101

KNIFE
DESIGNS

PRACTICAL
KNIVES
FOR DAILY USE

MURRAY CARTER
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover
Title Page
Disclaimer
Terms and Definitions
Introduction

Part 1: Design Theory, Practical Designs For Daily Use

Culinary Blades
• Paring Knives
• Slicing knives
• Chopping Knives AKA Cleavers
Knives for Work, Hobbies and Outdoors
• Utility Knives, blades 4 inches and less
• Combat Knives, 7 to 9 inch blades
• Camp Knives, 10-12 inch blades
• Machetes, 16-20 inch blades
• Swords, blades over 20 inches
Classic Knife Designs

Part 2: How To Create And Preserve New Designs

How to Grow Your Pattern Collection
How to Modify a Pattern to Improve it
Specific Features Of Blades
• Point location and sharpness
• Straight vs curved vs recurve edges
 • Blade spine/ handle junction
• Handle shape, contour, and angle relative to the blade
• Low drag, easily maintained profile
• Sharp pommels
• The 89 degree subtlety
In Conclusion
How To Use The Patterns

Knife Patterns/Templates
• Kitchen Knives
• Daggers
• Neck Knives
• Other Knives
Bibliography
About the Author
Acknowledgements
Copyright
 DISCLAIMER

This book is all about practical knife designs. It is written for the
reader who desires first and foremost to make or own a knife that will
be held and used for extended periods of time to cut things. This
doesn’t mean to imply that other types of blades and knives, such as
Fantasy or Art knives, have no merit in the cutlery world. Definitely
not! Fantasy and Art knives offer richness and variety to the cutlery
market, for everyone’s benefit. As these knives are limited only by the
artist’s imagination and skills, it is exciting to see what will come
along next in this exciting arena of knife design.
At the end of the day however, it is the practical knives that will
get continual use for meaningful tasks and will become cherished
keepsakes of their owners. I believe it is imperative that any aspiring
full-time knifemaker offer several practical knives in their repertoire.
While it is possible for a select gifted few to make a good living
selling only fantasy or art knives, most other knifemakers will survive
periods of tough economic times by offering some knives that
customers can actually use.
Practical vs. fantasy: After a long day of cutting tasks,
which will still be in your hand?
 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

A note on the distinction between the terms blade, handle and

knife, and how the terms length, width and thickness apply.
I define a blade as being the part of a knife that slices, chops or
pierces as measured from the furthest tip to the beginning of the
handle. If a knife has a guard or bolster, that is where the blade
begins. If a knife has no guard, the blade begins at the front of the
material that constitutes the handle.
The handle is the part of the knife that is held in the hand during
regular use. The handle includes the metal guard if the knife has one.
The end of the handle is the part of the knife furthest away from the
blade tip. A knife is defined as a blade with a handle so as to be held
in the hand during use.
The term length when referring to the blade means the dimensions
of the blade from tip to the start of the handle. (However, kitchen
knife blade length is measured from the heel of the blade to the tip).
Width is the dimension from the spine of the blade to the cutting
edge (or cutting edge to cutting edge in the case of a dagger). The
terms wide and narrow are used to describe width.
Thickness is the dimension of the fattest part of the blade between
the right and left sides. Thickness will always be a smaller dimension
than width. Thin, light, thick and heavy are terms used to describe a
blade’s thickness.
 Terms Knife, Blade, Handle, Length, Width and
Thickness and how they apply to knives. Note that
blade length is measured differently on kitchen knives
than other knives.

The primary edge on a blade is what first comes in contact with

the material being cut. The primary edge initiates the cut. As the
blade cuts into the material, the secondary edge becomes a factor as it
determines how easily the blade can travel through the material.
Diagram of primary edge, secondary edge, blade flats
and spine of a blade.
 INTRODUCTION

Like many North American boys, I have been fascinated with knives
and things that go “cut” since my early childhood. As fate would have
it, I ended up in Japan at the age of 18 where I fell into an
apprenticeship with a 16th generation Yoshimoto bladesmith that
lasted six years. Upon completion of that fortunate tutelage, I
continued forging blades in Japan for twelve more years, moved to
the U.S. in 2005 and have continued forging blades since then. To
date I have personally completed over 17,000 knives, the majority of
which were one-of-a-kind pieces consistent with the kind of work
done by old-world artisans.
 Named after my old forge in Japan where I first made
this pattern, the Tabaruzaka Utility neck knife is as
slick as they come. It features a Hitachi white steel
#1/stainless laminate blade, HRC 64, unpolished
hammer forged finish and a reverse “coffee jelly”
handle (brown and black micarta).

I am indeed very fortunate to have found paying customers for

most of those knives. As it was in the early days of my career, so it
remains today a challenge to create knives that are appealing enough
for customers to feel the compulsion to part with their hard-earned
cash to buy one of my premium blades. I do believe that I have
learned a thing or two during that time about appealing knife design.
Teaching others at my exclusive Traditional Japanese Bladesmithing
School has further refined my convictions on the topic. It has been a
double blessing in helping me communicate both the obvious and also
the subtleties of the lines of knives.
Hand sharpening a combat knife at the Tabaruzaka
Forge, Kumamoto, Japan, 2002.
 Carter Family in front of the Tabaruzaka Forge in
2001.

