What are you going to make in 2016?

Justin Presson

Justin Presson

Well-Known Member
I seen a thread on bladefourms that Jason Fry started and thought it would be good to see what you guys have plans for in the new year.

For me I have a few things I want to do.
Make more framelocks.
Make a large Bowie.
Make a chopper.
And against all the purest and my better judgment just for fun forge a railroad spike knife and a knife out of these old bedknives we have from the reel mowers. I contacted the manufacture of the bedknives and they told me they are high carbon-boron alloy steel that the harden to RC47-49...so whatever that is :)

Shop tools I want to upgrade to a VFD.

So let's here everyone's plans!

JP
 
Strictly from a "what I wanna do" standpoint, I've got some new varieties of damascus I want to make......but thats been my driving force for years now. :)

From a sales standpoint, I think liner locks are going to be more popular, and we'll see a further decline in the demand for Framelocks. Kitchen type cutlery is going to continue to be "hot", and because of the proliferation of "knife laws", I expect to see smaller/shorter bladed straight knives to be more in demand.

At the end of 2015 I upgraded my camera to a new Nikon DSLR for knife photography, and am currently waiting on a new light tent and softboxes to be delivered.

As far as tooling, I've been tossing around the idea of designing/building a new type of welding forge, and depending on how busy things are this year, I hope to have the time to bring that idea to life.
 
I want desperately to attempt to make a few folders this year. (I want to make both a slipjoint and a liner lock.)

I plan to take more time per knife this year so that I can add a higher level of refinement to each one. Everything I've done for the last 6 months has been made to order and I always feel under the gun to get them finished, compounded with trying to keep it at a certain price point. I have shifted mental gears on that. The price point will move to reflect the actual knife going forward. I'm sure sales will slow down, but that's a blessing in disguise. I'm a hobbyist. I'm not trying to be the Walmart of handmade knives. Perhaps this will give me the opportunity to make knives AND THEN sell them rather than the other way around.

Big goal: I want to keep developing until I have a "signature look" for my knives.
 
As far as what I'd LIKE TO make.... I have a few new ideas.

In reality, probably what I WILL make.....is more knives and less money. :D
 
I want to become a better knife maker, period. I need to work on not making the same mistakes over and over and over again. I need to realize that making 6 really good knives per year is better than making 12 good knives. Perhaps that will lead to making 3 or 4 great knives as my skills progress. We'll just have to wait and see. Bruce Bump, I think, once said make the next knife better than your last knife. It may have been Art Summers that gave that advice. Nonetheless, I need to follow this advice and keep progressing my skill level on each knife going forward. Just keep pushing that envelope . . .

For 2016 - I want to build a man-cave shop that is separate from my garage. Right now, I have a 6X12 foot area at the front of the garage and my kitchen table. My lovely wife has suggested a shop/garage area being built in the back yard. She wants me out of the garage so she can get a new car. Boo-yah! Half way home. Now, I just need to find some funds and get the city to give me permission. Again, we will see what happens. I am worried about getting 220V electricity into a separate garage under the city code. I'm sort of working on that. I hope it works. I really want a shop!!

By way of knives. I will complete knife number 100 in 2016. I have started to plan it (several times) and it will be my first bowie style knife. I have looked at thousands of pictures for inspiration and hope to complete the plan and start building rather soon. There are some tremendously talented makers on KD for bowie knives and I get to look at all their work. It is very inspirational. Almost defeats the purpose though, as I see one that is the basis of a build and then I see another one that takes me in a totally different direction. I just need to get a final decision made on a plan and get started building. I should be finished by the end of 2016. My fingers are crossed. This knife will be a milestone knife for me and I see myself working on it fairly exclusively until I get it completed. I hope it turns out to be exceptional. Again, we'll see.

If the shop gets completed, I plan to purchase a milling machine. Probably a Grizzly brand. I have grand plans to build a slip joint folder. Then a lock back folder, then a liner lock folder and then a frame lock folder. Perhaps a few other type folders. This is the last piece of machinery that would be required plus all the tooling. Again, we'll see. But, I have high hopes!!!! In my mind, it is a beautiful thing. In real life, all the domino's have to line up before they all fall down. Again, we'll see.

Or just maybe, I will take up needlepoint. I can do that on the couch, watching television, in front of the fire. Nah!!!!

DeMo
 
One of my main goals is to forge the majority of my blades this year. thus far I have made good on that with 6 ready to HT, two of which are pre-sold. I have not yet made a Bowie, nor have I made a large Chopper, so that is on the list. I am very interested in pursuing San Mai but think I need to upgrade my forge and maybe pay Ed another visit. :)

I am adding a few tools this year such as a band saw, Kmg upgrades, and a few more hand tools and increasing my advertising budget a bit, as well a doing a few regional shows. In others words, it's probably another year of spending a dollar to make ninety cents, lol.
 
I'm planning to do some more slipjoint folders as well as a lockback or 2. I haven't given much thought to doing frame or liner locks. I also would really like to start doing some forging this year.
The plan is also to requisition the funds this spring and get a KMG. I would have had one already but last year was the slowest year at work I've ever had.

Chris
 
I plan on making a slip joint folder, a forged sub - hilt fighter and a very high end frame handled San Mai dagger. Should be fun!

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first thing is get 240v to work shop and get new furnaces on line. as far as blades: 2 7"x2"x 1/16" nakari, 3 7x3x5/32 cleavers, and numerous smaller blades
 
My to do list besides my usual knives will be a frame handle bowie with a coffin style handle and a steampunk flair.I am also excited to continue my adventure in making straight razors.
 
