What's going on in your shop?

I wonder how many of us have done that same flower! That was one of the first things I ever carved as well. I put it on a little holster for my Mom's .38. It might not look just like the book version, but it looks exactly like the one you did! The hardest part to learn for me was chasing the moisture. It's only right for a little while and then it's too dry and then I'd get it too wet and have to wait. You know the story.......
 
Working on my first through tang knives and learning very quickly why I need to buy a file guide for squaring up a tang for a guard.
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-Aaron
 

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Here are the two on my bench now. The Koa hunter is getting the final spit shine. It has a 1095 blade, Koa grip with a inlet Aluminum bronze guard.
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The big fighter is getting the handle fitted and then to the grinder.NCM_0189-2.jpg The fighter has a ironwood grip with copper fittings and a SS spacer.
 
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I'm sitting here trying to teach myself leather carving out of a 35 year old Tandy book. Supposed to be a flower, mine doesn't a look a whole lot like the book's. Just got some stamps and a swivel knife today, first try.

That looks pretty good. If I tried something like that it would probably look like the thing that exploded out of someone's stomach in the Alien movie.
 
look like the thing that exploded out of someone's stomach in the Alien movie.

Ha! That's what I thought it looked like. Like everything I guess, first time isn't usually too good, practice, practice.... I need to find some patterns or a book with a little more modern leather carving ideas. I don't think the roses, flowers, and vines would appeal to the younger customers.
 
Working on the final grind after heat treat and fitting gaurd and spacers on this one.
 

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I've been using a set of 1-2-3 blocks, and let me tell you- they make getting square shoulders a quantum leap easier, but there's enough slop in the bolt holes that I still end up re-dressing the shoulders a bit here and there as I dry fit the guards.

An actual file guide is on my list- as soon as somebody beats me into submission to make a knife with a full guard again. And believe me- the price of the file guide will be built into the price of the knife. I just finished 4 matching knives with full guards and I wanted to run out of the shop screaming with my hair on fire the whole time I was making them. There is a lot of truth to the saying "I could make a whole 'nother knife in the time it takes to make and fit a guard."
 
Calvin - looking good as always

Randy - the San Mai is fantastic

Anthony - I need to get one of those tools too, can't wait to see some more work

Aaron- I'm really liking the profile of the full tang on the right

Slatroni- the fighter is looking sweet, what kind of wood is it and I always like copper.

AkWildman- looking forward to final pics of that one...what will the handle be?
 
A few things from my shop recently.

First... this knife has been sitting in a drawer waiting for pants for the better part of a year. It take about that long for me to build up the emotional energy to start leather work.

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Next, I've been working a small batch of EDC utilities.

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I have two of them basically finished (minus edge and sheath), but fear that one of the remaining blanks may be unsalvageable, and the other will have to go back to heat treat.

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These little guys may get my first kydex.


Finally, I've started rough-grinding on a khukri project.

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I'd like to keep this one moving... will likely do some rough crowning of the spine, then get it into heat treat... hopefully this week.

Erin
 
The first finished blade out of my shop in months is just a little replacement blade I made out of 1080 for a Buck 110.
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Good looking work all around fellas! :35:

Chris
 
hi guys, sorry to spam this thread with a ton of pics, but i thought i'd share some things that i have recently completed. i live in portland, oregon, and i always have a big rush this time of year gearing up for the OKCA show in eugene. the show was this past weekend, and i had a great time. the other good news is that i finished up a bunch of knives in the past couple of weeks, and i'd like to share them here, if that's okay. sorry for the quality, i just swiped the from my instagram (jspake) feed, so they aren't the nicest pics you are going to see today. anyway, i hope you enjoy them!

this is a little hunter/utility made from 52100/1018 san mai with nickel silver guard, and a handle of elm, ebony, and striped ebony
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this puukko has a blade of 52100/1018 san mai with nickel silver guard and a handle of ebony, and 2 types of whale bone
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this hunter has the same san mai with nickel and bocote
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another small puukko with a 1084 blade with a stone washed finish on the blade and a handle of ironwood and antler
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this puukko has a W2 blade with a weird hamon, a stainless bolster, and a handle of bloodwood, african blackwood, macassar ebony and olive wood
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this is either a long puukko or a short and thin leuku, you decide. the blade is 52100/1018 san mai with a handle of nickel silver, bubunga, ebony and recycled piano key ivory.
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this puukko was commissioned by a good friend and turned out to be one of my favorites to date. it has a blade of my 52100/1018 san mai, and the handle is stellar's sea cow bone and whale bone. the bolster is wrought iron with a browned patina.
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this is the first "big knife" that i have made. i think that it is perhaps not quite a bowie because there is no swedge, but its close enough for me. it was a lot of fun, and i look forward to doing more big guys like this soon. the blade is 1075 with a bold hamon, the guard is wrought iron (anchor chain) and the handle is wenge.
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this is the first dagger that i have attempted, and is another commission. there is a great story here, by the way. a friend had an unfortunate incident where a family heirloom antique piano was dropped by careless movers, and he wanted to salvage some essence of it in the form of a new heirloom (this one is much lighter) to be passed on to future generations. i used the ivory skin from the piano keys to create the white stripes, and echo'd the ebony from the black keys. i still need to scrimshaw an inlay with his initials in the buttcap, but this is pretty much finished.
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this was a tanto that i made as an award knife for the OKCA display award project this year. if you are unfamiliar with the process, several makers are given the same blank to interpret, and the resulting knives are donated to the club to be given as awards to members who have displayed their collections. its a fun affair, and people come up with all sorts of surprising solutions. for mine, i chose a 5 sided cross section (double bevel and flat spine), a copper habaki, fittings of bronze and mild steel, and a handle of african blackwood.
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hi,
no pictures yet. moving 60 miles from current location and having 12x24 workshop delivered to new site. put finish on handles of 10 knives yesterday.
 
IMG_0019.jpgIMG_0018.jpgIMG_0017.jpgIMG_0016.jpg Started a new liner lock , a few pix's of the locking cam and my small rotary table I use for cutting the cam . I have not cleaned up the cam slot but you can get the idea.
 
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