17th Generation Yoshimoto Bladesmith Murray Carter.

Who will be the 18th?

I invite you now to join with me as I explore the successful

common traits in popular knife design that have lasted throughout all
of man’s history. Both enthusiast and maker alike will learn how to
identify the common traits in great knives, and the latter will better
understand how to apply them to new knife design.
It can be said that knives are task-specific tools with only three
objectives: to slice, chop or pierce.
Slicing is moving a relatively thin blade through the subject matter
in a perpendicular fore or aft drawing motion. A relatively long
section of the blade comes into contact with the same area of the
subject matter as the blade is drawn through perpendicularly. The
doctor’s use of a scalpel during surgery or removal of a thin slice of
beef from a roast are two examples of slicing.

Almost all the way through a stiff Japanese coffee can.

These cans are as thick as the old apple juice cans
from the 1970s.
Pioneering research of a blade’s ability to cut through
empty steel cans. This was before it became a popular
test in North American cutting competitions.
Author at a Japanese craft show in 2000, set up with
his travelling forge. Local kids came to get a free
lesson on basic forging techniques. In view is the
wheel-well forge with coke fire, hand-made leather
bellows and Peddinghous anvil which is still the
center piece of Murray’s shop today. When Murray
ordered that anvil from Wisconsin in the late 90s, they
 air-freighted it to Japan at a cost of over $2000! In the
background is Murray’s faithful bike, a Honda CRM
250, on which he put over 50,000 miles.

Chopping is contacting one isolated part of a blade directly with

enough force to cleave though the subject matter. There is no fore/aft
motion as in slicing. To withstand the great forces involved, chopping
blades must be stout and necessarily thicker than slicing blades.
Removing small limbs from a tree or removing the head from a fish
are examples of chopping.

Slicing the fat from beef using a Carter Whitecrane.

Chopping wood with a Japanese laminated axe.
 Author uses his EDC neck knife for almost everything.
Beware of the person with one knife!

Chamfers on back of blade enable low drag piercing.

Piercing is inserting the blade from the point directly into the
 Piercing is inserting the blade from the point directly into the
subject matter in a straight line. Stabbing an olive with a toothpick or
skewering meat for a shish-kebob are examples of piercing.
A blade can be either single purposed or, more commonly, a
combination of two or more of these objectives. Generally speaking,
the more task specific the design, the more efficient it will be at
performing tasks for which it was designed. Conversely, the blades
designed to do all, i.e., pierce, slice and chop, do none of these
individual tasks with absolute efficiency.
Think of how adept the axe is at chopping, but lacking acute edge
geometry, is ill-suited to slice and has no point to pierce. Likewise the
skinning knife excels at slicing, but lacking the mass to chop well or
an in-line point to pierce. The dagger excels at piercing, but lacks
edge geometry or curvature to slice or chop.
One of my goals then is to illuminate design features in blades that
aid the knife in accomplishing each of these tasks perfectly or a
combination of these tasks with the least compromise possible.
Another concept that I explore is how our subconscious evaluation
of knives stems from prehistoric times when man first started to use
tools. Not born with any deadly teeth or claws, man had to utilize
what he saw and found for both defense and also to carve out for
himself a niche in the wilderness. Man’s first sharp tools and weapons
were scavenged teeth, bones, horns and stones.
“Thus man, essentially a tool-making animal, and compelled by the
conditions of his being to one long battle with the brute creation, was
furnished by his enemies, not only with models of implements and
instruments, and with instructions to use them, from witnessing the
combats of brutes, but actually with their arms, which he converted to his
own purpose.” – Richard F. Burton, The Book of The Sword
 In his excellent book dating back over one hundred years ago,
Richard Burton argues that man’s first exploitation of natural
weapons was using teeth and horns from animals. Careful observation
of how the animals used their teeth and horns taught man the most
efficient use of the curved, pointy teeth and long horns for slicing,
chopping and piercing. Before man ever discovered bronze or steel,
he had perfected the necessary arm thrusts, jabs and slashes that
resulted in deadly blows with his weapons and constructive cuts with
his tools.
When referring to various weapons made from animals teeth and
horns, Burton comments, “Here we see the association in the maker’s
mind between the animal from which the weapon is derived and the
purpose of destruction for which it is chiefly used.” That is to say,
early man watched horned animals lunge and poke at each other, and
he concluded that straight pointy objects were good for the same
purpose in his hands. Likewise, he saw the beasts use sharp teeth and
claws to great effect in slicing and chopping and then endeavored to
procure and use them in the same manner.
Since those days when man first started to use the animal horns,
bones, teeth, claws and stones around him, he started to develop an
eye for ‘seeing’ the potential in the natural resources in terms of
effectiveness in slicing, chopping and piercing. Discretion quickly
developed to discern between one oddly shaped, structurally weak
horn and a straight, narrow and strong horn which was better for
piercing. At a glance, our ancestors could distinguish the finest tooth
among a set of teeth belonging to a fallen animal he stumbled upon.
He wouldn’t pick up the pearly one or the most unusual, but rather
the one he knew would serve him the best as a
slicing/chopping/piercing tool. If he chose the wrong one, he would
suffer later for his bad choice in terms of extra effort and labor
required to use the tool. Survival was a strong motivation and a
merciless teacher in superior blade design.

