chuckster2.0 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Would it be possible to make a knife look upside-down where the hollow grind is where the spine would be and the spine where the hollow grind would be? Here is the a picture of my idea The orange is where the hollow grind would be in the upside-down knife and the grey is the spine. I did two different ideas because I wanted to either cut well or look really upside down. This idea has sort of been nagging at me for a couple of weeks so I hope you guys fully understand what I am trying to ask because I am not sure how else to word it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 (edited) Well yes those are common knife shapes. Your top design would be called a "Sheepsfoot" blade and the bottom design is called a "Wharncliffe"... errr... that is if you reversed the sharp edge and the spine on the bottom blade. They are somewhat more usual in pocket knives and carving knives than in larger blades but nonetheless standard blade designs. Edited August 30, 2012 by steve sells clarify Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt87 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 The lambsfoot or sheepsfoot is a very traditional British pocket-knife design, e.g. Wrights of Sheffield Rumor has it the name derived from it being a very useful design for trimming... sheeps' feet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckster2.0 Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 The lambsfoot or sheepsfoot is a very traditional British pocket-knife design, e.g. Wrights of Sheffield Rumor has it the name derived from it being a very useful design for trimming... sheeps' feet... I know of knives with the same shape as the ones I drew but I would like to know if I can reverse the spine and hollow grind line so that the hollow grind has the same shape as the spine and the spine has the same shape as the hollow grind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfootnampa Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Well we just answered that... the Sheepsfoot knife is sharpened on the straight side of the blade. They are not normally hollow ground but certainly could be. I have heard that the Sheepsfoot style blades were called such because they mimic the shape of one side of a sheep's hoof. Which (having tracked thousands of sheep) I know that they do leave a track shaped just that way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Make them and see if you like them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckster2.0 Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 Make them and see if you like them. Well that was sort of my plan anyway. I just wanted some input from some other more experienced smiths to see if they had done anything like it and to understand what I might be getting into. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBrann Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Just curious... why are you wanting to switch the spine and cutting edge? The best part about this is you can make whatever you want.... and see how you feel about it. I am always amazed at the messes I get into "just to see if I can..".. good luck and post pics... cliff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckster2.0 Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 (edited) Just curious... why are you wanting to switch the spine and cutting edge? The best part about this is you can make whatever you want.... and see how you feel about it. I am always amazed at the messes I get into "just to see if I can..".. good luck and post pics... cliff I want to because no one else has. I have never seen a knife like the one in my head. Edited September 9, 2009 by chuckster2.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Well sorry to burst your bubble but it is a pretty common design out in the larger world. Try to make things better than other folks and ignore trying to be *first*. I was at the knifemaker's guildshow once and met a fellow who was big on being the first one to do a certain thing who was disappointed to find out that there was an example from the renaissance in a museum and published in the "Arms and Armour Annual, Vol 1". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckster2.0 Posted September 9, 2009 Author Share Posted September 9, 2009 Well sorry to burst your bubble but it is a pretty common design out in the larger world. Try to make things better than other folks and ignore trying to be *first*. I was at the knifemaker's guildshow once and met a fellow who was big on being the first one to do a certain thing who was disappointed to find out that there was an example from the renaissance in a museum and published in the "Arms and Armour Annual, Vol 1". When I make the knife I will post pictures. The idea of the knife is more about the grind line and not the shape. If someone has made it in the way I intend to, I would love to see pictures because I have not found any so far and would like to see what other people have done. I have done a lot of research on weird knife designs and have yet to see one like the one I have enivisioned. But I am probably wrong and the knife just is not pictured on the internet. I think that I will really know once I make it and post pictures. Though that may take a few months. I need to allocate enough time and resources to attempt it. I don't want to spend all my smithing time trying to be the first to do something. But I do want to define myself as an individual bladesmith with work that can be identified as mine without me giving too many hints. Wait. I just had a great idea! I will grind a bit of steel in the way that I planned and post pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 A good source for oddball weapons is "Stone's Glossary" and for what is going on out in the blade world are the "Knives" annuals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckster2.0 Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 A good source for oddball weapons is "Stone's Glossary" and for what is going on out in the blade world are the "Knives" annuals. I actually have a book similar to that called "Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor" by DK publishing and many of the weapons from India are very unusual. However, it does not contain a blade like the one I have in my head. But I will try to find and look at stones glossary to give me more ideas. As for "knives" annuals, I will also try to get a subscription to that. It sounds like a good magezine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 A safety tip emergency knife with a shape similar to that, the cutting edge started behind a blunted tip. They are meant to protect a rescue raft from accidental puncture. They also can tuck between flesh and rope then twist to cut the rope without cutting flesh. Here are someWest Marine: Fixed Serrated Safety Knife Product DisplayWest Marine: Floating Safety Knife Product DisplayWest Marine: Gerber EZ Out Rescue Knife Product Display Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckster2.0 Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share Posted September 10, 2009 They have the same edge orientation as the knife in my head but they do not have the spine shaped hollow grind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Note that the "Knives" annuals are not the magazine as they come out only once a year! The real titles are "Knives 2009", "Knives 2008", "Knives 2007", "Knives 2006",...,"Knives 1981" I took Knives magazine starting with issue 2 but dropped it after they started doing a lot of production knife articles and have not looked at it lately. The Knives Annuals are a great 1 stop what's going on in the knife world resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkrankow Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I would like to see the finished knife when you get that far. I am picturing a fuller after the blade thickens behind the cutting edge, then fattening up a bit at the spine. It will probably be handsome and have specific utility since I do not picture a sharp tip. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 note that lots of blades have fullers near the spine, especially single edged swords! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 If you learn about why there are thicker spines and convex grinds toward the cutting edge, and you think about why you have not seem any made the other way, you will answer this question for yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Hale Posted August 30, 2012 Share Posted August 30, 2012 Hmmmmmmmmmmmm no knife in three years,,,maybe it just did not work out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woody Posted September 3, 2012 Share Posted September 3, 2012 if you have a hammer, an anvil, a piece of steel and a fire you can make about anything you want to make just heat 'er up and beat it till it looks like what you want then quit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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