The Ultimate Irish Hunting Knife

davymoore

A challenge for you ...

Some of you may have seen THIS THREAD . Well from the general comments it seems that we have varied tastes when it comes to hunting knives in Ireland. From my own experiences I have found that knife styles vary from country to country and climate to climate. Take your typical Bowie knife it's a style well liked in the Western World but not so popular in Japan or the East where the Tanto or kukri are more in favour also if you look at the Scandinavians they have their own take on knife making.

Which brings me to this point and question. Why don't we have our own knife? I mean a knife that is the ultimate Irish hunting knife, one designed for our climate, that reflects our heritage. A knife that is a real User and a knife that you would be proud to carry and showcase as "The Ultimate Irish Hunting Knife"

Ok so a proposal then ...

I suggest that YOU the Hunters, Users, design the ultimate knife.

I will help by asking a series of questions regarding shape, style, material etc. We could vote on each section or question finally narrowing the whole thing down to the final design. Once the design has been voted on and approved I will build the knife.

I will document the build and post a photo diary here.

Now comes the nice part.....

Each person who participates in the design thread is entered into a Raffle. I will draw a name from a hat at the end of the build and the winner will receive the original knife.


Are you guys up for this ?

If so let me know by reply to this thread

Some rules will obviously have to apply and if we are to go ahead with this I'll clarify these later. First thing though is to see if there is enough interest in the build and whether it's worth bothering with.

So .... over to you

jwshooter

fair play davy ,and a nice bit of marketing on your behalf .
may i ask the first few questions ,
fixed blade or folder .
with new knife laws on the way blade length is a factor ,my preference is about 3.5-4 inch s no more.
going to sharp point for dispatching a deer ,by severing the spinal cord at the base on the head .from my experience death is instant for the animal.

thanks for the link jw

Grizzly 45

Count me in on thisas well.
JW
Well done that man for pointing out the correct[albeit somwhat risky]way of using a knife to dispatch a deer.:D
What did you hear about blade length being an issue??Seeing that if you are out deer stalking that is more than enough "good reason" to carry a knife.Or shooting,or fishing.

fish slapped

I' d be interested in that Davy.

riflehunter77

Maybe, I don't know yet.

fish slapped wrote: »

I' d be interested in that Davy.

+ 1. always been a fan of good quality knives, have a few Marttiini knives great blades my father has one for 41 years its like an extension of his arm he has used it for everything.

Nice web site to davy fair play to you ..

jwshooter

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Count me in on thisas well.
JW
Well done that man for pointing out the correct[albeit somwhat risky]way of using a knife to dispatch a deer.:D
What did you hear about blade length being an issue??Seeing that if you are out deer stalking that is more than enough "good reason" to carry a knife.Or shooting,or fishing.

45 ,mostly carry a buck 110 folder .its neet ,inconspicuas and ticks all the boxes for me so much so i wore the blade out.
i seen it on the news there is going to be a new knife directive shortly .

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

Thanks for the interest so far guys If we get a few more bodies interested in helping out I think it will be a fascinating project.

jwshooter wrote: »

.
may i ask the first few questions ,
fixed blade or folder .

I think it best if I ask the questions, I propose this as I have a series of questions that I ask myself and clients whilst doing commisions. I've done it many many times. There is an order to it, I don't know why, but there is, and the method generally works.

Doing a group commission, well it's not going to be easy, we will I'm sure have many varied opinions and ideas but by using a democratic approach and voting each step I think we can work through it and hopefully will come out the other end with a knife that anyone of you would be proud to own.

Fixed blade or folder, Blade length, Steel Composition, Grind Style, Handle Material and style , Fixtures & Fittings, Sheath options etc. there is a mine field of choices to be made.

I am the maker but you are the designers this is your commission.

My wife says I'm mad to take this on and that I'll regret it. I think it's the biggest challenge I've given myself yet. I like challenges :rolleyes: I think ...

