"handling" a knife

cheers.
Having seen the prices here, I should have bought up the rest of the billhooks and flogged them on! 🙂
http://www.timelesstools.co.uk/billhooks1.htm

The thing that kills the value of billhooks is incorrect sharpening and that is all too common. If you can get unadulterated blades and afford the time to bring them back you’ll always sell them. The instructor on my coppicing course has a pedal-powered stone wheel that he uses for refurbishing. I’m sure you could make one and power it yourself 😉

Stoner, that’s a great bit of work, lovely to see an old working tool brought back to life and use like that. That willlow handle ought to last as long as the blade, now.
Glad my suggestion of a bit of copper plumbing worked! I use pipe reducers as the foot for my sticks, filled with epoxy they’re really hard wearing, and the narrow bit digs in well on soft ground.
Copper just looks nice, too. 😀

That’s a great tip CZ… I’ve got a very old draw knife that needs a couple of new handles… Also got some well seasoned cherry that’ll do the trick but didn’t have any ferrules, now I know where to get them. Ta!

This guys work is amazing….

Yet again, STW produces a fantastic thread. I never knew normal people made their own knives.

CZ,
got the bog oak from Nick, at knivesbynick.
He has a whole trunk of bog oak hidden away somewhere, I believe, and a great stock of all sorts of wood and bone.
He runs courses where you choose what you want to forge, and he helps. He’s got templates for every kind of Billhook imaginable.

This was my first attempt at Damascus, done on one of his courses…

I never knew normal people made their own knives.

‘Normal’ people don’t, they go n buy them ready made! 😆

Good to see some people who apreciate the importance of correct harpening of tools. I use a Japanese waterstone, and take my time sharpening my chisels. Somepeople think you need to spen loads on chisels, but I just use a set of cheap Silverline ones. They might not hold an edge for as long, but with careful and regular sharpening, they perform just as well.

I have got too many knives …

I like them very sharp.

I have far more knives than most would consider healthy, but there’s something really satisfying about making something yourself that you can then go on and use, rather than just look at.
Even a walking stick, if it has characteristics that set it apart from just a bean pole, that’s been chosen with some care, and had some work done, is a satisfying thing every time it’s taken out and used.
Here’s my latest stick:

[/url] image[/url] by CountZero1[/url], on Flickr[/img]
[/url] image[/url] by CountZero1[/url], on Flickr[/img]

All it needed was the side shoots trimming off, the cut ends smoothed off, and a small recess filed to relieve pressure and rubbing against my finger, and a coat or two of Danish Oil, along with the copper foot, job’s a good’un!
Liking the Damascus blade! I wouldn’t mind having a go at a pattern-welded blade myself.

The only thing with copper pipe fittings is you have to go with the sizes available, but that probably still gives a wider choice than whatever chromed steel ones that happen to be around, and easily found at your local plumbing supplier, too. 😀

Does the wood react with the coper thogh? Because oak definitely doen’t like any ferrous metals.

Nice looking Damascus knife.

That is a nice walking stick that looks very similar to your other one. I guess leaving the bark on give it characteristic.

I know I will be getting more knives … 😆

Yeah, the overall shape of the top is as close as possible to the hazel one, it’s a really comfy shape to hold, with either one or two fingers hooked under the lower projection, two around the shaft, and my thumb along the upper projection, it means I don’t have to grip the stick too hard, plus it’s really easy to hang it on a fence or something while taking photos!
Something of a trade-mark, I guess, I’ve never, ever seen similar sticks in use or for sale.
Could never do anything like it commercially, it’s almost impossible to find sticks of just the right shape without hours of fruitless searching the hedgerows.
I stripped the bark off the hazel stick ‘cos it was boring, and I’m glad I did, the wood had some nice coloured grain in it.
I left the Holly bark on, it was interesting enough to leave, plus it’s a lot of extra work and I really couldn’t be arsed, truth be told!
Oh, and I got a really neat little knife that I’m making up new scales for. It had ram’s horn scales fitted, which it didn’t really like, so I’ve got a couple of thin sheets of striped Asian ebony, the trouble is that three of the tiny T6 Torx bolts holding the scales in place came out, but one wouldn’t, it rounded out, and wouldn’t budge no matter what I tried, cutting a slot and using a flat blade screwdriver, drilling the top out, getting the scale off and gripping with pliers, nothing would shift it.
I’ve had to file it flat, and try to find someone with a pillar drill to drill it out and re-tap it.
Bloody nuisance. 👿

Very nice stuff there guys! On a tangent, today I discovered Baisongs are legal here (to own and carry). Always thought they looked awesome, so I’m going to treat myself to a little Benchmade one. The wife even says it’s ok! 🙂

There was us mocking Jamie Hibberd

I hope you lot don’t have 200quid jeans as well,

Actually I’m quite jealous, I need a workshop…

There was us mocking Jamie Hibberd

I hope you lot don’t have 200quid jeans as well,
Two pairs for £49 from a skate shop in Bath.
Cheapskate… 😉