Author with his wife at a knife show in Aso,

Kumamoto, Japan. Oct. 2000. It is amazing to watch
patrons consistently pick up the same knife first when
they visit my table. Notice the cleanly cut coffee can
on the edge of the table…proof that Murray’s can
 cutting research predated similar activities later
conducted in North America.

It is my argument that when we see a truly well designed knife, our

subconscious, molded by millennia of tool using, recognizes it as
being a superior tool. So many times have I been at knife expositions
with at least thirty knives on the table, only to have 99% of the
visitors initially pick up the same knife to look at. This 99% figure is
not only made up of enthusiastic men, but includes children, wives
and grandmothers as well. I have witnessed this phenomenon at
almost every knife show I have attended. This tends to happen to
other knifemakers as well, to the best of my observation. What is
especially interesting is that the popular knife is usually not the one
with the fanciest handle or the outlandish design, but rather the one
which the examiner could most readily identify as being well suited
to efficiently slice, chop or pierce. The eyes have sized up every knife
in view and the subconscious has made a judgment as to the best tool
on the table.
Tetsuo model neck knife named after the author’s son.
Tetsuo means “Ironman.” This one has an ironwood
handle, naturally!
 Carter Cutlery patrons visit with Murray at the Oregon
Knife Collector’s Show in Eugene Oregon, April, 2008.

Another very interesting observation is what the visitors do when

they pick up the knife and position it in their hand. They make small
slicing, chopping or piercing motions, as if to confirm with the
physical senses what the subconscious has already decided. In silence
and with a barely imperceptible nod of the head the visitor feels the
efficiency of the blade as it slices, chops and pierces objects only
visible to them. Their senses and mind fully convinced that they have
discovered a “winner” they often reverentially set the knife back on
the table with the quiet utterance “THAT is a nice knife!” If their
finances allow, they will usually buy the knife on the spot.
So what is it that makes that knife so special? What are the design
features that work so powerfully on the subconscious? I believe there
are a few simple features that explain why certain blade designs have
stood the test of time and remain popular. Practical blade patterns
follow several rules of thumb, and when these rules are applied to
new knife designs by blade makers, there is a greater chance the
design will be accepted by the public, and more importantly, stand
the test of time. Follow along as we examine distinctive features in
slicing, chopping and/or piercing knives that were equally popular
from man’s early time to today.

Close up of the blade of the Tetsuo model necker. This

one is stamped “Rudy” on the reverse side and was
made for our expert firearms instructor who is
featured in our Combat Handgun High Performance
Tips on YouTube.
Museum Specimens and Those That Didn’t Make It
Some claim that the best way to study successful blade designs of
antiquity is to frequent museums and historical sites. These places
usually sport a healthy collection of blades and tools from the past.
However, the blades available for study can’t speak for the other
blades, the contemporaries of their time, that are not available for
observation. I am chiefly speaking of the blades that were so well
favored by their owners that they got continually used, continually
sharpened, until they were worn away to practically nothing. These
blades never made it to the museum, primarily because they were the
best blades the owners had and therefore they got used up.
Conversely, just like in our age, those knives that just don’t feel right
in the hand, or the ones that can’t perform their intended task very
well, are left sitting, collecting dust while the “favorite” knife is
continually put to work. It is therefore my assertion that not many
high quality (well designed and with good metallurgy) blades ever
made it to the museum. Those tools and blades we see in such venues
are mostly those which were rejected for some reason or another.
Perhaps it was due to the blade design, the handle design, poor
metallurgy or a combination thereof.
In Japan, it is commonly said that one will rarely find a good
carpenter’s tool in a second-hand store. The good tools were used up.
The less useful were “recycled.”
We must then, be cautious about drawing conclusions about the
effectiveness of the designs from knives we encounter from the past.
Generally speaking, the more pristine the condition of an antique
blade, the more we need to suspect its credentials. If the blade looks
like it was heavily used at some time, then we can assume it has some
positive attributes.