Regards

Davy

bunny shooter

No

Count me in

mightymouse311

id love to help man problem is im only shooting bout 2 year dont deer stalk mostly phesant an a bit of rabbit shooting hoping to get a gun for foxing some time soon but just bought a new house so thats on the long fingure but ill be keeping a keen eye on things hope it goes well

Grizzly 45

Davvy,
To save some time and debate.Why not do both designs ?Fixed and folder?Then both camps can compare merits of both designs ,and it cuts out the time wasting immortal arguement of fixed v folder.

ianoo

Yes, Sun 23rd only

just seen this
think its a great idea
fair play to you davy count me in

ian

jwshooter

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Davvy,
To save some time and debate.Why not do both designs ?Fixed and folder?Then both camps can compare merits of both designs ,and it cuts out the time wasting immortal arguement of fixed v folder.

Hi 45 ,yes design is every thing untill you use a knife in the field you dont know how it is going to work .
my knife has a job just a job. i dont wake up in the nite to look at it
its sharp and works im happy .
you like ur knifes you collect them ,there of interest to you and its a hobby for want of a better word sorry ,that could take you all over the world and is most interesting .
i have watched many times on diso channel the making of a samurai sword and i would love to have one as its most lightly the finest blade made. old style .
i think davy has a problem unless decisions are made early . i have a hand made knife that does not work for me .
the blade is to thick, to wide at the point .it is wrong for me .ie i dont use it often and thats my fault not knowing enough about what i want at the time .
davy has some lovely looking knifes . this will be interesting
. my no one knife is the ole buck 110 folder .
whats ur s 45 regards jw

Trojan911

Ya, I'll have a look. There is always a need for a good knife.

My brother was given a gift of a (real) Gurka knife by one of his staff who was a Gurka. I'm incredibly jealous....

foxhunter

Count me in too davy .
I use a 3.5 inch fixed blade EKA for nearly everything I do but I also carry a swiss army knife that I got as a present 9 years ago and i reckon i've used it every day since.
The blades have been sharpened so much they are basicly worn out to about 8mm deep.

macadam

Yes, Sun 23rd only

I love anything thats hand crafted, gives it more autenticity best of luck Davy and count me in , I must get all my knives together and see which is my favourite , tend to leave one in each hunting jacket and always carry a swiss multi purpose.

John Griffin

Hi Dave,
I think i met you at the Game fair in Birr last year. This is a very interesting project. Firstly deer hunting is the fieldsport that needs a knife moreso than any other so i suppose it should be designed with deer hunter as a priority.
I been working with knives professionally since leaving school 15 years ago, four years boning beef and venison for Larry Goodman and the remainder as a Ranger culling large numbers of deer each year. I have come to settle on certain knives after years of trial and error. I have a collection of sheath knives that i bought in the early years, beautiful knives, fantastic workmanship but practically they were clumsy and useless in day to day use and hard to sharpen.

For butchering now i use the knifes i used in the factories years ago, a 5 inch semi flex boning knife
and a trimming knife

But we are looking at a field knife i guess.

In my opinion one blade will not suffice, therefore sheath knives do not suit me. They are also too bulky, heavy, need to be attached to a belt and when you are crawling on the ground or bending over they can be uncomfortable, digging into your ribs and snaging.

I use the two knives below, the second i only discovered last year in germany and i love it. The first i have used for the last 8 years. I love this knife for many reasons.
1. Great blade, light, narrow,(perfect for killing animals the way JWshooter described earlier) easy to sharpen and hold a great edge and plenty long enough and it locks!

2. The gralloching blade, the curved one , is blunt at the tip, with practice it opens a deers stomach like a zipper and never ruptures the stomach or intestines. It is also very handy for skinning.

3. The saw is handy at times

4. I have lost dozens of these knives over the years, they cost between €25- €33. I normally buy a few at a time and have spares stashed in my vehicle.

