Past year’s work

[Mike Ward 100]

Haven’t posted or been on here in a very long time but here are the blades I’ve finished this past year. I don’t know exact dimensions because it’s been a while since I’ve made them but I’ll do my best. 
 

Little over 8” blade out of 80crv2 with black linen micarta and bocote. Heel I think is 2 1/8” tall, I remember that this was a thicker blade both at the spine (.13” maybe?) and edge (.01-.015?).

 

This is about 7” blade out of W1 drill rod with some autohamon from a forge heat treatment. Between 1 7/8” - 2” tall heel. The handle is dyed curly maple with green micarta liners and copper pins. The wood is sealed with tung oil and carnuba wax.

 

 

 

Approximately 8.5” blade made out of 1084 steel. The heel is 1 7/8” tall which I have found to be the absolute minimum height for a regular chef knife. Handle materials are curly maple with black G10 liners and brass pins. The wood is sealed with tung oil and carnuba wax. 
 

 

Those three knives were sent to a chef I know for testing in a real restaurant. He’s been using them for the past 4 months as his main knives butchering chickens, lamb and pork racks, vegetables and everything else. And so far they’ve out lasted and out performed every other knife he has. I have videos of him just flying through butchering full chickens to immediately (after sanitation) slicing and chopping herbs without issue. He’s has given me valuable insight and pointers on design and usage, and confirmed a starting price point for selling.

 

This is a approx. 7” blade made out of 80 layer density damascus. I attempted a layer pattern but needed deeper cuts to actually achieve the pattern. The handle is dyed curly maple with black micarta liners and copper pins. The wood is sealed with tung oil and carnuba wax.

 

This is a 8” blade made out of 80 layer density damascus. The handle is mahogany with Forrest green micarta liners and brass pins. I successfully did a museum/heirloom fit to the handle scale and tang. That was a first and kinda just went for it. I also etched the tang before glue up so every part of the layering is visible. The wood is sealed with tung oil and carnuba wax.

 

What do you think? Yay? Nay?

[Don Abbott 353]

I know little or nothing about chef's knives, but I had to comment on the last picture in particular.

 

I love to see distal taper in the tang. It's one more thing that adds time and complicates the process, but done right it is well worth it.

 

Yours looks very well done. Glad you etched it first too.

[Mike Ward 100]

Thanks Don! I appreciate it, I usually have the distal taper from forging and in this one I took it all the way down. 

[Larry Okinaka 11]

They look great, I need to ask: how much?

 

[Gerhard Gerber 482]

Those are very nice Mike

The title of your topic made me wonder, how many knives do you make in an average year?

 

I used to manage about 12 a year, last two years half that. 

[Bjorn Gylfason 622]

I like the aestethics and the very functional forms of them but damn I love those tapers

[Mike Ward 100]

6 hours ago, Gerhard Gerber said:

The title of your topic made me wonder, how many knives do you make in an average year?

Gerhard,

This year and mostly the first half, I finished (operative word here) 12 blades, I think. There’s a pretty good pile of blades that I screwed up with the grinder. I believe these are the rest of them, at least what’s in my photo library.  

I’ve really started to find my groove and maybe my style with each piece building on the next one in terms of form and shape. I haven’t done anything recently because I’m working on turning my garage into my workshop. And my current one with

my forge and grinder is an hour away.
 

This is the only pic i have of this one. It’s 6” blade out of W1 with walnut and on the handle. Made it for a friend from college to give to her dad on his birthday.

 

The knife and cutting board were made as wedding gifts for someone related to me. I think it’s about 7.5” long and 1 7/8” tall. It has black micarta liners with Padauk and black micarta pins. Padauk is a fantastic wood because it has those light and dark rings of wood that give the effect that it’s on fire. The cutting board is walnut, zebrawood, Padauk, and cherry I believe. 
 

I dubbed this one the “420” because it was made in April and is 420 layers. That was pure coincidence and was not planned, I promise . It’s Padauk and walnut with black micarta liners and pins. 
 

This is an attempt at a utility/hunters knife but the handle is a bit short could’ve had another 1/2” loner and been fine. It’s 12 layers with cocobolo on the handle. I sculpted the handle by hand with only files and sandpaper. Definitely took several more hours but I remember enjoying it so no harm. 
 

this was another wedding gift knife and had a partner chef knife that I apparently didn’t take any pics of. Idk why because I remember they turned out great. Curly maple with blue G10 and brass for the handles.

 

And this full set I actually started in August of 2020 but didn’t finish until March of this year. This was a PITA. W2 steel with walnut, blue G10, and brass pins. I remade all of them twice and the nakiri style three times just because the hamon was too close to the edge or didn’t harden at all and I found out only when I got to about 400-600 grit handsanding. This turned into one of those things where you’re overjoyed to hand them off because you’re sick of them.