It may not be posted Wes.... making this a good question.

Your estimation is the same as mine concerning a hunter. But the other knives will have a different purpose and changing the balance point might help it to be more effective. If the knife was going to be used to chop, I would move the balance point forward by a margin. I like a fighter's balance to be right in front of the guard and a large bowie at the front of the ricasso. Not much difference there but there is some. Balance is a detail that is often overlooked or compromised because of one's desire to use a particular material or construction method.

Thanks Mr. Rhea! This has been very informative.

I know that I have been guilty of trying to use certain materials

or construction on a knife and sometimes it just didn't function well.<img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//sad.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' />

Form follows function is a great rule. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//smile.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':)' />

Wesley, I think Lin is right on. My balance points are the same. One thing I will say is that balance and design go together. If you have a good design, achieving good balance is much easier. Luckily for us as bladesmiths, we can affect the balance with our forging, through distal taper and being able to forge in the bevels.

Brion

Thanks for the Great advice Mr. Tomberlin.

I will remember those things as I work on my next knife.