The bottom one cost €75 and thankfully i haven't lost it yet, it is basically a bigger version of the first but i can sharpen the gralloching blade and there is a longer stroke on the saw blade which helps. With both these knive i have butchered deer from the field to the table and they are really the ultimate deer hunting knives. But they are equally good for rabbits:)

Swiss Army Hunter

Hardwoods 57 - Hunter


I consider these knives to be perfect for the job they have to do. To design anything better would be difficult. To customise between the two of them i would lose the bottle opener, can opener , corkscrew and spike. I would keep the longer non serrated gralloching blade and the longer blades of the second knife. I would keep the shape, thickness and width of the blades. Maybe glam the handle up with a bit of Grizzly45's antique ivory:), or maybe a hi-viz handle. I would install an alarm on a keyring that when moved more 10 meters from the knife it would emit a loud alarm so you don't leave your knife beside a gralloch (again:rolleyes:) or leave it in your vehicle or at home. (how are ya with electronics Dave?:)) Practicality should come first with our irish knife.

lordarpad

Maybe, I don't know yet.

I'll start with an easy suggestion:

Handle to be bog oak - nice and very Irish material.

good curved tip for skinning. needs to hold an edge very well.

Grizzly 45

Not to be the first one to pour Kaltes Wasser on your suggestion LP.
But Bog Oak isnt the best choice for a handle that gets wet and used alot.
True it looks good,but it is a porous material.It's most common use is to be made into veneer for furniture,etc.It isnt much good for anything else.
I know this as my family in Germany are involved in the wood busisness [Veneers]and we did a line of Bog oak,and all it was good for was veneer.We tried various things like big flower pots,troughs etc,and the stuff fell apart after a year in open weather.
I would suggest two others; seasoned Irish oak,although I dont think it is "Irish" it is a very dense heavy wood ,the tree looses it's leaves in Summer and keeps them in Winter...Will post up some pics of it.

John Griffin

I like the bog oak idea, but a skinning knife is a skinning knife and not fit for much else.
Please nobody suggest those barbaric gut hooks, they are a disaster.

Grizzly 45

Damn!! one of my designs has one!!:( Dunno are they that bad,Buck Zipper seems to work well.
I see you use the same SwissArmy Hunter knife that I use there JG!

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

Some Really great input so far. I have to say that I am absolutely delighted with the level of interest in this project.

Personally I would tend to go for a fixed blade knife, John G. I appreciate your comments about your sheath snagging or digging in to your ribs etc. and I suspect that we have all felt this discomfort at some time or other. But I think we can get over this hurdle when it comes time to design the sheath itself. We can look at several mounting options.

The main reason I would vote for a fixed blade is simple really, there's less that can go wrong with it. It wont freeze shut. It won't come loose or wobble or worse still close on your fingers when a locking mechanism or pin gives out. It's easier to keep clean and requires less skill to sharpen and maintain

For design purposes the handle has to be made to accomodate the blades in a folding knife and that puts quite a few restrictions on blade shape, length, thickness etc.

But that's only my vote and everyone has an equal say in the matter.


Regards

Davy

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

Seemed like a good point to ask the first question so I have opened the first Poll

The question is Fixed Blade or Folder

Voting is open and will expire in 5 days

Regards

Davy

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

I said that I would come up with a couple of rules for this competition so here they are.

1. All normal forum rules apply
2. Try to enjoy it. At the end of the day it's only a project to try to design a good useable knife. We may fail miserably but let's give it a fair and proper go.
3. If you are lucky enough to win the knife then it is automatically assumed that you are capable of owning and using it.
4. By taking part in the competition you agree that I, anyone associated with this competition or any member or affiliate of Boards.ie will not be responsible or held liable for any damage or injury caused while using the knife.
5. Anyone can take part in the design thread but you MUST be over 18 years of age to win the knife. You will be asked to prove this if you win.
6. Try to stay on topic
7. Do not post negative comments about other members ideas or suggestions. They won't help with the build and you will find yourself eliminated from the competition.
8. Try to keep it real, I have only 2 hands and a limited number of supplies and tools. I will do my best to build a quality knife but I'm not capable of building a light sabre.
9. Each person who posts a valid post in the thread is automatically entered in the competition. I decide wich posts are valid.
10. Each valid post constitutes an additional entry. So the more you contribute the more chances you have of winning.
11. Flooding of posts just to increase your chances of winning will get you eliminated so don't bother (Also see rule 6)
12. Names of contributors wil be put in a hat at the end of the build and one lucky winner will be drawn. The winner receives the original knife.
13. There will probably be more rules but I hope it's straight forward enough.

