I think modern tools and materials allow for design elements that previously could never have been considered. An obvious example would be a titanium frame-lock folder. But even on a forged fixed blade knife, where many would argue that everything has already been done, I see a lot of possibilities.

One thing I'm currently working on is a new handle design; one that exploits the strength of modern materials to create a lighter and more compact handle than one would traditionally expect to find on a larger fixed blade knife. While certainly not revolutionary by any means, the idea is simply to reduce weight and improve carry-ability while still maintaining superb grip and ergonomics. I've got a notebook full of drawings and a bench full of test models, each one a little better than the last, and hope to have a working prototype finished soon.

It's become quite fashionable in the past few years for some makers to build cool-looking knives with wild, angular blade profiles and gnarly compound grinds. The sort of thing you might expect to see in a comic book or a video game. I guess you could say some of these designs are also new and innovative, but from a performance standpoint I like to see more thought put into handle ergonomics and blade geometry. Because when it comes to the effectiveness of a knife as a cutting tool, looks really don't matter that much.

All that said, with modern steels and consistent and reliable heat treating methods we can get much more performance out of a blade than would have been possible even just fifty years ago. This, along with the benefits of stronger and lighter handle materials, gives us much greater flexibility in knife design, and I expect to see a continued evolution along this front in the years to come. These are very exciting times to be a bladesmith.

Good topic! I'm anxious to see what comes of it. I think for me at least that a good part of my design efforts go into Damascus patterns but I'm looking forward to seeing what you others work on most.

Gary

Good thinking Derrick. That's just what I'm talking about.

Don't overlook ideas inspired from historic pieces or blacksmith projects.

Derrick, I share your view of the multi grind blades we see nowadays. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> The classic designs will always be appreciated. When you get ready to employ the design of handle you are talking about, I'd be interested in hearing about it.

Your concern of knife weight is a valid one in my view. Even with large knives (Bowies, Camp Knives, etc. )weight distribution should be as much a concern as the weight itself. We can have a lot of control of the "feel" by careful choice in the handle materials as well as good ergonomics.

Weight distribution should always be considered in any knife but especially in knives that will be used in repetitive motions as in skinning, slicing, and chopping. When I have a moderate to heavy blade, I will nearly always have a butt cap to counter the blade's weight. I will fine tune that further by hollowing the butt cap if needed. I can mill out the hollow or forge the hollow. Even the use of a ferrule in place of spacers will be an option to reduce the over all weight of the knife, having little, if any, affect on the balance, it being in the middle of the knife.

In short, I want my knives to be as light as possible and still be heavy enough for it's assigned job.

I am hoping for your thoughts not only on things like weight and appearance, but on the innards of a knife. The attachment mechanisms that will accommodate your unique knife designs. Thanks.

I hope that this is what you are asking for:

For the last few years I have done a number of historical type reproductions and one part that I had to do some designing on was how to replace the cast nickel silver (or brass) handle fittings with today's available materials. I usually will use 416 stainless but this requires that it be machined to size & shape where the originals were usually cast. This can change the balance of the knife as the original castings were typically hollow. Something that I have done on pieces like the pommel to reduce the weight and favorably affect the balance is to drill it out as large as possible except for leaving enough material on the end to drill & tap it for attachment to the tang.

If I am fitting a piece in the middle of the tang and need to drill it out for weight reduction I have often cut a rim into the edge of the drilled hole and fit a thin washer (center drilled or slotted to the size of the tang)there in order to keep the outside piece centered but not add any more weight then necessary to it.

Something else that I have learned along the years on handle construction to always use a mechanical bond as well as a chemical (glue) bond to secure all of the handle pieces. This is often done with hidden (and sometimes threaded) pins. I won't get into adhesives & their lifespan but I believe that they should, whenever possible, be aided with a mechanical bond. This is stuff that isn't obvious on the finished knife but is critical all the same and should be designed into the knife.

Gary

I believe there are always "new angles". At the roots, theres not a lot out there that hasn't been done. The thing that keeps a makers knives new and fresh is to not stay stuck in the same old thing. Stepping outside of one's comfort zone, and keeping an eye on the knife market (and being willing to change with it) is what keeps a given maker's knives exciting.

It's become quite fashionable in the past few years for some makers to build cool-looking knives with wild, angular blade profiles and gnarly compound grinds.

