. Fantastic work, I wish I had that talent. Well done, sir; I admire your ability.

 

[76shuvlinoff]

You make this look almost easy... Nice job.

 

[Vonderek]

What a terrific thread! Thanks for the tutorial. I hope the young man will appreciate all the time and talent that went into building his knife and that he will treasure it for a lifetime. We should all link to this thread for whenever someone asks why a custom knife costs so much more than a factory.

 

[HoosierQ]

Very cool. Never worked with Micarta or those bolts. Amazing. Thanks.

Fantastic knife. Can't wait to see the sheath.

 

[Erich]

Wow, what a wonderful thread. You're very kind both to the Eagle Scout and to us here on the board. Thanks!

 

[308win]

Very nice. That's how heirlooms come to life.