Enjoy youselves

Regards

Davy

sfakiaman

Maybe, I don't know yet.

My favourite using knife is a Puma White Hunter I bought in Germany in 1960. I also have an ivory handled kukri I got in Kathmandu but it is a bit bulky to bring hunting.

fish slapped

I would suggest ASH for the handle material as of course the clash of the ASH in our native sport . I don't know is it is a suitable material and will leave this to Davy.

John Griffin

davymoore wrote: »

Some Really great input so far. I have to say that I am absolutely delighted with the level of interest in this project.

Personally I would tend to go for a fixed blade knife, John G. I appreciate your comments about your sheath snagging or digging in to your ribs etc. and I suspect that we have all felt this discomfort at some time or other. But I think we can get over this hurdle when it comes time to design the sheath itself. We can look at several mounting options.

The main reason I would vote for a fixed blade is simple really, there's less that can go wrong with it. It wont freeze shut. It won't come loose or wobble or worse still close on your fingers when a locking mechanism or pin gives out. It's easier to keep clean and requires less skill to sharpen and maintain

For design purposes the handle has to be made to accomodate the blades in a folding knife and that puts quite a few restrictions on blade shape, length, thickness etc.

But that's only my vote and everyone has an equal say in the matter.


Regards

Davy

To be the ultimate hunting knife i believe it needs to meet all the needs of a deer hunter in the field. Light narrow blade for humane dispatch, gralloching blade, etc etc. Fixed blades tend to be thicker and much harder to sharpen. Most people cannot sharpen thick bladed knife and they usually end up using excessive force which is extremely dangerous.
I grant you that a fixed blade is easier to build and much more beautiful to look at. All your points are valid. But are we designing the Beautiful Irish hunting knife or the Ultimate Irish hunting knife. Most people that hunt occasionally and take the odd deer will have one because they think it is the right tool for the job and it looks the part. Anybody i have shown the knives i use in practice have immediately converted to them. It's like the difference between the musket and the bolt action rifle and axe and a scalpel.
If you can design a fixed blade to fit all the needs of an experienced deer hunter you will be the first. The gut hook was supposed to be the answer but it is not. It is simply a ripping tool and makes an awful mess of a deer, some are better than others but they are nowhere near as good as a gralloching blade.

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

John
I'm not designing the knife, you guys are. It's a democratic proccess. The finished knife I garauntee will not suit everyone. The idea is to get a general concensus on various options of knife anatomy then by a proccess of elimination and by including the most popular styles shapes etc. we will wind up with a knife that should reflect the wishes of the generalized Hunting community.

I understand that you have a wealth of experience when it comes to butchering deer and that will most definetly prove very usefull here. The final knife however is probably to be used just as much for Rabbits, Birds or Fish as it will for Deer as all members of the hunting community are being invited to participate.

Is there such a thing as THE hunting knife ? Probably not
Is there a knife we can call our own Irish Hunting Knife? Definitely not YET

I am hoping that by working through the proccess that we WILL come up with a knife that in general will be fit for most hunting outings in Ireland a knife that in part at least will contain some elements that appeal to everyone.

Davy

fish slapped

John, you use a flexi blade in the victornox as you have factory experience and can do so. IMO, The flexi blade could be quite dangerous in the hands of a learner or occional butcher in the field as it can flex nearly 90 degrees, so I think the slightly ticker stiff blade would suit better. I just think it a safty issue to those that are not expert in the use of a knife as you know I'm speaking from experience and have the scars to prove it:o

jwshooter

i have to go with griff on this ,a folder with a lockable blade .
every point john made is right .
the handle should made of a imporvious material.