Does anyone really wonder why this one made it to

the museum?
Ideal Blade Shapes for Slicing, Chopping and Piercing, with
Historical Examples
Slicing blades were made from knapping various stones, such as
flint and obsidian, as well as teeth from animals. These blades were
severely limited by their small size. Better, long thin curved slicing
knives didn’t come about until the discovery of bronze. The common
trait of slicing knives is a very thin edge geometry and generous
curvature of the cutting edge. The ideal slicing knife would be as thin
as the material structure would allow and long enough to allow
maximum slicing with one direction of movement. The blade would
be as narrow as possible to reduce friction in the cut as the blade was
moving through the material. Most slicing knives are wider than
needed for superior slicing to allow for repeated sharpenings and
longevity.
Chopping tools are amongst the earliest blade tools known to man.
Thick, axe-like stones were used to separate flesh from animals and
other tasks by holding the whole tool in the hand and pounding. Even
with the discovery of metal, the shape of these hand choppers didn’t
change much initially, being cast out of pure copper, and later
bronze, into objects looking very similar to our current axe heads.
Momentum is the principle force at work with choppers, so these
tools were thick and heavy. By the same token, momentum could also
cause the edge to fail during cutting, so edge geometry was thick to
withstand the blows. The ideal chopper would be heavy enough to
supply the momentum required to cleave through the subject
material, without being any thicker than absolutely necessary to
withstand repeated use. Most chopping knives available today are
thicker and heavier than they should be because manufacturers
design them with the lowest common denominator in mind. They fear
a blade being returned because it chipped during use, so they make
them able to withstand the worst abuse imaginable.
Piercing tools, such as those horns and teeth that early man first
saw employed by the brutes around him, are typically long, straight
and thin. Sharpened sticks hardened by fire were also used. Coming
from nature, these piercing tools were fairly blunt, which required
enormous force to penetrate the subject matter. Piercing weapons
were often used for hunting or self-defense. In such cases, without the
ability to cut as they were penetrating, major blood vessels and vital
organs could be pushed out of the way by the weapon on entry, often
resulting in a less-than-desirable strike.
Sketch of ancient Roman bronze slicing knife, circa 10
AD, excavated in France.

Author’s “ideal” slicing knife. Note the resemblance to

a Japanese katana.
 From page 72, Book of the Sword, Richard F. Burton.
Copper celts in the Dublin Collection.

It was the discovery of metal that enabled these blades to excel at

piercing. Long, strong edged daggers and stilettos, perfected between
the 13th and 15th century, embodied the very finest attributes of the
piercing blade. The ideal piercing blade has a point of exceptional
sharpness, in a straight line with the handle and in the natural
direction of the thrust. The shape requires minimum effort to
puncture the subject material, it is strong enough not to break when
stressed, and it has razor sharp blades to slice surrounding material
on entry.
One common feature of man’s earliest piercing weapons was that
they were narrow in cross-section near the tip, then progressively
grew thicker and wider with length, such as a horn or tusk. This
wedge-shaped cross-section required additional force to penetrate
material with each millimeter of entry. A giant leap in efficiency was
made when piercing weapons were shaped so that the length of the
weapon was the same dimension as near the tip. Further refinement
came about when piercing weapons were made to be thickest just
behind the tip and then slightly narrower in cross section towards the
hilt. This design produced less friction as the weapon entered flesh
than one whose blade was the same width lengthwise. The Roman
gladius and the African Massai warrior’s spear come immediately to
mind. A more recent successful blade design with this “leaf-like”
blade shape is the Gerber MKII dagger, which was highly coveted by
soldiers in Vietnam.
Author’s “ideal” chopping blade…a Japanese Tosa
axe!

Renaissance period dagger.

Author’s “ideal” piercing blade; a dagger. 12 inches

overall length.
Why Slicing in Only One Direction is Most Efficient
Many travelers to Japan (and YouTube junkies!) have observed in
wonder as a Japanese fish monger or Sushi chef prepared and sliced
jewels of the sea with long slender blades that looked far longer than
necessary to the observers. These blades are in keeping with the
Japanese knife philosophy that states slicing cuts should be made in
only one direction and be one smooth continuous cut through to
completion. This cutting philosophy results in slicing cuts that reduce
cell damage to the fish and reduces the time required to make each
cut.
Conversely, using shorter blades requires the blade to be used in a
fore/aft sawing motion, or multiple passes in the same direction with
lost time and precision as the blade is returned to the same starting
point and repositioned in the progressive cut.
In the sawing motion example, as the blade is reversed in direction,
inefficiencies include: 1) blade momentum must be arrested and then
reversed, 2) as the blade direction is reversed, in the first few
millimeters no material is being cut as the material sways slightly
with the change in blade direction, and 3) massive cell damage occurs
when the blade produces friction in one direction and then in the
opposite direction, much like the crushing effect in wringing out a
towel.
It is no surprise that the Japanese have mastered serving raw fresh
fish to discerning food enthusiasts; they take the precautions
necessary to prevent the oxidation (rotting) of cells in the fish meat
that results from poor slicing techniques.
Fishmongers at the world’s largest and most famous
fish market, Tsukiji in Tokyo, Japan, use a very long
“Maguro bocho” to slice up fresh tuna.
 The Bladesmith’s Paradox

Blade Thickness and Edge Geometry, including the Perfect

Geometry of a Kitchen Knife

“Hai Sensei, usuku tsukurimashita! Ikaga deshou?!”

