Knife Templates

 

Here are a few of my templates, most I've used, some I haven't. Please feel free to use them to make knives. Most are just sketches, so don't expect a lot of precision. I suggest printing on cardstock, if you're just making one knife, but if you're making a few, I would transfer the template to a piece of wood, or Plexiglass, or whatever you feel best about using, sometimes I'll use a thin piece of mild steel. Each drawing is 8.5" x 11", to fit a standard sheet of printer paper. I would have more templates, but most of the knives I made in the past were simply sketched right onto the piece of steel with a paint pen. As time has passed, I've made more templates by tracing old knives, or even photos of knives that I no longer have. Check out my Custom Knives post HERE, to see the actual knives.

These are my most recent sharpfinger sketches. I keep coming back to (and modifying) this design, because it works so well in almost every situation. The most practical size is the smallest.

I have not used this template, yet, but it should make a nice knife. The dimensions are fairly standard.

At this time, I have not made a knife from this template. It's just a basic study in goemetry.

This template was made after I made the first knife, which is on my "Custom Knives" post.

This template was made after I'd made quite a few of these. The first knife was made by sketching onto a piece of steel, then before I put the handle scales on, I traced the shape onto a piece of mild steel.

The main inspiration for the Bowie knife seen in the movie Iron Mistress. Definitely much closer to the
 original Bowie knife than most.

Custom Knives

Why I Created This Post

I set up this post in an attempt to catalog and identify all of my handmade knives.  Over time, I've added small amounts of information that could be of interest to knife makers, as well.

For info on my production knife, please refer to the article published by Frank Trzaska (usmilitaryknives.com knife knotes 10) as he's the only writer who's ever talked to me about it.

In previous versions of this post, I attempted to list the exact order in which my knives were produced by numbering each photo.  Unfortunately, I cannot guarantee that a knife or two is not missing from the photos below.  The photos here are placed in the correct chronological order, so that you can get an approximate idea of when each knife was produced, but, when and if I receive new pictures and place them in the blog, photos may be shifted up or down to make room for knives that had been excluded due to lack of a picture. 

If you have photos or information, please feel free to share with me, so I can post them here.

My first knife.  Just under 12" long, with a mirror polished finish.  D2 tool steel blade and compreg (Dymondwood) handle scales. In conjunction with a 303 stainless thong tube, a 6160-T4 aluminum pin holds the handle scales in place.  Although it's hard to see, there is a lanyard hole in the pommel.  The sheath is black leather and looks much like the sheath of the MK 1 (production) knife.  The overall design was inspired by the Roman gladius, the Applegate-Fairbairn fighting knife, Ek commando knives and many others.

Rutland Plywood Corp. (the maker of Dymondwood) in Vermont, suffered a catastrophic fire in 2014, which destroyed the entire factory.  As a result, knife makers who used Dymondwood have turned to similar products like Dymalux, made by CPW in Maine.  Other substitutes for Dymondwood include: Actionwood, ColorWood, Spectraply and WebWood.  Dymondwood is an excellent handle material.  I didn't care for some of the color combinations, but the material itself is incredibly durable and fairly easy to work.  It doesn't need any finishes or sealers, like most woods, just a few minutes on the buffing wheel.  It really behaves more like Micarta, than wood, because it's gone through the same process of resin impregnation and compression.  Hence the term, compreg.

Just under 12" long, with a satin finish. Made with D2 Tool steel, compreg handle scales and 3/16", 303 SS pins.  The sheath was black leather, but I've recently seen this knife for sale with a brown leather sheath, so I assume the original is gone.  Sharpened, double choil and large pommel.  Heavily inspired by WWII commando knives, like the V-42 Stiletto.
Photo: Arizona Custom Knives

About12" long, with a hand rubbed finish.  440C stainless steel blade.  The original handle was cord wrapped, but it was a simple spiral wrap, like on the 12" Bowie below with the original paracord still attached.

Last ditch knife. About 6" long. Made with a scrap of steel left over from a larger knife.  1/8" thick, D2 tool steel blade, linen Micarta handle scales with recessed, 3/16", 303 SS pins and a Kydex sheath with drain hole.  Some of my steel was purchased in 18" lengths, so when I made a 12" knife, I had a 6" piece left over.

Last ditch knife. About 6" long. Also made with a scrap of 1/8" thick, D2 tool steel left over from a larger knife.  Mill scale finish, linen Micarta handle scales with two 3/16", 303 SS pins and a Kydex sheath.