John Griffin

fish slapped wrote: »

John, you use a flexi blade in the victornox as you have factory experience and can do so. IMO, The flexi blade could be quite dangerous in the hands of a learner or occional butcher in the field as it can flex nearly 90 degrees, so I think the slightly ticker stiff blade would suit better. I just think it a safty issue to those that are not expert in the use of a knife as you know I'm speaking from experience and have the scars to prove it:o

Not suggesting for a second that anybody would or should use a boning knife in the field. My fear is that too much emphasis is being put on the look of the knife and what kind of handle it will have as opposed to the practicalities of the knife. A knife is a tool to you and I, the same way a spanner is to a mechanic. I just want it to do the job and i think this is a good project. It would be nice to get a good practical knife from this and if it looks great all the better.

Just found your site Davy, beautiful looking knives. Don't get me wrong, i love beautifully crafted knives. I just have different priorities to most people i suppose when selecting a knife. It wasn't you i met at Birr:)

lordarpad

Maybe, I don't know yet.

davymoore wrote: »

Is there such a thing as THE hunting knife ? Probably not
Is there a knife we can call our own Irish Hunting Knife? Definitely not YET
Davy

TBH a mate of mine is a smith up in Sweden and will be making my knife (impeccable qualification, he is the King's Blacksmith). What i have asked him to do for me is a 2 knife combo, a good 20 cm or so blade for killing and a ca. 10 cm blade for general work. I have never met a folding knife that was up to the standard of a good fixed knife steel wise.

To illustrate what I mean: Said guy had made a knife for a mate of his who works as a hunter and river tour guide in Africa. Knife needed to eb able to chop wood, gut and butcher animals and pierce a crocodile skull when push came to shove. It hade been in use for a few years and came back for maintenance which is when i saw it.

The knife was still sharp enough to do the paper cut test, but leaft a slightly fraid edge on the paper. This after gutting 2 elephants and part of a wheelbarrow ...

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

John Griffin wrote: »

Not suggesting for a second that anybody would or should use a boning knife in the field. My fear is that too much emphasis is being put on the look of the knife and what kind of handle it will have as opposed to the practicalities of the knife. A knife is a tool to you and I, the same way a spanner is to a mechanic. I just want it to do the job and i think this is a good project. It would be nice to get a good practical knife from this and if it looks great all the better.

Just found your site Davy, beautiful looking knives. Don't get me wrong, i love beautifully crafted knives. I just have different priorities to most people i suppose when selecting a knife. It wasn't you i met at Birr:)

Sound John
There is always going to be a battle with form over function. Achieving the right mixture is what knifemakers have been trying to do for centuries. We are bold enough to think that we can do it in one small project [wish us luck ]
As a knife maker I tend to concentrate on the fit and finish I know what steels I prefer to use and why. I know what I like to look for in a knife. I am trying to find out what others look for.

Now I am not dismissing function ... but temporarily I would like to discuss form and why it's important to this project.

Look at the following knives and see if you can tell just by looking where they come from














Why cant we do this for an Irish knife ?

Whether it be fixed or folding, Wouldn't it be nice if aswell as red hot reliable functionality we could look at a piece and say that's one of those Irish knives.

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

To illustrate the point above I will share with you a recent experience on another Blades board the thread was started with the question..

Is there an ethnic Irish Knife ?