 When asked what the best edge geometry for kitchen
knives is, author simply responds with, “Thin!”

There is one fundamental aspect of blade making that hasn’t

changed or improved since the beginning of the trade. That is
the dilemma of how thick and strong to make a blade. Simply
put, a thicker blade will withstand greater adverse forces acting
upon it, but at a direct sacrifice in cutting performance. The
ultra-thin blades will slice like no other, but might fail when
subject to heavy duty chores.
One approach to this problem is to “play it safe” by finishing
the blade a little on the thick side, so that it will withstand
repeated abuse. If a customer wants to, they can grind down the
blade themselves for better cutting performance. The opposite
approach, taken by traditional Japanese bladesmiths, is to err on
the thin side, thereby producing a superior performing blade in
terms of cutting.
As I write this essay, I can still hear my Sensei yelling at me
when I was forging Japanese kitchen knives in my early days,
“Motto usuku, MOTTO USUKU! Kauboi naifu tsukutteru-n JA
NAI!” He was telling me in his own endearing way that I should
be forging the blades as thin as I could. His gentle reminder was
that I was forging a Japanese kitchen knife, and not a crow-bar!
Something else he said that sticks with me is that blades always
look thinner than they really are when you are forging them.
Nowadays when I am forging, I go for “paper-thin” and they
come out just about right.
If a thin blade is abused and the edge chips, the blade can
simply be ground back at a slightly steeper angle to remove the
chip. The resulting thicker edge geometry will resist chipping
again under the same abuse. It is a system that reaches natural
equilibrium in just a short time between the owner and blade.
Having forged and completed over 10,000 kitchen knives so
far, I am often asked about the “perfect” kitchen knife geometry.
My answer must seem ambiguous, but I just make them thin so
that the owner can discover the “perfect geometry” as he uses
and sharpens them back.
Pizza Cutter or Chopping Tool?
Pop-Quiz: What kind of blade is a rolling wheel pizza cutter?
Although the motion to cut a pizza is a fore and aft motion with the
hand, similar to slicing, the blade is, in fact, not slicing. Remember
that slicing is defined as “a relatively thin blade moving through the
subject matter in a perpendicular fore/aft drawing motion.” A
relatively long section of the blade comes into contact with the same
area of the subject matter as the blade is drawn through.
If the pizza cutter wheel could spin of its own accord, and then was
held in one place in order to cut the pizza, the blade action would be
slicing, as a long part of the blade would come into contact with one
isolated part of the pizza. However, such is not the case. Pizza cutters
push their way through the pizza with a great force exerted; they act
like chopping blades. The action is no different than if you placed the
cutting edge of a long bladed knife perpendicular to the pizza and
then pushed down on the spine of the knife with your support hand
(which is exactly how the “other” pizza cutter, the mezzaluna,
works). Therefore, the wheel pizza cutter is really a chopper. I’m
guessing everyone will raise an eyebrow though, if you request “a
chop of pizza, please.”
This is close to what I see when I am examining a
blade for perfect profiles. Notice how pointy the tip is,
and this is before the final hand-sharpening I do
before delivery to a customer.
APPLYING THE PRINCIPLES of practical knife design
requires more than understanding; it also requires an
eye for fine detail. Careful observation reveals fine
scratches in the riveted pins on this skinning knife.
SLICING/PIERCING HYBRID: Ample secondary edge
geometry and a graceful curving primary edge make
for a good slicing knife in a compact, portable
package. A point that lines up close to the center of
the blade and handle give this knife some piercing
ability as well.
PART ONE
 DESIGN THEORY AND PRACTICAL DESIGNS FOR DAILY USE

While outdoor knives are the hands-down winner for their “cool-
factor,” the truth of the matter is that, when considering actual use,
they play second fiddle to a group of knives that get used
exponentially more, namely, kitchen knives. Let’s first examine
culinary blades and then turn our attention to hobby and outdoor
knives.
When we are evaluating knives, we must ask ourselves, “What is
this knife for?” Then we can assess its design merit in terms of how it
slices, chops or pierces.
From big to small, outdoor knives have “cool-factor.”
 Culinary Blades

