If you would like to take your Guard/spacer/handle fit up to the next level...

Chris Railey

Chris Railey

Well-Known Member
Watch this video. I do not know this Kyle Royer cat so I happened up on his video while doing some research. He sure can fit a guard. In this video he shows how to get perfect fit with inexpensive tools. I know we have discussed most of the method here but seeing him do it really helped me solve a couple of small aesthetic issues I was having.
 
Kyle is a very talented guy, a little eccentric, but super talented for sure. I've spoken with him at blade a few times and he is always more than willing to give advice.
 
I've watched several of Kyle's videos and he does a GREAT job of explaining each step. Truly talented.
 
I believe Kyle is (so far) the youngest ABS MS in the organization's history. The year he made MS, his Dad and I had a long conversation about Kyle's future. Kyle and all his siblings are/were home schooled their entire lives, and so they all are very well educated, but somewhat socially awkward....and I believe that's where the eccentric kicked in... as a coping mechanism for Kyle.
Kyle's Dad wanted to know if I thought Kyle should become a full time Bladesmith, or go to college. I tried to explain how fickle the custom knife market is, and that when Kyle's "new" wore off, it might be a very tough time, both monetary wise, and more importantly, emotionally. I've been at this game for a lot of years, and have seen young guys have some minor success/popularity, and then jumped into full time knifemaking, only to be crushed emotionally when they were no longer relevant/popular. Because of that, I strongly recommended college, or something to fall back on. We didn't keep up, and I don't know if Kyle ever did, or is going to college, but there's no doubt he is a very talented Bladesmith.
 
I've been following Kyle on YouTube for a while now. He is a superb craftsman and a good teacher. His swords are awesome.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
I believe Kyle is (so far) the youngest ABS MS in the organization's history. The year he made MS, his Dad and I had a long conversation about Kyle's future. Kyle and all his siblings are/were home schooled their entire lives, and so they all are very well educated, but somewhat socially awkward....and I believe that's where the eccentric kicked in... as a coping mechanism for Kyle.
Kyle's Dad wanted to know if I thought Kyle should become a full time Bladesmith, or go to college. I tried to explain how fickle the custom knife market is, and that when Kyle's "new" wore off, it might be a very tough time, both monetary wise, and more importantly, emotionally. I've been at this game for a lot of years, and have seen young guys have some minor success/popularity, and then jumped into full time knifemaking, only to be crushed emotionally when they were no longer relevant/popular. Because of that, I strongly recommended college, or something to fall back on. We didn't keep up, and I don't know if Kyle ever did, or is going to college, but there's no doubt he is a very talented Bladesmith.
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Ed, well said! With the ridiculous cost of college these days a trade school has become more attractive.
 
MTBob said:
Ed, well said!
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My thought exactly. I think this is the best answer that I ever heard to this question. I hope you're OK with me using this and referencing you in the future.
MTBob said:
With the ridiculous cost of college these days a trade school has become more attractive.
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I've recommended the trade route before as well. I remember very clearly when I learned this lesson, unfortunately too late. My upbringing valued education, and the higher the better. ~ 3 years after spending `$50K for my masters, owning and running 2 PT clinics, (but in a whole lot of debt) I became friends with guy my age who was an electrician since high school, and I initially thought about how he should have gone to college, etc. I then realized that although I was earning more salary, he had no debt, a house, boat, vacation home, 3 days off a week to fish/hunt....Who was smarter????
Thanks for letting me rant;)
 
Kyle is GREAT! I follow him on YouTube and like many on here he is very willing to help and routinely answers my dumb questions!!
 
billyO said:
My thought exactly. I think this is the best answer that I ever heard to this question. I hope you're OK with me using this and referencing you in the future.

I've recommended the trade route before as well. I remember very clearly when I learned this lesson, unfortunately too late. My upbringing valued education, and the higher the better. ~ 3 years after spending `$50K for my masters, owning and running 2 PT clinics, (but in a whole lot of debt) I became friends with guy my age who was an electrician since high school, and I initially thought about how he should have gone to college, etc. I then realized that although I was earning more salary, he had no debt, a house, boat, vacation home, 3 days off a week to fish/hunt....Who was smarter????
Thanks for letting me rant;)
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My FIL is an Electrician/plumber/builder and he is 72 years old and has operated his own successful business for 50 years. He will tell you outright that there are no tradesman in his business coming up after him. Soon there will be a huge gap in availability of builders/plumbers/electricians etc. really good time to get into one of those trades. No student debt, plenty of business to go around. Wish I was 20 again.
 