I totally agree.... I just can't bring myself to do those compound grinds. The thing about it though......they sell. As much as I hate to admit it, the vast majority of the custom knife market today falls into the tactical catagory. I think it all has to do with society in general. The customers that many of use dealt with for years have, or are fading away. I can remember a time when any bowie of good quality was a quick sell, but for the past few years I've kept my eyes open at the major shows, and noticed that more and more, makers who bring bowies to shows, often end up putting them back in the case, and taking them home.

I don't think its the fact that we've flooded the market, although that may be a contributing factor. What I believe has happened, is that the buyers have changed. We now have a generation of knife buyers who are constrained by state and local laws concerning the size/type of knives a person can own/carry, and along with that, where we once had a large percentage of buyers/collector who would buy a knife, either put it in a display case or safe, and then on Sunday, when company came, they would show off their knives. I've personally tested this at the Blade Show. A couple of years ago I built and took 1/2 dozen of what most would consider "tactical" folders, and although the had Titanium frames, the blades and clips were of Mosaic Damascus. All of those folders sold in the first 1/2 hour of the show. It took me the rest of the weekend to get rid of the straight knives I took, and in order to do that I had to give a couple up to purveyors.

These days the dynamics have changed. Now the majority of knife buyers want to be able to place their whole collection in a fanny pack, or something else that is easy to carry, and meet up with their friends at the local coffee shop, or even skateboard park and show off thier "collection". Another caveate is that these days, buyers simply do not keep knives for very long. Many will buy, keep and show off a knife, then in a few months sell it off and use the money for their next "holy grail".

I've been as resistant to this change as anybody, but in all truth, we can either change with the market, or we run the risk of becoming the biggest collector of our own work.

OK, lets see if I can load a photo. Ha! It worked!

I mentioned the innards accommodating the outards. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' /> With the encouragement of Karl Andersen, I recently constructed a take down Camp Chopper. The interesting (to me) part of this is that the handle material was Micarta and since my plan was to layer it, I thought I could take the opportunity to make the middle layer into a "frame" and could get it working with the attachment mechanism first and then add the outer layers of the handle material.

This is the frame fit onto the tang and roughly profiled.

I subsequently filalized the profile, drilled the holes to serve as a template for the sides, first drilling one side, then the other after each was glued onto the frame. I oriented all of the Micarta layers the same so when finished, it would look like a block.

Here is an exploded view of the handle parts. The hardest part of the process was getting it in my mind and keeping with the logical sequence. Once done it worked great.

Lin

Thank you! This is very interesting.

Very nice Lin! I once did something similar on a purely "practice" knife where I used a piece of stabilized burl as the frame and sandwiched it between two 416 liners for extra rigidity, and covered it with two slabs of another burl wood. (Yours came out much better!)

Did you find this was easier than drilling a whole block and fitting the tang through it? It seems like a more complex process, but it probably is more controllable the way you did it. Then again, I suppose finding a block of micarta big enough for this handle is not likely, or is it?

|quoted:

I've been as resistant to this change as anybody, but in all truth, we can either change with the market, or we run the risk of becoming the biggest collector of our own work.

Darwin's first rule of evolution: Adapt or die.

Humans are particularly adept at following this rule and surviving. Humans are also particularly adept at inventing new ways of doing stuff.

Joshua,

This was going to be a take down, so from the beginning I just viewed the middle layer as a frame. The frame could have been any material. Wood, steel, etc. By using 3/8 Micarta, I could fit the mechanism into that individual layer and add the outsides when I got it fit up just as with any frame handle. This helped me to separate the issues. There was enough of the coupling nut that remained at the back to attach the butt cap to.

Thanks for sharing , Lin. I wouldn't have thought of using micarta for a frame tang knife. I have been so stubborn about using natural materials for so long that I've forgotten about linen micarta. Do you find any difference in customer approval with it?

Gary, Some like Micarta alot, some only like natural materials. I happen to like it even though I don't use it very much for the above reason. I think it's hard to beat for a hard use knife. I will sometimes use a material that has fallen out of favor if I have good reason.

Great thread Lin. But you have forgotten one important thing. A sketchbook. One of the biggest helps to me is to try out new ideas on paper. New handle designs, blade shapes, etc. All get drawn out before hand. If I don't like something, erase and start over.

Brion