The knives that have seen the most daily use throughout the
generations are undoubtedly those related to food preparation. Day in
and day out, folks need to eat. The majority of kitchen knives are
simple in design and efficient in use. They can be broken down into
three categories: paring knives, slicing knives and chopping knives.
Traditionally, a sharply-pointed slicing knife would also be used to
slaughter animals, but is less common today.
I mentioned in my first book, Bladesmithing with Murray Carter
(page 26 “The Magic of a Millimeter” and page 87 “Grinding a Perfect
Blade Profile”), that, unlike outdoor knives which are primarily
judged for their looks, kitchen knives are judged and purchased
largely for their reputation as fine food preparation tools. A
millimeter here or there in the design won’t spoil a good kitchen knife
as fast as poor metallurgy will. That said, well-designed kitchen
knives share these common traits:
• Easy-to-sharpen blades with smooth flowing curves.
• An absence of serrations or recurve edge profiles.
• Blades that are as thin as possible, but strong enough for repeated
use.
• Blades that are wider than needed to allow for years of constant
sharpening.
• Blades for use in conjunction with the knuckles of the fingers as a
cutting guide are wide, and can also be used to transport cut food
• Simple profile handles that are longer than the hand is wide, to
allow for a variety of holding positions.
 • Handles that do not get in the way of easily sharpening the
blades.
• Simple to clean; absence of nooks and crannies where food
particles could accumulate and rot.
International Pro Series Gyuto in ironwood and brass.
Paring Knives
Small, thin-bladed knives (usually less than a 4-inch blade) are
called paring knives. To pare means to remove the skin (or a layer)
from a fruit or vegetable. When used in the hands, as when peeling a
potato, the blade is actually chopping, insomuch as the edge is
pushed straight through the material without any fore/aft slicing
motion.
Paring knives are also used in conjunction with a cutting board to
slice food using the forward portion of the blade. The rearward
portion of the blade is rarely effective for slicing on a board, as the
handle shape prevents using it this way.
Most paring knives have a sharpened point for occasional piercing
tasks, such as opening food packaging and removing the core of a
tomato.
A well designed paring knife has a simple blade with a nice simple,
well rounded handle. The simple handle plays an extremely important
role, as it allows tremendous flexibility in how the knife is gripped.
When a knife can be held in the hand many different ways to
accomplish many different cutting tasks, familiarity with the knife
will quickly lead to mastery in its use. This may explain why most
violent blade crimes are committed with kitchen cutlery…the
intimately familiar blade will always make for the most effective
weapon.
Kuro-uchi International Pro Series paring knife with
corian handle and brass hardware. This knife would
have benefitted by chamfering the top clip point for
easier piercing, and more careful fitting of the brass
guard.

Various paring knife designs: 1) drop point,2)

wharncliffe and 3) spear point.
Japanese wide “petty” knife, sometimes used as a
paring knife in Japanese cuisine. This one has a three
layer laminate blade and a bocote/ironwood
octagonal handle.
A good first purchase when starting out with high
performance Japanese hand-forged knives is a 6-inch
Funayuki bocho. This one has a white corian and
ironwood handle.
Slicing Knives
Slicing knives are the most common of all kitchen knives. This
category includes French style chef knives, Japanese chef knives,
Chinese knives (see side bar essay on the Tsai Dao), boning knives,
carving knives, long thin slicing knives and bread knives. The
common trait is that they all are predominantly used in a fore/aft
slicing motion. For some food prep such as mincing herbs, several of
the slicing knives can be used in a controlled and precise manner to
actually chop food on a cutting board.
Serrated slicing knives are fairly common in the Western kitchen.
Serrations prevent blades from cutting as well as they theoretically
could and also inhibit regular sharpening by the owner. In my
opinion, the only knife in this category that benefits from serrations is
the bread knife. Fresh bread straight out of the oven, especially
French bread with hard crust, is best cut with a serrated bread knife.
However, the crust of most other breads softens after a few hours out
of the oven and it better sliced with a razor sharp straight edge.
An important design consideration for good kitchen slicing knives is
not to let the blades get tip-heavy with extended length. They should
feel balanced in the hand for prolonged use. This is the reason most
wide kitchen knives with blades over six inches taper towards the tip,
although some slicing knives have sharp points for piercing by design.
Please re-read the list of common traits of well-designed kitchen
knives above and note the first trait: good kitchen knives are easy to
sharpen! As a bladesmith or knifemaker, make kitchen knives thinner
than you feel you should, especially thinning them out behind the
primary cutting edge.
Chinese Tsai Dao
The traditional Chinese food prep knife is called the “Chinese
cleaver” in English and “Tsai Dao” in Mandarin. Rather than have
different shaped knives for various cutting tasks, the Chinese use
similarly shaped blades of varying thickness and weight for different
tasks. Some are very heavy cleavers for chopping through bones,
while others have thin blades for slicing softer food. Many non-
Chinese chefs who have made the effort to master these blades enjoy
the versatility that they offer.
The classic Japanese Kitchen knife pattern: a Wabocho
(also known as a Santoku). A custom fit octagonal
cocobolo and olive wood handle complements this
svelte knife. In the background is the registry for
Mitsu Boshi Higo Masamune (Three Stars, Kumamoto
Masamune) dating back generations of Yoshimoto
bladesmiths.
Commemorative blades for Rawhyde Adventures BMW
GS Motorcycle Riding school in California where
Carter Cutlery filmed “High Performance Tips”.
A very rare polished Kuro-uchi International Pro
Series Nakiri-bocho in bocote wood, brass bolster and
nickel silver pins to match the polished blade.
Chopping Knives, a.k.a Cleavers
Remember that a chopping motion is forcing a blade straight into
the medium with no fore/aft blade motion. Due to the forces
involved, chopping blades must be stout enough to resist edge failure
during use. That said, consider the Japanese Nakiri-bocho, a
rectangular blade used for chopping veggies, superior examples of
which are no thicker than 1.2 mm at the thickest part of the blade.
The primary edges of many of these knives are easily thin enough to
shave the face with! If a thin-bladed knife is used for chopping, it
must be perfectly heat-treated and the user must avoid undue
pressure on the sides of the primary edge, such as those resulting
from twisting or misaligned force to the blade.
Most chopping knives, except the aforementioned Japanese Nakiri-
bocho, have more heft to them than slicing knives. In many cases the
extra weight comes in the form of more mass out towards the tip of
the blade. This extra weight out front gives the blade more
momentum in motion to power through the material being cut. The
Western cleaver is the most notable example that comes to mind.
However, there is a direct correlation between the amount of weight
forward and the inability of a blade to perform slicing tasks as well.
The Japanese Deba-bocho is a clever compromise as a hefty chopper
that still has reasonable slicing ability.
Ultra-thin Nakiri-bocho can slice and chop if used
with care.
Japanese Deba does it all – slice, chop and pierce – but
at the cost of added weight.
 Knives for Work, Hobbies and Outdoors