Ok, here's a serious question regarding Kyle's guard/handle assembly method.
Instead of meticulously fitting the long portion of the slot in the guard to the flat face of the Ricasso, why not file or mill another relief on the flat of the ricasso so the guard abuts that face? That essentially hides the joint behind a relief in the Ricasso on all four sides and minimizes the exactness of finishing the inside face of the guard.
 
MTBob said:
Ok, here's a serious question regarding Kyle's guard/handle assembly method.
Instead of meticulously fitting the long portion of the slot in the guard to the flat face of the Ricasso, why not file or mill another relief on the flat of the ricasso so the guard abuts that face? That essentially hides the joint behind a relief in the Ricasso on all four sides and minimizes the exactness of finishing the inside face of the guard.
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Dumbo alert ! I no comprende. Can you show me a picture, please?
 
MTBob said:
Ok, here's a serious question regarding Kyle's guard/handle assembly method.
Instead of meticulously fitting the long portion of the slot in the guard to the flat face of the Ricasso, why not file or mill another relief on the flat of the ricasso so the guard abuts that face? That essentially hides the joint behind a relief in the Ricasso on all four sides and minimizes the exactness of finishing the inside face of the guard.
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There are a lot of folks who do it that way, and I to do it occasionally. Typically, I simply do a guard slot that is tapered towards the front, and forge/grind the tangs of my knives in a taper.... then do that "press fit", and usually get a seamless fit that way. We have a video on KMT of "Seamless Knife Guards"
I personally love the fact that different folks come up with different methods....and share them. Often times my students will blend various methods and create something that is distinctly theirs. :)
 
Bruce McLeish said:
Dumbo alert ! I no comprende. Can you show me a picture, please?
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Bruce, I'm leaving on a fishing trip tonight, will be out for several days. When I return I'll sketch up what I attempted to say. Just think of the guard fitting up to a shoulder all the way around the blade.
 
MTBob said:
Bruce, I'm leaving on a fishing trip tonight, will be out for several days. When I return I'll sketch up what I attempted to say. Just think of the guard fitting up to a shoulder all the way around the blade.
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His video that was shared was just the cheaper way to do something. He had other videoes where he just mills all four sides of the ricasso and fits it flat, instead of this method. When I do this with files, my fits is still not perfect. Ain’t terrible, but I usually end up with a hump and can never fully eliminate it.
 
This reminds me of a story that one of my coworkers told me of a physician that she used to work with. He ended up not being able to handle the work emotionally and had to give it up. He ended up learning to be a welder and got a good job make decent pay plus he got to wear his beard down to his chest and his hair in a ponytail. He traded his malpractice insurance for union dues and was never happier in his life.

Doug
 
Doug Lester said:
This reminds me of a story that one of my coworkers told me of a physician that she used to work with. He ended up not being able to handle the work emotionally and had to give it up. He ended up learning to be a welder and got a good job make decent pay plus he got to wear his beard down to his chest and his hair in a ponytail. He traded his malpractice insurance for union dues and was never happier in his life.

Doug
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Love hearing success stories!
 
When I was young there were no manual trade programs in any colleges nearby...Pierce College offered programming classes and GD&T classes...took everything but no degree program. My best friend went to UCLA to become a mechanical engineer I went and did an informal apprenticeship in a toolmaking shop. Over the years we would compare incomes...I was consistently 3-5k up...he would get so irritated that I made more while being "uneducated"...to which I would get irritated and remind him that I got paid the entire time I was learning and had no student debt to repay....yep...sometimes ya gotta twist the knife.
 
I've seen the reduced tang approach that lets the ricasso set flat on the guard. My brain itch is, having never seen one real up close in hand, wouldn't that put a square (or nearly so) junction between the blade and tang just exactly in the worst way at the worst spot possible on a knife blade? How would you get enough radius on that cut to avoid a stress riser?
 
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