Another last ditch knife. Also about 6" long, with a 1/8" thick, mirror polished, D2 tool steel blade. The handle in the photo is cord wrapped, but the original handle sclaes were linen Micarta.  The sheath was Kydex.

About 12" long. 1/4" thick 440C stainless steel blade, paper Micarta handle scales with seven 3/16" 303 SS pins, a 1/4" 303 stainless thong tube and a Kydex sheath.  The belt loop has been replaced in this photo. The experimental finish was done with a combination of hand rubbing and acid etching.

About 11" long and 2" wide.  440C stainless steel blade with a tumbled finish.  Red oak handle, held on with bolts. 
Photo: Sonoran Desert Knives

A pair of Kiridashis, made at the same time, from 440C steel. Approximately 6" long.

About 12" long.  440C stainless steel blade, with a hand rubbed finish.  The handle is curly Katalox (Mexican ebony). I learned to appreciate Katalox as I made this handle.  The wood is much denser than some of the woods that I'd used previously, and the dust falls to the floor more quickly than the dust from oak, or maple, resulting in less cleanup.

Just under 14" long. Mirror polished 440C stainless steel blade. Curly maple handle, finished with Danish oil, held on with six Micarta pins and a 303 stainless thong tube. The owner of this knife liked it so much, he tracked me down, and requested that I make a slightly larger knife, just like it.

About 10" long.  440C stainless steel blade, with a hand rubbed finish.  The handle in the photo has been replaced.  The original was paracord, but not with this Strider style wrap, which came later.

This is the sheath for the above knife, made from both leather and Kydex.

About 12" long.  AEB-L stainless steel blade, with a mirror finish.  The handle is Texas bois d'arc with Micarta pins and a stainless thong tube. This knife is the first that had the Ace of Spades Reaper etched into it's blade.

This is the same knife seen at the top of my "Experimental Grinds" post.  Click HERE to read that post. The knife is 16" long and about 2 1/2" wide.  After years of hard use, it has developed a nice patina.  Although you can't tell, here, the finish was hand rubbed.

Here is the other side, simply marked "1095."

About 12" long. 1/4" thick 440C stainless steel blade, with tigerstripe camo etching that covers the length of the knife, even below the paracord. Again, the handle in the photo has been rewrapped using the more complex Strider style. Kydex sheath.

About 12" long. 1/4" thick 1095 steel blade, with hand rubbed finish. Linen Micarta handle held on with 416 stainless steel tubing. Kydex sheath.

About 12" long. 1/4" thick 440C stainless steel blade, paracord (this looks like the original) wrapped handle and Kydex sheath. This photo makes the steel look almost black.  Over the years, the steel has naturally darkened, but not quite as much as seen here.

The only knife I made in 2014. 1/4" thick, differentially heat treated 1095 steel. 16" long, 3" wide at the guard, with an 11" blade. Walnut (Dymondwood) handle scales are held on by 416 stainless steel pins. This is also (thankfully) the last knife I made by using a hacksaw.

The leather sheath is held together with twenty-six Chicago screws (and a little contact cement).  Notice how the guard slides inside the sheath to protect it. A Kydex welt is sandwiched between the two major pieces of leather that make up the sheath. A Kydex belt loop completes it.

The only knife I made in 2015, heavily inspired by the V-44 Bowie. 1/4" thick 1095 steel, heat treated to 59 RC. 16" long, almost 3" wide at the belly, with an 11" blade. Reclaimed bird's eye maple handle scales, finished with Danish Oil, held on with 416 stainless steel pins.

The only knife I made in 2016. About 12" long, 1/4" thick 1095 steel, heat treated to 59 RC. Paper Micarta handle scales, held on with 416 stainless tubing.

The only knife I made in 2017. About 11 1/2" long, 3/16" thick 440C steel, heat treated to 59 RC. 500-year-old Southern live oak handle scales, held on with Micarta pins and a 416 stainless thong tube.  The handle shape and thumb ramp were directly inspired by the Schrade sharp finger, though I scaled it up a bit.  The "sharp finger" is technically a skinning knife, but it was, and still is, common to see them carried by service members in all branches of our military.  Anyone who's ever used one, knows the ergonomics of this knife are near-perfect.

Here is the above knife in its sheath. I used 10 oz. leather and triple stitched all of the seams. 