Two posts quickly followed with the following pictures





This is one of the reasons I wanted to start this project

Grizzly 45

Davvy,
I spent a lot of time last nite and over the years looking for an answer to that one.Realistically NO.I cant find any evidence to suggest that there ever was a specific blade form that was quintisentially Irish in design. The most notable Irish design on swords and daggers in Irish history is the ring pommel.That is mostly around the 15/16 century.
Most blades found on archelogical digs seem to suggest viking and/or norman design.What is more associated with Irish blades is the Gallowglass axe,which was a 6ft plus staffed axe,and the Gallowglass were Scottish mercenaries on contract here in Ireland.So that is even an import.By and large we wernt much for knives or swords,we seem to have been more into spears or darts.With the Darts,which seem to be described somthing like the Chinese martial art weapon the flying knife.[Basically a 12in blade attached to appx 10/15 ft of rope].But the blade form seems to be lost in the mists of time.
So apart from the Ring pommel,which would look good on the beautiful Irish knife,and useless on the ultimate Irish hunting knife. Unless somone can point out a traditional shape.The "Irish" blade shape is open to whatever we want it to be.

greenpeter

The second knief in the middle picture is like one i seen been made on ray mears when he was in norway i think. Would be a nice touch if the handle could be made out of irish deer antlers

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

Trust me I've done more than a few hours on this myself and to no avail.

I find lots of info on weapons but not on the knife as a tool but we must have had knives surely. How did we prepare meat or slice bread? It is possible that we traded with the Saxons, Normans or Vikings but would this be able to account for every knife that was in use in the country ? And why have no specimens survived.

The Seaxe comes up a lot and as a weapon it was fairly formidable but really would have no practical field use today.

lordarpad

Maybe, I don't know yet.

have a look at the bronze age stuff in the National museum maybe?

Gordon

Just a quick aside, but reading this thread made me think of what the biggest swiss army knife is. I found it on the internet, and apparently it exists and is not a photoshop:

That's one hell of a Swiss Army knife!

As to the poll, overall, I prefer a fixed blade to a folding one, however it's important for me to emphasise that each have their place, not just in hunting, but in general use too.

For example, when I'm making walking sticks, I usually use one folding knife from the begging of the process to the end.

On a last note, great thread Davy, thanks for starting it!

Grizzly 45

I find lots of info on weapons but not on the knife as a tool but we must have had knives surely. How did we prepare meat or slice bread? It is possible that we traded with the Saxons, Normans or Vikings but would this be able to account for every knife that was in use in the country ? And why have no specimens survived.

Very good question.But from any illustrations I can find,the "domestic knife"of medival times seems to be a miniturised seaxe design.IOW a Blade that has a large base that works to a very fine point.

The Seaxe comes up a lot and as a weapon it was fairly formidable but really would have no practical field use today[/QUOTE

Although I am quite fond of a knife with a slight curve and a Belly up front and clip point,[ala a Bolo machete]works somwhat like a axe in gutting for breaking the pelvic bone.

macadam

Yes, Sun 23rd only

Davy,

My ideal irish handcrafted knife would be similar to the crown series Deer skinner from Silver Stag(www.silverstagknives.com ), you could replace the handle with goat horn ,from one of the Pucks in Killorglin, to me that would be a real treasure.

I think we should all post pictures of knives we have,and specify our likes and dislikes of the various knives.

jwshooter

macadam wrote: »

Davy,

My ideal irish handcrafted knife would be similar to the crown series Deer skinner from Silver Stag(www.silverstagknives.com ), you could replace the handle with goat horn ,from one of the Pucks in Killorglin, to me that would be a real treasure.

I think we should all post pictures of knives we have,and specify our likes and dislikes of the various knives.

a fine knife to collect but not to use or carry as a every day tool .

macadam

Yes, Sun 23rd only

JW,

I thought this thread was on hunting knives , hence the title The Ultimate Irish Hunting Knife.

Everday tool/knife has to be the old reliable swiss or the leatherman.

The silver stag is a great hunting knife have one for years,but the sharpest tool in the box has to be the Cold Steel, Roach belly,friend of mine has skinned 8 deer and its still as sharp as new, I have one and it would shave you better than any wilkinson sword.

Mellor

Maybe, I don't know yet.

