I sound Silly for asking this, but I want to try forging a Khukuri and I'm not exactly sure on how to go about doing it and I was wondering if anyone had tips on forging the exotic styled blade. I only have experience with making small to mid sized knives and I've only done Clip points, Drop points and Tanto Points, so this is a little out of my comfort zone. I can only think of cutting a bar of steel into the shape and then continuing the the construction process. I would like to be able to forge one completely by hand though. Any information would be appreciated.

The trick how I understand it is that you forge the blade to rough shape, and use a heavy wooden branch to beat the curve into the blade. Similar to putting a counter-bend on a knife before forging the edge bevels.
I would check on you tube....I seem to recall more than a few videos that dealt with Khukuris and other similar blades.


Good luck

The $50 Knife Shop starting on page 97 is the best example I've see on paper. I dont mean to sound rude but if you don't have a copy of this book, you need to get one! It's a great resource on how to make good knives and not spend a lot doing so.

Kevin

The curve on a Kukri is not very radical. You could almost forge it straight and just bend it before heat treating. It would be a little easier to bring the shape along earlier in the forging process but not critical.

Get a chunk of clay to practice with. Remember that in forging you are just moving mass, not removing it like grinding. When metal is thinned down one way it gets wider in another, so if you start to bevel a straight blade the opposite side will start to curve the opposite way. By tapering first then beveling you get a different shape than beveling a straight piece. The clay will show you how the metal will move, and is an easy way to try different methods.

Here's a link that may be of some help to you. The end product is a bit rough, but appears to be very functional.