I doubt I'll ever see 500-year-old Southern live oak, for sale, again. I bought it a few years before I made the knife, and it sat on a shelf, because it was a  narrower than most of the wood I buy for handle scales.  I purchased the wood through one of the larger online retailers (I can't remember which one) that carries exotic woods, and it arrived with a certificate of authenticity, saying it came from Boston's Charlestown Navy Yard and had been submerged in salt water for the last 500 years.

Knife 1 of 2 for 2018
Just over 16" long, and 2 1/2" wide, with 1/4" thick 440C blade, heat treated to 59 RC. Curly maple handle scales (one of my favorites) held on with linen Micarta pins and a 303 stainless thong tube. This knife was made at the request of a customer who already owned one of my 14" Bowies. He asked that it resemble the smaller knife, but with a longer, wider blade.

Knife 2 of 2 for 2018
Just under 12" long. The blade is 3/16 " thick AEB-L steel with a satin finish. Canvas Micarta handle scales are held on with 1/4" copper pins and thong tube.

The only knife I made in 2019, made with a very old pattern that I decided to start using again. Just under 12" long. The blade is 3/16 " thick AEB-L steel with a stone washed finish. Texas mesquite handle scales are held on with custom pins made from 3/16" black paper Micarta rods epoxied inside  1/4" brown Garolite tubes.

Knife 1 of 2 for 2020
Just under 9" long. The blade is 3/16 " thick AEB-L steel with a satin finish. Zebra wood handle scales held on with 1/4" copper pins and thong tube.

Knife 2 of 2 for 2020
Just under 9" long. The blade is 3/16 " thick AEB-L steel with a satin finish. Texas bois d'arc handle scales held on with 1/4" copper tubing.

The only knife I made in 2021, made with another old pattern that I decided to start using again. Just under 12" long. The blade is 3/16 " thick AEB-L steel with a mirror finish. Pinecone handle scales are held on with 1/4" stainless tubing.

The only knife I made in 2022. Modified Kiridashi. About 6" long, made from N690 steel.

The only knife I made in 2023. Baby Bowie knife. About 9" long, made from AEB-L steel with a paper Micarta handle, 1/8" grade 5, titanium pins and 1/4" stainless tubing.

Knife 1 of 2 for 2024. Kiridashi style knife. About 6" long, made from AEB-L steel. This is an old pattern that I started using again (see above photo).

Click HERE to see my experimental grinds.

Experimental Grinds

Experimental Grind 1

Every time I grind a blade, it's experimental, but I'm calling this post Experimental Grinds, because it's the first time I've posted illustrated explanations of how grinds are done. Please refer to the link at the bottom of this page for the photo of this (completed) knife and others like it.

One note: in the top picture, the clip grind would look slightly different until Grind 2 (bottom drawing) intersects it, but for the purpose of this post, the drawing is good enough.

In no way do I want to take any credit from, or make any connection to, Tom Brown, who created an amazing knife with the "Tracker." I was not attempting to do what he did, and my knife making skills pale in comparison to his.

When I made this blade I was taking a stab at (pardon the pun) a new way to grind a fuller.  Perhaps I failed, but I believe I came up with something that looks and functions completely different than any other knife.

Grind one. A high grind, just along the flat portion of the edge that will be sharpened.

Grind two. A lower grind (with a different angle) along the entire cutting edge, which intersects the first grind. I actually grind right over the first bevel as if it wasn't there. This creates a stepped down edge where the two grind angles meet.

Here is the finished blade, before handle material was attached. Almost exactly as planned.

As a side note, I submitted this design to CRKT's NPD (New Product Development) team in 2017.  I heard back from Douglas Flagg a few months later. He told me the NPD team liked it, but decided not to pursue the design because their large fixed blade market is small and they couldn't sell enough knives to justify the costs. He also thanked me for my military service. What a great guy.

Experimental Grind 2

Here is the blade before heat treat, I haven't even drilled pin holes in the handle yet. The idea here was to remove a big chunk of steel, to reduce weight, without lessening the strength of the blade.

Experimental Grind 3

This unusual clip point is the result of experimenting with different grinding techniques, and trying to figure out how clip points were traditionally ground.  When I started making knives, there weren't as many resources for knife makers, so I had to figure things out through trial and (lots of) error, and quite often, that would result in something unexpected...but welcome. I really like the way this knife came out. I'll add more--later--about how the end result was achieved. To see the entire knife, click the link below.

Click HERE to see all of my custom knives.