Should I distil taper

RodneyJ

Well-Known Member
I'm working on knife # 2 and after reading some of the tutorials I wanted to give a tapered tang a try. thanks to the tutorial it came out nice but I'm wondering if a knife with a tapered tang should also have a distil taper to the blade. I sure it's a matter of personal prefrence but would like yall's thoughts and ideas

Rodney
 
I personally like the way a tapered tang and distal taper mirror each other. In fact, I think a tapered tang without a distal taper looks a bit odd, though the opposite doesn't seem to be true. A distal taper pretty much happens naturally on a drop point with a flat grind.
 
The knife I'm working on is a drop point hunter and I will be flat grinding. I'm using the little 1" x 30" grinder from harber fraight so hollow grinding is not an option for me at this time.

thanks
rodney
 
From what I've seen, the distal taper of the blade is pretty much a natural tendency of flat grinding itself. Got a pic of the blade shape?
-john
 
ok I guess I'll start grinding and see if it comes out naturaly I will have to borrow my doughters camera and see if I can get some pictuers up
Rodney
 
I like distal tapers on almost all blades unless it's purposely meant to be a big heavy chopper, that needs a more forward balance. It looks good, helps the blade balance nicely, and removes some weight without taking away very much strength.
 
Well guys I went ahaed and flat ground the bevels and what do you know the distal taper naturaly came out. thanks for the help.
 
Are we talking A)- a full distal taper that gradually gets thinner all the way from the ricasso to the tip, or B)- the tip being thinner because of the bevel following around the belly of the edge? Of course B) certainly will just happen. :cool:

A true full distal taper doesn't "just happen" for me, I have to work at it. Maybe I'm doing it wrong? :confused:

Not trying to be snotty, just trying to get this clear in my head.
 
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James it started out like "B" but I did not really liked the way that looked so I took it back some toward the ricasso but it's not a full distal. I will have to go and read the tutorial on posting pictures and see if I can get some up. I may try the full distal on my next knife, scared to put to many first into one blade this will be my first one to have a tapered tang and also the first with a guard. don't know if i'm chicken or just conservative.
rodney
 
I hear ya Rodney. I've messed up a couple and only gotten a couple right :eek: They're mighty sweet when they come out right, though.
 
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