Charlie alot of the japanese straights are made just like that . I will be making a few of them way easier and great for starting out. I like the design have you shaved with it yet ? Now from the picture it looks like the spine is thicker near the spine and narrows up towards the tip. If it does you may have alot of trouble getting it to hone proper. I know that the angle from the spine to the blade edge is very important to be perfect for the dimentions . Lets hear how it shaves on the face . kellyw