Davy, first of all, I think this is a great project and wish you all the best.
Fixed or fold, there are pro and cons to each. I prefer folding knives for the reasons mentioned. But from a design point of view, a fixed blade would be easier to make unique and "Irish"

The knives from around the world are mostly period knives, I think it would be a bad idea to try to apply an historic feel or image to our knife here. I have a background in design and see that approach slot, it's generally a bad idea.

mallards

Yes, Sun 23rd only

Great idea Davy. I was thinking of the handle being made up of materials from the four provinces and unique to them. E.G Connemmara marble from Connaught, Gold inlay or banding from Ulster, horn from a puck goat from Munster and deer antler from a stag from Leinster.

Just a thought,

Mallards.

John Griffin

macadam wrote: »

JW,

I thought this thread was on hunting knives , hence the title The Ultimate Irish Hunting Knife.

Everday tool/knife has to be the old reliable swiss or the leatherman.

The silver stag is a great hunting knife have one for years,but the sharpest tool in the box has to be the Cold Steel, Roach belly,friend of mine has skinned 8 deer and its still as sharp as new, I have one and it would shave you better than any wilkinson sword.

Knives are tools to some people and ornaments to be put in glass cabinets or worn in public by others. I work with knives so they are tools. The knives i use get a rub of a steel every day. In a day i could gralloch and field dress up to 30 deer. When used properly my knife will last all day. People that i let use my knife always comment on how sharp it is. You don't need to spend a fortune to have a good knife or a good edge. Most of the time you are paying for a fancy handle. A fancy handle does not make a good knife.

We do not have a tradional Irish knife, nor can we create one. We can design a fixed blade knife with a similar blade to hundreds of others with a fancy handle, it will do the same as hundreds of other fixed blades. Or we can design a knife that does not exist yet. We can take the best features of the swiss locking knives i described earlier and refine those features to give a unique knife that is totally functional, unique and new.

lordarpad

Maybe, I don't know yet.

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

Very good question.But from any illustrations I can find,the "domestic knife"of medival times seems to be a miniturised seaxe design.IOW a Blade that has a large base that works to a very fine point.

The Seaxe comes up a lot and as a weapon it was fairly formidable but really would have no practical field use today[/QUOTE

Although I am quite fond of a knife with a slight curve and a Belly up front and clip point,[ala a Bolo machete]works somwhat like a axe in gutting for breaking the pelvic bone.

Grizzly I second the seaxe, this is what i have seen too.

Hibrion

Maybe, I don't know yet.

Hi, havnt really posted much but this caught my eye and I am very interested in knives.

For me a hunting knife has to fullfill numerous tasks and I find the best blade a fixed blade to be about 5 to 7 inches, and a good wide blade so it will stand the test of time.
A good straight blade you can put your weight behind for heavy cuts is good and I have a loathing for those partially serated blades that pretty much render them useless to me.
With regards to the handle I think it would be hard to imrove on mallards suggestions, the four provinces thing, cool idea; as long as it could be made functionally and a good ergonomical shape that provides good grip.

On the making it Irish side of things why not add some Ogham lettering along the length of the blade?? Your name, or something to do with huning or Irish heritage; kind of like the way katanas are stamped along the blade with some form of inscription in Japan.
With the sheath i think it would have to be made out of deer skin. I quite like the Norweigan style sheath for keeping the knife in place while out, not a big fan of those clippy botton things. Thick leather stitching in the sheath always looks well I think, but thats just a personal prefferrence and a style thing.

Hope this rant helps.

Hibrion

Maybe, I don't know yet.

A possible solution to the problem of the sheath of a fixed blade sheath causing discomfort maybe to have it so it can be worn in the noram l upright possition or mounted sideways so it can be worn at the back of a belt without any real discomfort??

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

We do not have a tradional Irish knife, nor can we create one.

Were hardy giving up already ? We havent even decided on the first feature.


Remember that Alan Wood only 25 years ago created a knife for Ray Mears.
The "Woodlore" Knife quickly gained popularity and is now considered to be The Ultimate British Bushcraft Tool.

It can be done ... We've got some really good ideas coming through already

Regards
Davy

macadam

Yes, Sun 23rd only

Dont forget a wee bit of history in the handle , ie a piece of waterford crystal.