Check Out The New Stuff

I've got some new stuff up at the new location: here .

(like...seriously)

Come and see the birth of a new design! The Slim Tacti-Hunter! Along with some other blades that are all in process.

Took It Easy Today

I made it an easy day today. I only sort of putzed around and made stuff up as I went. It's nice when every now and then you have no pressing matters to worry about.

I got scales onto this hunter early this morning. I've had this blade and another waiting for handles forever! Unfortunately, this is as far as this knife is going to get for the next week or so.

I Party Hard On Friday

Not really.
I just plug away in the shop like usual.

Hmmmmm....my newest micarta had a delamination problem on the top couple of layers. I will have to investigate. The rest of it is solid. I don't know if it was a resin failure (if maybe I didn't put enough on) or if the paper itself resisted the resin.

A New Handle, And Then Some

I wasn't sure how much I'd get done tonight. I hemmed and hawed over a handle for a paring knife and finally went for it.

This paring knife is getting a knit micarta handle. The first time I tried making a handle from this piece it didn't go well. I don't know if it was the epoxy, or just me getting used to using a yarn based handle. Anyway, tonight I found that a little bit of finesse should make it work. We'll see the finished product tomorrow.

Now We're Talking!

I had a good evening in the shop. Even after going to the gym! Usually my gym nights make for slow shop nights. I felt good, however, and got some cool stuff done.

Craft paper micarta, ready to go. Look close...alternating layers of white and black. The base layer is actually three layers of black. That will give a bolder line on the inside of the handle once this gets put onto a knife. A little under 3/16" thick, and 5-3/8" square.

Not Everything Goes As We Plan

The point is to figure out how to fix it.

Last night's mission was to get these two handles ready.

I Did a Bad Job With Pictures

I don't know why, but I thought I took more pictures than I actually did today. Ah, well...I can still get the point across.

I got the burlap/blue linen Paring knife done today.

Today's Progress

The rest of my day...

Primary task was to get the permanent table top for the lathe done.

Didn't Want to Post Last Night

I wanted to sleep on it. My grinding jig for the Small Outdoor knife worked well, just as the Large one. I was just uncertain about the angle. So, I figured a good night's sleep would help in deciding if I wanted to keep it, or recut it.

One thing to make using the jigs easier is to scribe a centerline down the edge of the blade. It's sort of hard to see here.

Flat Grinding Jigs Are Done!

I did some turning this evening, but it's boring and not worth showing off. The important task tonight was to get my flat grinding jigs into working condition.

First order of business was to bust out my new tap holder!!! My current small tap holder is a piece of junk, so I replaced it with a Starrett. I love Starrett tools, I wish I could afford more of them. Most of the ones I have are vintage, but this one is brandy new.

Time Consuming

Tonight's task were slow movers! It doesn't look like much, but it took a while to get there. Combined with a trip to the gym and we have limited shop time. But first...

...destructive dimple die testing! I decided to destroy the work piece to see what my dimple die could endure. Mine is better than the purchased one! Not a scratch, nor a ding. I need to call the manufacturer and get my money back! Also, I learned a bit from this process and now know exactly what I need to make the die do what I want. I'm going to make another one with a different angle.

Just Keep Making...

Trying to stay busy...

Getting dimple dies ready for heat treat...

Last Night's Knives...Today!

Basically, I'm at the point that I wanted to be last night. My pair of copper/mahogany Outdoor knives are sitting on the bench right now...curing. Let's see how I got there...

I usually rough saw the handles a bit...the rest will be done post glue-up. I traced the blade onto the copper liners so I could...

More of a Prep Night

No finished product tonight. Just doing prep work for the existing projects on my plate. Nights like this are good, I feel relaxed when I'm just plodding along sometimes. I made more of the copper Loveless fasteners, but I don't think we need pictures of those, since we all saw them yesterday. On to the new stuff!

I'm a morning person. I'm up and at 'em about 2 hours before I need to leave for work. Time for coffee and all that. I think I need to make productive use of that time. I started a piece of black canvas micarta this morning.

What A Day!

I was pretty productive today. More shop cleaning, more knifemaking, more food. It was the last day of my holiday vacation, so I made the most of it.

Moving on with the little folder. I decided to carry on with the blade and make some carbon fiber scales. Here I am marking out for a filler piece for the butt end of the handle.

First Post of the New Year!

It was a busy day or two since my last update.

The meal with which I say goodbye to the year: Chateau Briand roast, parsley potatoes, and a baguette. This is my favorite meal that I eat all year, and New Year's Eve is the only night I make it.

Meh...Not My Best Day

I wasn't feeling good today. Didn't get much done, outside of prepping some pastry for tomorrow...

ok...so...not a pastry. I pulled a new piece of micarta out of the press. By layering it just right, I got a two tone block to work with.

Another Morning Update

I had unexpected dinner company last night, so instead of writing the post, I enjoyed some food and drink until the late hours. What did the day have in store? And what have I already done this morning?

Work continued on my little fixture. My standard vise setup ended up being too tall for the drilling operation, so I reset with my tool maker's vise. I need the holes to be drilled straight relative to the angled face.

Yesterday's Update, Today!

I wasn't feeling it last night, so I didn't do any writing. I just hit the chair and poured a glass. Let's have a look at what went down!

Took a break from knives to start work on a new project. I'm collaborating with a friend to make some new stuff. Anyway, I needed to do some angled milling. Here I've got my tilting table with the vise mounted to it. Getting everything straight!

Someone Is Having A Good Day!

And that someone is me! I hope. This mood could crash and burn at any moment, but I'm going to enjoy it for now. As I was wrapping up in the shop for the day, I was asked to provide a price for nine knives. Nine! WHOA!!!

Anyway, I had to do some math and get back to this prospective customer while I also worked on the current projects. Let's see what got done today:

New safety glasses! I saw these in the Lee Valley catalog and couldn't resist. I got two pairs.