Putting Design on Paper

K

KB1SYV

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Hi Guy's

I have idea's that I want to put on paper, but I don't know what the blade to handle ratio. I have a 12' piece of metal, how much of that can be blade? Does it matter as far as length is concerned if it's a full or hidden tang? Thanks for any advice.

Jeff
 
I'm a newbie to this thing but I will state this. I have looked at thousands of knives, read the specs on hundreds, and while there are those who say that there is some magic formula for handle to blade ratio, I think you will find that there is a great percentage of awesome blades out there that don't fit that ratio.

Wow, that was a long sentence, sorry.

Start by measuring your closed hand. Get knife that you find comfortable and look at the specs of that handle. Most importantly, instead of saying "I have 12" of steel, what can I make that will use all of it," start with a purpose. Do you want a knife for kitchen duty, and if so, what exactly do you want to do in the kitchen. If you want a camping knife, do you want to chop, carve, whittle, or what? Have a purpose. Do you want to kill zombies, then keep that in mind as you envision what you want.

Look at lots of knives that will fit the bill of what you want to make. You'll find that there are certain designs that just sort of do certain tasks better than others. Don't be afraid to borrow elements from other designs. Always give credit where credit is due but in reality there are only so many ways to make a knife that will do what you want to do.

I like to trace the piece of steel I'm working with onto a piece of paper and then start drawing designs within that tracing. Draw a bunch, you'll probably only make a few but that seems to be the way it goes.

Anyway, enough rambling. We would love to see what you design and ultimately make.

Charlie
 
most handles are a min of 4 inches and the rest blade . I like about 4.5 inches gives the user more to hang onto . That size of steel will make a big bowie. pending how wide it is and if its narrow a filleting knife. .
 
I'm a relative newbie as well, but I'm pretty much in the same boat as Charlie. I've studied hundred if not thousands of knives in both photos and in person. I wish I could give better advuce than Charlie has iffered, but in my personal opinion he has hit the nail on the head.
 
Good advice Charlie, that is what I do when I make a new design. And remember to consider the knifes use when you choose the thickness of the steel for that blade, if you want to slice things go thin, if you want to chop, go heavy. I don't know that blade length affects the tang style, unless maybe on really long blades, I use both styles, but I like full tangs better than stick tangs. I won't use a stick tang on a chopper or big camp knife.
 
My standard for handle length is 5"......Also most handle scales are sold in 5" lengths.

George
 
Jeff,

It partly depends on what type of knife you want to make, but generally a handle of about 4.5 inches is good. For a knife that is intended to be light and compact you can probably drop down to 4 inches, for someone with bigger hands you might go up to 5.

In the bushcraft crowd, the suggestion is to have a handle and blade that each are as long as the palm of the hand is wide.
 
Most of my handles are about 4" long, 1" thick and 1 - 1 1/2" high. There are a lot of opinions about what is right for a handle. The last issue of Blade Magazine had a story on this very subject.

Some beleive that it should be a 50/50 blade/handle ratio. Of course this doesn't work on big knives. A 12" blade with a 12" handle is a two handed short sword.

I think it depends on the type of knife, blade thickness, and sometimes the person you are making it for. When I am designing a knife I generally work out the blade design first and then work the handle and guard to achieve a good balance.

You want a chopper to be blade heavy with the weight forward for power but this also makes the knife a little clumsy and less maneuverable. For a fighter, a lighter blade makes for a quick knife. For a hunter or camper where you might be using the knife for longer periods comfort trumps balance.
 
Mike Carter said:
When I am designing a knife I generally work out the blade design first and then work the handle and guard to achieve a good balance.

You want a chopper to be blade heavy with the weight forward for power but this also makes the knife a little clumsy and less maneuverable. For a fighter, a lighter blade makes for a quick knife. For a hunter or camper where you might be using the knife for longer periods comfort trumps balance.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike. I was hoping someone would mention balance! Is there a formula (gasp!) to figure out where the balance point will be, or how to get it where you want it, or does that just come with experience?

huh1
 
Rock said:
Thanks, Mike. I was hoping someone would mention balance! Is there a formula (gasp!) to figure out where the balance point will be, or how to get it where you want it, or does that just come with experience?

huh1
Click to expand...

I don't know of a formula. I sometimes weigh the blade and get an idea of what I need in the handle. If it is a full tang I can estimate what percentage of the weight will be forward of the guard.

I think most people want a knife that is neutral balance. In other words the balance point would be right at the guard or just in front of it.

I will usually do a mock-up where I will temporarily attach the guard and handle pieces to get an idea of the balance. Just attaching your handle block or scales to the tang with a rubber band will give you pretty good idea. Then you can work with removing material from the blade or adding/removing material from the guard and/or handle to adjust the balance.

Shifting the balance point forwards adds power. Shifting it back makes the blade quicker.

I make a lot of big bowies with 10-12" blades so obviously it is not going to balance at the guard unless I made a really thin blade or really heavy handle. You can help the balance by adding a steel butt cap to put more weight on the end of the handle but it's still going to be a blade heavy knife.
 
Thanks Mike,

I also plan on focusing on Bowie's when I get a few knives under my belt. I would like to focus on the old western Bowie's, so I took to heart what you mentioned about adding weight at the end of the handle because of the large blade.

Everyone who responded, thank you very much for your advice. I am slowly building a knowledge base in my peon head and you guy's are helping.

Thanks Again,

Jeff
 
NJStricker said:
Jeff,

It partly depends on what type of knife you want to make, but generally a handle of about 4.5 inches is good. For a knife that is intended to be light and compact you can probably drop down to 4 inches, for someone with bigger hands you might go up to 5.

In the bushcraft crowd, the suggestion is to have a handle and blade that each are as long as the palm of the hand is wide.
Click to expand...

I might see myself going up to 5" then because I'll be going for a Bowie design.

Thanks,

Jeff
 
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