The Navigating Collapse NC-1 Knife: Feedback & Design Input

[Outlander Systems]

http://swc-handmade-knives.com/

http://www.skookumbushtool.com/

Check out Mors Kochanski and see what he says about knives.

My opinion, not that it counts with anyone but me, is that you should carry an axe (granfors), a small machete and a knife.........ever tried eating lunch with a machete.

Too right...

Or doing any type of "fine" work...

I agree that there's no one tool. I need to balance the fine line between squeezing too much into the knife. I plotted the 1:1 scale version out yesterday, cut it out, and glued it to a piece of cardboard. The design isn't bad, and isn't quite as big as I thought it would be. I may scale back the length an inch, and shorten the width a hair. The delicate balance I'm attempting to achieve is something that can chop, cut, and shave, as I'll carry a 3" fixed blade for the bulk of tasks to be performed.

I absolutely, and completely, hate hatchets and axes, mostly because I never futz with anything large enough to warrant it; and because it's good for two things, chopping large sections of wood, and using as a hammer.

I may play around with a little 3" design after I wrap this one up.

Ultimately, I want this knife to fill the gap between a hatchet, a machete, and a large utility knife, without getting too big, without overloading it with features, and remaining practical.

[Von Rheydt]

I recomend the Frost Mora as a first knife to guys I teach and many of the Euro survival and bushcraft schools use them as a school knife. They are cheap, very sharp and have a nice pointy bit for detail work and I can fell a 3 inch thick tree with one in under 5 minutes.

Your knife does not need to be any longer than the measurement across the palm of your hand. Indeed any longer than this and for detail work you start to lose control. Because, one of my favourite "Bugger the troops around" activities is to have people carve a spork like implement in downtime.

Check this thing out, it is not official issue but its size makes it very handy and it makes a nice base for modifying and altering.....G10 handles, different grind on the blade, perfectly squared spine to the blade.

http://www.endicotts.co.uk/product_i...roducts_id=790

Axe's, I agree they have a place but not generally on my pack. I can chop firewood with my knife using the technique called battening.

[thunderinms]

Lately I've been trying to find a knife that fits what I'm looking for. I never really thought about a custom solution to cook up a unique knife for my personal needs.

I've recently been working with a knife maker to cook me up a sheath, and some new grips for a Tom Brown Tracker. While I think it's a good tool, I realise that there's some shortcomings.

I think too much was crammed into it to be a solid performer at any given task. That being said, much like the survivalist himself, the Tracker knife is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none. I do like it better than the RAT-7 as an overall performer. Basically, if I was only taking one, it would be the TBT.

So, over the past couple of weeks, I'd been stewing on a custom-design.

Right now, I'm at a stumbling block on what steel to use. I'm leaning towards either D2, ATS-34, or S30V.

My main uses for a full-sized, "bush" knife are hacking, notching, and splitting logs.

Since I'm not planning on taking down any large game, I don't need any extraneous horseshit like gut-hooks; I don't really see the point in a wire-stripper/fence "breaker" either.

The only things I do are chop, baton, notch, and shave branches. I don't use branches bigger than my wrist, so the 8" blade is more for heft and chopping power. I don't want a hatchet. I absolutely hate hatchets.

Here's the preliminary doodle from last week, and my lunch-break design:





I'm open to feedback. This will probably take a while for me to really settle on a design I like.

NC,

Check your email bud...

G

[bgoode]

Keep at it. I like how this thread shows how simple changes can make a drastic style change. I'm thrilled my doodling / turns into TTW knife helped motivate bro!!!!

[hikeeba]

Hello NC, and all other knife people,


NC, why the love for the tanto-type tip on your knife? I'm just curious. If it is for prying/chisling applications, maybe get your hands on a Ka-Bar Becker Tac-Tool: https://www.kabar.com/product/produc...arch%20Results

A Camillus-made Becker Tac-Tool was my go-to bigger blade for years of camping trips and assorted outdoor adventures. It is has a chisl grind, but it made little difference when chopping, batoning, or when used as a draw knife:


With a baton buddy:


Sure, it looks like a bar with a bevel, but it is actually quite versatile and useful.



Or, if you like your TOPS Tom Brown Tracker, but want something less 'single-bladed-Swiss-Army-knife-ish,' maybe consider along the lines of these designs made by Peter Jensen of Jensen Elite Blades in Australia:

EST-9:


EST-7:





One a final note, I will echo the thoughts of Von Rheydt a few posts above. Over the past 5 years or so, I have been gravitating towards carrying a smaller blade more often than not. With a baton, a smaller blade can chop and split wood - perhaps not as efficiently as a larger blade, but it will do the job. Over the last few years I have settled into using knives with blades ranging from 4" to 6" on my outdoor adventures. But that's just me.

It also depends somewhat on the situation and intended application of the tool. If weight and space are at a premium, smaller is obviously better, in which case one needs to learn how to make the most of their tool. If weight and space are not at a premium, larger blades or multiple tools can be carried. For more specific applications, I prefer to have on hand the tool that best meets the needs of said application.

But I digress. Edged tools are edged tools, and with a little creative thinking, one can adapt a tool to a given situation; albeit some tools adapt easier than others.



Sorry for the rambling. Good luck on your project, NC. I look forward to seeing the final result.

[Wolf Spyder]

First Draft in ACAD:

Are you still working on this? Or are you settled on a design? I have been thinking about a Tanto design of my own...