Dave Stephens Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Most times, experimenting with new techniques leads to failure on the first attempt, but sometimes it doesn't! I have always struggled with producing parallel plung cuts on double edged blades. Most of the time I end up abandoning the grinder and slowly hand filing or carving (with the foredom)them in. Like most, I grind edge up. The other day, however, my buddy Shane Harvey bought a video by Harvey Dean on flat grinding. Shane mentioned that Mr. Dean alternates from edge up and edge down to keep the tang on the same side of the wheel. Since I figured that the unevenness might be coming from the left hand/right hand thing, I tried it. It worked like a champ! These are probably the cleanest, most parallel plunge cuts I've produced 100% via grinder (i.e. no substantial hand work w/ files or foredom). Other new things I tried on this blade: 1 -- I wanted a reall dramatic double edge hollow grind, so I used a very small (2") wheel and did chisel grind. This was the first time I tried that and I like the effect. I picked up the idea from Uli (amazing bladesmith) and his Quip blades. 2 -- This is the first time I really used my milling machine to mill a precise tang so I could do a press fit on the bolster. It worked great. No solder. No epoxy. Anyway, here's the result. I hope you guys like it. Cheers, Dave <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KirmnYnBWSIYAI14G-Jpw2hMoiNTpo6dPYCztvGusfc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-FWnat7Wwxks/TgawlbJAR2I/AAAAAAAABpA/F-fBTFAg7ig/s800/IMG_0466.JPG" height="541" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/DaveStephens907/CarvedBootDagger?authkey=Gv1sRgCPG50t2q4ZKbwQE&feat=embedwebsite">carved boot dagger</a></td></tr></table> <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/C6nhkUWUzqsmpidnh_6MOmhMoiNTpo6dPYCztvGusfc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-3ZiWFZ_KNWw/TgawlzSKAPI/AAAAAAAABpE/wXOXFQj9Cik/s800/IMG_0464.JPG" height="800" width="178" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/DaveStephens907/CarvedBootDagger?authkey=Gv1sRgCPG50t2q4ZKbwQE&feat=embedwebsite">carved boot dagger</a></td></tr></table> <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/w6YY_COuiPQQFSDHN4zM7mhMoiNTpo6dPYCztvGusfc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-g0q61OfRa3I/Tgawm881ShI/AAAAAAAABpI/QsijYzWQWYU/s800/IMG_0443.JPG" height="800" width="584" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/DaveStephens907/CarvedBootDagger?authkey=Gv1sRgCPG50t2q4ZKbwQE&feat=embedwebsite">carved boot dagger</a></td></tr></table> <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dMOFYyGjhfjB4GsHTAJHqWhMoiNTpo6dPYCztvGusfc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-27EMN7VQfA8/TgawntxjnaI/AAAAAAAABpM/QEGft5TgcdE/s800/IMG_0450.JPG" height="516" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/DaveStephens907/CarvedBootDagger?authkey=Gv1sRgCPG50t2q4ZKbwQE&feat=embedwebsite">carved boot dagger</a></td></tr></table> <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ons1eMSwJ8G3nntfPLPIGmhMoiNTpo6dPYCztvGusfc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-x1TGGaMAWYw/Tgawo5EoFBI/AAAAAAAABpU/INhC4uIG0NM/s800/IMG_0442.JPG" height="568" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/DaveStephens907/CarvedBootDagger?authkey=Gv1sRgCPG50t2q4ZKbwQE&feat=embedwebsite">carved boot dagger</a></td></tr></table> <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IfTSzMns7C--AQeisnpz52hMoiNTpo6dPYCztvGusfc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-YJjNc3OARnk/Tgawpcs4qOI/AAAAAAAABpY/vzrv3PpcRjc/s800/IMG_0448.JPG" height="161" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/DaveStephens907/CarvedBootDagger?authkey=Gv1sRgCPG50t2q4ZKbwQE&feat=embedwebsite">carved boot dagger</a></td></tr></table> -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evan Bolin Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 That is a VERY nice blade Dave. Your work is incredible. I have always ground using the alternating edge up edge down method. I find it far more consistent than edge up only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Scott Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Never get tired of seeing your work. I really like the pattern given by that grind, and the handle and blade match superbly. Corvus Forge Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Colwell Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 quite nice Dave, you are getting pretty good with that foredom, too. In general, I have a blind and unrealistic hatred of chisel grinds, but I will suspend that for this particular piece. I have been unhappy about the uneveness problem for some time, but never would have thought out of the box and just used the same side. So simple, but so different from how most of us learned. Great idea. kc please visit my website http://www.professorsforge.com/ “Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living things, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on the earth. I said then and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” E. V. Debs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Sexstone Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Dave, I think the pattern and the blade shape look good together.... Nice one.... Dick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFogg Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Nice work Dave! I have seen Harvey demo and it always made sense, but I never tried it. You have encouraged me to get out of the box. Don Don Fogg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sheffield Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I think that says it all. My life is like shaving with a razor sharp machete. It's a bit awkward and I feel a sting every now and then, but in the end I'm happy with the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Ellison Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Beautiful but deadly. I love the style. Thank you for sharing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg Thomas Obach Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 the pattern is fun ! when you say you milled the tang... is that just the shoulder or the entire tang. - not sure how you'd mill the shoulder even i think the shape of the blade (profile) is very nice North Shore Forge & Ironworks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdsmith02115 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Dave, I am so digging your work these days. you've developed a very definable style all your own. What most impresses me is your fearlessness. You're continually creating new challenges and stretching yourself with each new project....that's a guaranteed method for growth. Line, form, color, texture; the four elements of a 3D object all working in concert to the best effect... yup a winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Nice work Dave! I have seen Harvey demo and it always made sense, but I never tried it. You have encouraged me to get out of the box. Don Thanks Don! -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Dave, I am so digging your work these days. you've developed a very definable style all your own. What most impresses me