one of mine

[Joel]

 I usually don't post pics of my work here.  I'm the moderator and really don't want to give the impression that I'm indirectly using this forum for sale.  However, there's been some interesting talk going on, and I've been asked a couple of questions.  Here's one I just finished. It was designed by a great old knifemaker named Walt Knuebuhler, a Ohio bladesmith who specialized in "mountain man" knives and equipment.  He's dead, but his site still goes on as wkknives.com.
When I first looked at this, my first impression was he had taken the Nessmuk design and turned it into something useful. He also made a full tang Nessmuk.  His version was in stainless steel with plain wood or micarta scales and loveless bolts.  I make mine differently, but it's the same profile.
I think it's a really great all around outdoor blade; something the Nessmuk isn't ( I have one I made). This version is from 3/32 inch D-2 and is flatground, distal tapered and convex edged. The blade is 4 1/4 inches long from tip to bolster, and has an OAL of 8 3/4 inches. Weighs 5.4 oz.
The handle has copper bolsters and scales from some really nice red oak I found in my wood pile 3 years ago.  Has copper/nickel silver mosaic pins and a copper lanyard tube.

[Don Krag]

Please don't hesitate to post pics...that's half the fun of forums is checking out other's pics of their work!

That came out really nice. I like the pointier tip than most nessmuks. That's some really nice wood. I don't think I've ever seen red oak with that tight of a grain. What did your nessmuk look like that you didn't like?



I always like seeing people use woods and such they harvested themselves. I helped my parents get a 40 yr-old grand magnolia stump out after the hurricane knocked the main tree over. Turns out, the entire lower 4' plus the root ball was completely spalted and darkened with greens, browns and even some reds like boxelder gets. Of course it'll be another year before it gets used!

[Joel]

It's a big knife.  I'd shot a really big buck and used that antler crown.  Blade is 5 inches of 1/8 inch 154CM.  It's not that I dislike it, it's just that while it makes a nice camp knife and skinner, most times I want something thinner and with more point.  Even Nessmuk carried a trio sort of like is pictured here.

[Don Krag]

Ahh, I get it. I have a couple in works right now that I call a nessmuk, but they are closer to your newest one in that they have a shorter, more narrow blade with more of a point. They're actually more of a patchknife according to friends since the blades are only 3-4" long. But those friends are Civil War reenactors and call everything a patchknife or a Bowie!

I find the smaller blades most useful in skinning. I have a hard time controlling the longer, larger blades when doing something like caping. They are great for chopping bone, though.

Nice trio!

[ironglow]

Fine work Joel, and a very functional design !

[deernhog]

Luv the red oak scales. Is it stabalized or just polished. The color is very uique.

[Joel]

It's finished with a satin Super Glue finish..two coats.  The wood's very dense to begin with and polished well by itself.  I had some bad experiences with unstabilized burl woods continuing to warp and twist when I first started knifemaking, until I learned that a SG finish prevented that. Mainly I had the problems with Italian Briar Wood and Burl Redwood.  It's not a problem with some of the weaker woods, such as Bucky Eye Burl, but those stronger, harder ones will pull right off the tang unless sealed really well.

[ironglow]

  Know what you mean with the wood to steel problem..too thin of a blade..flexes in use and can help seperate. Also I tried domestic Oak
and it kept on shrinking after riviting, epoxying on the tang.. Since I stick with "frontier" type knives, I use domestic woods, usually harvested within a few miles of myu house...just my "quirk"...

[deernhog]

Me and Cedar go round and round. I quit trying to use it. I did harvest some oak from a shipping crate I found in the alley behind where I work,it was ok but who know how cured it was.

[Joel]

This 3 year old stuff seems to be doing ok. I've kept them in a warm, dry, dark place.  About 1 1/2 years ago I used some scales cut from the same log on a Green River Dadley for a friend, and the stuff just warped right off the tang in about 2 weeks.  Stabilized wood burls are the only way some of those can be used; some burls just never settle down.  I just cut some nice curly maple, but it'll be a good while before I use any of it.  Plain grain stuff just needs to dry well so it won't keep shrinking.  One thing I do with plain woods is weigh them and write the weight on the wood. I've a postal scale.  I keep weighing them until the weight doesn't change anymore.  At that point I don't recall ever having had any problems.  The burls I keep until they stop warping, which can take years.

[deernhog]

You have it down Joel. I have to stop in at Jantz if I need anything. My sorting system is "Now where did I put that" followed by "How did that get there." I used some maple blank 6" x 3/4"  to make handles for some knives and it was beautiful if you like the pale handles. A few streaks and worked great. Of course the wife was straightening one day and thru it away so I have to replace it if they have it at the lumber yard again.