Chefs knife and fork

[Steffen Dahlberg]

I've been working with a chefs knife for a while now, and for some inconceivable reason it was to be an integral. More on that and it's farrier rasp / wrought wagon axle makeup and why I cut the tip off later.

The plan is to make a set with knife for carving dried ham and sausages, a fork and maybe I'll throw in a small knife for carving hard-to-reach places on a sheeps leg.

 

The fork is also to be made of wagon axle. This test had a rather large flaw in one tine, so it split and I had to cut it. But I'm not happy with how this rather traditional and self-given shape harmonizes with the shape of the knife. I'm thinking maybe I have to tighten up the lines a bit like the sketch in the next picture, but then I'm not sure how to forge it? It's not the easiest place to upset. It's an easy shape to make before I split the stock down the middle, but I think it'll be hard to keep it nice as I radius the web between the tines.
Weld on tines could be done, but there's risk and since it's going to be etched I'd rather have a natural flow of grain.
The plan is to rough bend and flatten the one I have and grind and file to refine the shape, but it'll cut the grain.
Other fork suggestions?

[Alan Longmire]

Are you making the tines by forging them back into a T-shape, upsetting to get a flat line? If you do that it will be easier to get the end profile you want. I can't seem to find an online tutorial of what I mean, but it's basically as follows:

 

1. forge a taper to a point in flat bar

2. split end of bar

3. bend the splits ends out to the sides

4. forge straight into the length of the bar to eliminate the v-notch at the end of the split. Do this without backing up the tines on the anvil or they'll thin out. This is pure upsetting by force of will, so do it hot!

5. the tines should now be a perfect T shape. You can upset further to get more mass into the shoulders, you can bend the tines back to a fork shape, or you can use a spring fuller to make the integral bolster. Or all of the above!

 

I fear some filing and grinding will be necessary, though.

 

Good luck, I like the design.

[Steffen Dahlberg]

Thanks!
No, I started with a fuller, so I didn't have much stock to work against in the handle direction, also I punched before splitting and I wanted to save some of the curve this gave, so I made it more like a Y than a T.

Seeing this drawn it occurs to me maybe I could have done this with wider stock and a larger radius spring fuller or guillotine, but then I'd have to make that first.
I ended up flattening the inner part of the tines, and peening them down into a beveled edge. I think I'll keep it this way even tho it'll be more file work. I just cleaned it up a bit for a photo.