why no fillet knives?

[bbassi]

First let me say I am no knife maker and am in awe of the skills I see on this board. I'm really glad Terry and crew decided to give you guys your own board to show off your wares. I do have a question though. Is there a reason I have never seen a fillet knife here? I use them all the time when processing my own game for de-boning and such, but all of the ones commercially available are so plain. Are they more difficult to make? If you've made some I sure would like to see them.

[Jeremy]

I think there have been some boning knives posted at one point or another.  I've put together a few fillet knives, but they've been stainless blades that I purchased.  A fillet knife, IMO is one of the few places that a stainless blade (the right stainless anyway) is acceptable.  A knife banging around a tacklebox, constantly getting hit by water, or surf and spray, is he** on a blade.
  Texas fillet  
  trout fillet

[Jeremy]

Oh, besides, this forum is about hunting knives  

[jgbennett6]

I've got a scandinavian fillet knife right now that i'm finishing up with brass finger guard and lacewood handle... a fillet knife is amout all i use to break down a deer

[Bill Kissner]

I am one of those that uses 4inch filet knives to bone out animals. I have to keep resharpening them as bone will dull them pretty quick. A well known knife maker told me that filet knives were made of much softer material so as to be able to bend when fileting. That makes sense since they dull pretty quick.

[OconeeDan]

Well...since you asked...since I used an electric filet knife, I have no desire to use a real filet knife.    
Jeremy, I like carbon blades, damascus blades, and stainless as well.  Don't they all have their place, strengths and weaknesses?
SORRY, maybe that should be an entire different thread/topic!
Dan

[pintail_drake2004]

My great uncle use to make them out of cross-cut saws. The steel was soft enough to flex but hard enough to hold a decent edge. As a matter of fact, an old issue of Fur-Fish-Game explained how to "make your own fillet knives" from different steel sources varying from cross-cuts to sheet metal.

[dave hiltz]

I just finished a fillet knife and I will post a pic soon.

[Lewis Brookshire III]

Here is one I made a long time ago that I didnt intend to be a fillet knife but it turned out looking like one.

 

[Bobby Urban]

I made one for the knie swap last year with osage handle slabs.

[pintail_drake2004]

anyone got any more pix?