is your fearlessness. You're continually creating new challenges and stretching yourself with each new project....that's a guaranteed method for growth. Line, form, color, texture; the four elements of a 3D object all working in concert to the best effect... yup a winner. Thanks JD! Do you think I should have used thicker brass for the bolster? It's one of the elements I'm not sure I like. -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 when you say you milled the tang... is that just the shoulder or the entire tang. - not sure how you'd mill the shoulder even I just milled the shoulder and the slot in the bolster for a precise fit. To mill the shoulder I locked the tang in a mill vice with just the shoulder hanging out and used an end mill. It required four passes (one for each side.) It would be easier to show you what I meant if I had a white board I could sketch on. If you're intrested, let me know and I'll sketch something and scan it. -Dave -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 Dave, I think the pattern and the blade shape look good together.... Nice one.... Dick Thanks Dick. You know, I almost threw this steel away. I was doing a billet of crushed W's and thought I had folded it x5 three times when I had only done it twice. It ended up pretty low layer and on top of that, I drew it out a bit too much so the lines when all vertical on me. With this deep etch, however, I think it turned out okay. Like I have often said, I'd rather be lucky than good! I need to start keeping notes on my billets, like you've advised in the past. --Dave -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slab698 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Man there's some fine work coming through this forum these days! Hope to one day be at this level of craftsmanship, and the grind is what I call sweetness. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdsmith02115 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Thanks JD! Do you think I should have used thicker brass for the bolster? It's one of the elements I'm not sure I like. Nope, seems fine to my eye, but that doesn't matter; It's your own judgement that's important. If there's one thing I can say I would've worked a bit more, it's the texture on the brass spacer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Mack Posted June 27, 2011 Share Posted June 27, 2011 Dave i like this one, the pattern in the steel running on the long axis looks great. I have that same DVD so i gave it a try and scraped three blades in one after noon. Scott Quemadmoeum gladuis neminem occidit, occidentis telum est. (a sword is never a killer, it is a tool in the killer's hands.) Lucius Annaeus Seneca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEzell Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 Excellent work man! George Ezell, bladesmith" How much useful knowledge is lost by the scattered forms in which it is ushered to the world! How many solitary students spend half their lives in making discoveries which had been perfected a century before their time, for want of a condensed exhibition of what is known."Buffonview some of my work RelicForge on facebook Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Bondurant Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 GREAT WORK! I really like the overall style and lines you got with this piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarrett Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 I agree with the others. The pattern works especially well with the shape and grind. Thanks for the technique notes as well. I will be giving it a try. I've tried a variation of it which works with certain belts; those that aren't single direction. Reverse the belt so that your cutting on the same side when you change blade sides. This works fairly well. Its slow, and kind of breaks your rythym and doesn't address the issue with differences in the wheel or platen. I like your suggestion. Will definitely have to give it a try. Your blade certainly is a testatment to it, and gives us something to shoot for in result. CUSTOM KNIVES BY JL RHODES JLRKNIVES ------------------------------------------------------------------------- God bless you. I thank God every day for the freedom to spend time with those I love, and time to pursue this craft. "Adversity is a test for strong men." "What one man can do, so can another." "NO excuses, just do better next time." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Arthur Loose Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 Nice piece, Dave. jloose.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott A. Roush Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 It's just awesome man. I love the pattern.. I love the ferrule/bolster..whatever that is actually called.. the whole thing just comes together. That is indeed some tricky grinding and you nailed it. http://www.bigrockforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Burbank Posted July 3, 2011 Share Posted July 3, 2011 When you work on a blade , your patience and determination ( hard headedness ? )is beyond impressive in my book . The whole knifr is terrific , but if I were holding it , I could keep turning it back and forth and get lost in the shape and pattern work on that blade . Ken Burbank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Lonnee Posted July 4, 2011 Share Posted July 4, 2011 WOW.....Love it.Not my place to say so I realise, but I would not change a thing. The pattern and shape of the blade look great.The knife in general is eye candy........Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted July 4, 2011 Author Share Posted July 4, 2011 Thanks for all the kind words guys. Here's a sheath I added to it. Trying to get more practice carving. Happy Independence Day America! --Dave <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4MaMyzB1VkcRrvz5fE4KVGhMoiNTpo6dPYCztvGusfc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TyMlF0yUczw/ThEga4CSfHI/AAAAAAAABp8/sHvQQdW79k4/s800/IMG_0471.JPG" height="451" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/DaveStephens907/CarvedBootDagger?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPG50t2q4ZKbwQE&feat=embedwebsite">carved boot dagger</a></td></tr></table> <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/sNmfREVGs1xWBTiogmJhumhMoiNTpo6dPYCztvGusfc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-wRZHuDg17cE/ThEge2NnFiI/AAAAAAAABqA/Uph7GtaKTH0/s800/IMG_0469.JPG" height="451" width="800" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/DaveStephens907/CarvedBootDagger?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPG50t2q4ZKbwQE&feat=embedwebsite">carved boot dagger</a></td></tr></table> <table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4OoIgJpLqtwjjup7-8tiyGhMoiNTpo6dPYCztvGusfc?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-FGBgHDMyfjU/ThEgkJKzxkI/AAAAAAAABqI/KTzlDm1KFGQ/s800/IMG_0467.JPG" height="800" width="547" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/DaveStephens907/CarvedBootDagger?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPG50t2q4ZKbwQE&feat=embedwebsite">carved boot dagger</a></td></tr></table> -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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