Curly Koa Camp Cutter {Sheath pics added}

[srtben]

This is a new bowie I just finished up (still needs a sheath). It is my first time doing a tapered tang, and surprisingly it turned out quite well.
The Blade is .214" 5160 and the handle is curly Koa w/ stainless pins. This is kind of a new style for me with this type of dropped edge at the handle, without a large radius there.
The OAL is 15", with a 9 7/8" blade.
Let me know what you guys think.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Ray Hammond]

Sweeet!

[Lin Rhea]

I like it!

[kansas stik man]

i like it alot but for me the wood looks unfinished.  i like a little shine to my wood scales. now whether a guy can sand and buff the wood shiny with a simple oil that soaks in good or something like tung oil that makes a nice glossy shine.  but its not my knife and your not making it for me so my two cents is mearly a opinion. lol.  ss pins look great and that blade profile is a really winner in my book. awesome work ben , as usual lol

[Toecutter]

Great!!

[kbaknife]

I really like the lines of the over-all knife.
Great proportions, which is something that means a lot to me.
Looks like a comfy handle and a very, very slight recurve to the blade makes for an aggressive cutter.
If you nailed the heat treat on this one, it's a winner.

[srtben]

Thanks guys!
JD It will be getting a couple more coats of Tung oil, which should shine it up a bit.

Karl, I appreciate the comments, they mean a lot really!

The recurve is ever so slight, but is more noticeable in hand.

[kansas stik man]

looks like it would weigh about 14 oz roughly would make a great camp knife thats for sure.

[Doug Campbell]

   

[srtben]

Originally posted by kansas stik man:
looks like it would weigh about 14 oz roughly would make a great camp knife thats for sure.

Nailed it, 14.35oz
   :D

[Rick Richard]

One hell of a pig sticker.  Real nice!

[joekeith]

I like it..    ..I like it alot..  

[Bobby Urban]

Once again - perfect.  I have said it before but worth repeating on this one - your knives inspire me to get better.  Very nice work.

[akaboomer]

I like the lines and it flows well. Good job Ben.

Chris

[amar911]

Nice knife, Ben. The tapered tang adds a lot to the design.

Allan

[WRV]

Very nice!

[srtben]

Thanks for the comments guys! I just added a couple pics of the sheath.

[Ray Hammond]

Ben

Would you mind explaining the steps/sequence of operations you use for mating up scales to handle on a tapered tang? ( like drilling holes for pins, for one?

I like the hammered texture on the sheath too!

[srtben]

Sure Ray,
Being that I use stock removal it may be a bit different if you forge in your taper.
I start by drilling the tang while it is still flat, that way the holes are perpendicular to the tang (90 degrees).
After some input on another forum, I went ahead and built a holding fixture for drilling the scales.
Basically it clamps down on the flat ricasso area and holds the knife at a perfect 90.
Then with a couple small drops of super glue and a couple clamps I put the scale on one side and drill it, flip the blade and repeat the process.
Voila!! Holes that are all magically aligned perfectly!!
This jig will also make drilling odd shaped material like stag and horn, a piece of cake.
I hope that makes sense, this is my first tapered tang, so I am no expert.