My quest for 2016 will be continued education and adding forging to my builds , I have added a forge to my shop and an anvil as well and when I done with the home renovation projects my wife has lined up I intend to hermit myself away in the shop until I hear the birds of spring . In that time who knows what creations may emerge from my shop .
 
I am just hoping to get the metal off of the back of the truck and up on the roof, and then the siding and wiring and, and, and.... Have a nice warm and cool shop to work in with room for me and my tools, and a few more. Ed
 
For 2016 I want to become a better knife maker. So much room for improvement and errors that I need to quit making. I'm also hoping to get some tools upgraded, I need to build or buy a real grinder instead of my little 1 x 42". I need to make a new file guide, and I'm also hoping to save up enough to buy a heat treating oven.

As far as knives go, I would like to try some new things. I would like to do a slip-joint, use a little Damascus, work with stainless (if i get my oven), continue trying different blade finishes and etches, and I need to finish my through-tang with antler handle that I started 4 months ago, and haven't had time to get back to.

-Aaron
 
After a year recovering from a foot injury it has been slow getting back into the forge/studio. Planning to purchase a new HT oven and mill. I still need to complete moving everything around to work sitting as the Doctor suggested.

In as far as making I need to make a new performance test knife and get tested. Finish a folder, and start refining my methods. Good thing is wife is on board with my goals, and is supportive of my upping my skills. Our plan for the year include a Hammer-In, 2 ABS classes, and possibly Blade.

My new shop was completed just before the injury. So the changes in it will not effect the way I would normally work in it.

Happy New Years All!!!
 
I don't remember exactly what I said on the other thread, but I have three things for 2016.

I'm going to build a stainless integral keyhole hunter. Best I can tell, Peter DelRaso from Australia is the only other one to do a keyhole in stainless, although there are quite a few guys doing them in forging steels.

I'm going to build a steampunk style knife with turnable gears inside the handle. Crazy idea I first drew up on a hotel note pad at ICCE in September.

Finally, I'm going to forge. I finished my Guild process in September. I can test for JS in 2017. I have basically 18 months to make 5 clean forged knives. I have forged maybe 20 so far over the last 8 years, and I make a decently clean knife. For 2016, I need to make 5 clean forged ones, and spend a bit of time experimenting so I can pass the bend test. I have a forge. I have an anvil and hammer. I also have a treadle hammer that needs a bit of modification, and a welder to learn how to use.

I'm also president of the Texas Knifemakers' Guild, which I'd like to see keep moving forward in 2016.
 
Hopefully this will be the year of the sword, if I am successful in building a special forge for heat-treating them.

The very first blade I ever made was a sword... my next was a 2" skinner. I've been working my way back to swords ever since.
 
Cool thread! I must have missed this...I was just going to start somthing similar then I found this one:)!

I've got many knife goals for this year- Overall continue working at being the best I can be.

-I'm finishing up a forge and anvil by the end of this month so hope to start turning out some good forged work

-I really want to improve my leather work considerably, it's just not up to par right now IMHO and I'd like to take as far above par as I can

-I really want to learn to do engraving and scrimshawing but that's not terribly high on the list

-become proficient in fitting guards is a big need(no mill yet)

-like others I'd really like to start making more folders-Liner lock and Slip joints in particular

-make more chef knives this year

-I really want to work on taking more time it handle finishing and the millon other little details

-work on making hamons(I do hardening lines all the time bur would like to work on literal hamons)

-I would really like to add a third grinder and REALLY want to add a surface grinder!!

-I want to start doing a tutorial a month so hope to be doing more with that


I'm sure there are more goals if I thought longer, so much to learn!

Have a good Year ALL!

Daniel Rohde
 
This has got me thinking. There are so many things I want to accomplish this year it's hard to narrow them all down. In regards to knife making this is my list.

- Get my new mill up and running which includes getting my collets, end mills, parallels, vice and start breaking end mills. ;)

- I want to really step up my slip joint game. I'm working on truly hiding the pins, getting better at removing all grind lines with hand sanding, as well as improving my file work and decoration.

- I'm planning to start making multi blade slip joints. Blades at each side as well as side by side.

- I plan on finishing or I should say, completely remaking the frame lock that I started over six months ago that I put on the back burner from mechanical issues.

- After successfully completing my frame lock I'm wanting to make many more. I also would like to start making liner locks.

- Learning to forge is something I've always been fascinated with from the first time I saw it in person at Silver Dollar City when I was in 4th grade, and witnessed the beautiful knives in the shop there. I plan on joining the ABA this year. Ran out of money right before Christmas to do it.

I would like to try to get more if us local knife makers in the Kansas City area together possibly once a month or every other month just to hang out and talk about how we do things. Or just shoot the breeze.

- I am also with Justin on wanting to make my first bowie knife.

- I'd like to learn how to do a hamon as well as the Japanese handle wrapping.

- Making my first balisong/butterfly knife is definitely on the list as well.

- I want to upgrade or modify my KMG grinder. First thing is switching to variable speed. Second is to make it direct driver. Then make it able to flip horizontal. Not too happy with the pyro-ceramic platen I upgraded to. So I'm looking to possibly get a hardend D2 platen and water spray setup like Michel Gavco has for cooling while grinding.

- And finally the item I want above everything else (that is after my mill is up and running).... A surface grinder. Oh how I want one.


Small list right? Lol

John

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I am going to make a couple of Chinese swords, and probably a seax.

Plus, a lot of knives.

Here is the first one:

ridge%20of%20river%20jian.jpg
 
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