Utility Knives, Blades Four Inches and Less

Aside from culinary knives, the next most commonly used blades
are small utility knives used by workers and hobbyists. Rarely will
these knives have blades longer than four inches, and most will have
smooth, simple profile handles. Small utility blades include a large
spectrum of knives from scalpels to hunting knives and from pen
knives to large folders. With few exceptions, this genre of knife is
used primarily for slicing and used occasionally for piercing.
Thin, gentle curving edges with a well sharpened tip for precision
work makes for an effective utility knife. Stout, heavy blades are not
necessary due to the fact that these blades will rarely be pressed into
chopping service. Of all the non-culinary knives, utility blades will
definitely see the most use, and therefore it is of paramount
importance that they be designed with ease of sharpening in mind.
The dull utility knife that is difficult to re-sharpen will be left behind
when cutting chores abound. If it is not getting used to answer cutting
tasks, one can hardly deem it a practical design. I’ll add here that
serrations on utility knives almost always render the knife useless
once the serrations dull. Most users can’t or won’t re-sharpen them.
Again, the knife starts to accumulate dust once the initial edge is
gone.
For all around utility, it is hard to beat this
Wharncliffe Brute model neck knife. Notice that the
point lines up with the center of the blade to allow for
piercing when necessary.
 Blades with serrations or saw teeth make it practically
impossible for average users to do regular sharpening
and maintenance.

As for the degree of point on the blade, and where the point falls in
relation to the center of the blade, it is helpful to consider that, with
few exceptions, the tips of these knifes are rarely used to stab deeply
into a medium. Rather, the points are used for superficial tasks such
as cutting out magazine articles, removing splinters or lancing a boil.
The requirements of and forces affecting the point are physically
different in small utility knives compared to larger combat and camp
knives.
As the group of knives that gets more use than any other knives
save culinary blades, it is extremely important for these knives to
incorporate smooth, comfortable handles that are kind to the hands
after hours of constant use. Generally speaking, the less distinct
features in the handle, such as deep finger grooves or other sharp
contours, the better. Slight off-set in the handle, curving slightly
down and away in the direction of the cutting edge will result in less
wrist fatigue over prolonged use. This will also help to instinctively
index the blade in the hand for unsighted use. As I mentioned in my
discussion about kitchen paring knives, when the handle on a utility
knife allows the knife to be held in a variety of comfortable positions,
it will be used constantly for a wide variety of cutting tasks. This
constant and varied use will quickly lead to perfect familiarity, which
leads to mastery of the tool. These smaller utility knives truly can
become natural extensions of the user’s hand.
Next to consider are metal finger guards on utility knives. A guard
on a small utility knife is often a cosmetic feature to make the knife
look larger and more capable than it really is. It mimics design of
larger combat and camp knives. With the exception of some of the
larger utility knives with upwards of 4-inch blades, guards are a
hindrance to the user. While some claim a guard is a necessary safety
measure, I disagree, pointing to guard-free traditional knives from
around the world such as the Scandinavian Pukko and Japanese
Kaiken. Awareness on the part of the user as to where the blade
begins and ends, and subtleties in the handle for automatic safe
indexing are all that is necessary to prevent mishaps.
If a utility knife is selected for field dressing game or farm animals,
blades with clip points should be avoided and drop-point blades
favored. The clip point blade is more likely to puncture the stomach
and intestines of game during evisceration.

