"My very first knife" - post up!

JeremyBartlett said:
Figured I'd join in on the fun. Here is my first fully completed knife. I had many more half finished attempts before this one. Made this in summer 2015, terrible finish on the blade, big blocky handle, but it was done! For some reason my makers mark came out better on this one than most of my recent attempts. I need to work on that lol
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That's a good looking first knife.
 
Thanks guys, we all have to start somewhere. I've learned a ton these last couple years. And the saying is almost true, practice doesn't quite make perfect, but it sure helps!

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My first was in high school in the 70s. I ground a file on a ShopSmith grinder attachment my dad had. It was a slim bird and trout style and I knocked the sharp teeth off the grip but left enough for traction. It wasn't bad at all and I made worse later. I gave it to my friend and one day hunting squirrels, he started tossing it at trees and sticking it. Then he missed a tree and it went right in the deep cold creek... sploosh. He looked at me and asked, Make me another one? Nope.
 
Thanks for the welcome, guys :)
I know it is not TERRIBLE, but I cant look at it and not see all the flaws. I only keep it as a reminder of where I started from :)
 
We have several new members here on KD, and a few are new knifemakers. This is a thread that I believe everyone enjoys, and may allow newer makers to put things in perspective. Nobody starts out making works of art.
 
IMG_20180827_201108.jpgHere are my first and second knives with first on right, second on left. The first is actually made from a shed handle, so it's not going to cut much. Especially since I don't know how to sharpen that well. 2nd is of 1080 and tiger wood flooring. You can't tell that well from the photo, but it's got great big scratches on it. Critique welcome.
 
First knife I have forged in about ten years. Larger buffalo skinner design in 52100 from a billet I drew out at a friends house.Never mind the finish, I just knocked the scale off with the grinder.
 

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Ember Knives said:
View attachment 64684Here are my first and second knives with first on right, second on left. The first is actually made from a shed handle, so it's not going to cut much. Especially since I don't know how to sharpen that well. 2nd is of 1080 and tiger wood flooring. You can't tell that well from the photo, but it's got great big scratches on it. Critique welcome.
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This is a great post. The first knife may be crude, but the dimensions and proportions are very nice and shows a good eye for design.

The second knife is a quantum leap forward in quality of work and execution. (and you didn't use wood screws) The second knife could be a real stunner with just a little more attention to detail and elbow grease. The big stuff is already there, like good plunge lines, excellent proportions, and a very nice flow of lines going around the knife.

To make it really nice:

More time on hand sanding, more time on removing excess material in the handle to give it nicer curves and a better finish, and more accurate holes for the pins.
 
John Wilson said:
This is a great post. The first knife may be crude, but the dimensions and proportions are very nice and shows a good eye for design.

The second knife is a quantum leap forward in quality of work and execution. (and you didn't use wood screws) The second knife could be a real stunner with just a little more attention to detail and elbow grease. The big stuff is already there, like good plunge lines, excellent proportions, and a very nice flow of lines going around the knife.

To make it really nice:

More time on hand sanding, more time on removing excess material in the handle to give it nicer curves and a better finish, and more accurate holes for the pins.
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Thank you for the critique! One question, how do you figure out where to place your pins? I just can't seem to figure it out on some of my knives. Also it's a transition from wood screws to nails.... but at least I used epoxy! Sanding till it's better than just "ok" is something I definitely need to work on.
 
Your pin placement is fine. When I said to make the pin holes more accurate, I mean to make the hole a tighter fit. That way when you sand away the handle material the pin is sanded perfectly flush with no gaps around it.
 
Greetings all
Been trolling this site for a while and finally got my first knife forged, and finished. Please don't be gentle on your critiques I'm an 18-year veteran of the Army handle anything you have to say.
 

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