This simple “paring style” neck knife is plenty pointy

for superficial piercing tasks and has a simple handle
design that allows great grip flexibility. The knife
features a stabilized olive wood handle and author’s
signature hammer-forged surface finish.
Clave model neck knife with laminated blade and
stabilized olive wood handle. Very stylistic knife with
sharp point, but not the best choice for field dressing
game because extra care must be taken not to
inadvertently puncture the offal with the clip point.
Persian model neck knife with laminated blade and
tan canvas micarta handle. This blade shape excels at
slicing, but not at field dressing game.
American Hunting Knife

Author and knife expert Bernard Levine outlines the history and
development of the American hunting knife in his book Levine’s
Guide to Knives and Their Values, 2nd Edition. Levine states that the
American hunting knife is “a recent creation that first appeared a
little over a century ago.” In the expert’s opinion, “unlike pocket
knives, butcher knives, or original Bowie knives, the modern
American hunting knife is not intended for ordinary daily carry or
use. It is a sportsman’s knife intended for leisure-time pursuits.” As to
what exactly constitutes such a knife, it is, Levine continues, “a cross
between the Bowie knife, which was primarily a weapon, and the
butcher knife, which was used for skinning and cutting up game by
frontiersmen, farmers and Indians.”
 This 5½-inch laminated blade with Sambar stag and
brass handle will conceal better on the person than a
full size 7-inch blade combat knife. The owner must
know its limitations though for effective use.

A highly task specific knife is this 5½-inch bladed self-

defense knife for concealed carry. It is a modified
version of the Loveless Drop Point Hunter in
laminated steel, signature hammer forged finish,
lignum vitae and brass. This is one of the few
examples of useful knives with blades between four
and seven inches.

Specifically referring to Bowie-Style hunting knives, Mr. Levine

emphasizes that these knives are not used among serious sportsman
and that they are not practical tools. “As butcher knives they are too
big and thick. As brush knives they are not big enough. I suspect that
they appealed to the city boy’s dime novel fantasies about fighting a
ferocious grizzly bear and rescuing a rancher’s daughter.”
Most American hunting knives fall into the “no-man’s-land” blade
size of between four and seven inches in length, a great and practical
length for kitchen blades but almost useless elsewhere. One of the few
applications for a blade this long is for self-defense when the owner
desires the largest blade that can still be concealed on the person. As
a bona fide weapon, a longer blade over seven inches is to be desired,
but nearly impossible for most folks to conceal on their person. In a
true “wilderness survival” situation, a light knife with a strong blade
of at least seven inches should be selected.
Combat Knives, 7- to 9-Inch Blades
As the title implies, humans have been using knives both
defensively and offensively against their fellow man since the
beginning of time. Despite modern romantic notions by people who
are far removed from actual combat, the primary function of this
genre of knives is piercing, not slicing. The Roman soldiers learned
millennia ago, and popularized the saying, “slice to wound, pierce to
kill.” As such, to dispatch an opponent, the blade must be sufficiently
long enough to reach major internal organs, such as the heart,
kidneys or liver, when thrust from any conceivable direction. The
minimum length measures out to be seven inches. Longer blades offer
better reach, but over 9-inch blades become less wieldy and
cumbersome to carry into combat, considering average male heights
between 5’9” and 6’3”. (Obviously, comfortable knife sizes will vary
with the owners’ size.)
Nine-inch custom dagger in 5-bar composite damascus
steel with fuller, Damascus guard and mokume
hardware. All work by author, including presentation
case.
The reality of carrying a long combat knife in the field
is eye-opening. Here the sheath is seen ‘flapping in the
wind’ when the owner runs. There just aren’t that
many places to wear it securely. Yes, the end of the
sheath can be secured to the thigh with cord, but that
presents some limitations as well.
This knife is not only at risk for snagging in some
brush, it is also noisy, slapping against the body with
every right step. Tie it down, secure it elsewhere or
get a smaller knife!
Combat knife in use. An exposed neck would present a
rare opportunity to use a combat knife for slicing. The
more common application involves piercing deeply
with the point multiple times.
 Any blade with a point needs to be “thumbtack
sharp.” This premium Oyako model neck knife
features a stabilized olive wood handle with red
liners, two mosaic pins and six nickel silver pins.

Knives designed purely for combat are primarily piercing blades

and therefore the straightness of the entire blade, the position of the
point, the sharpness of the point, the drag co-efficient and the
strength-to-weight ratio are of paramount importance. As for the
straightness of the blade, expert Burton says, “Remains now to
consider… a weapon for point, a use to which, as its various shapes
show, it was applied in the earliest ages instinctively, as it were,
before Science taught the superiority of the thrust to the cut. We learn
from such hand-thrusting instruments – the awl, gimlet, needle and
dinner fork – that the straight weapon may be considered a very
acute wedge with a method of progression mostly oblique. It is easy
to prove that the proper shape for a thrusting-blade is pre-eminently
the straight.”
While many curved blades have been and are used for piercing,
when compared to the physical effort required to pierce with a
straight blade Burton continues, “with a proportionate loss of depth at
the same expenditure of force. This augmented resistance to
penetration is one, but only one, of the many difficulties in using a
curved blade for a straight thrust.”
Ideally, a task-specific piercing blade is shaped similar to a dagger.
The dagger design places the point of the blade perfectly in the center
of the blade. Not only does this allow for ideal piercing, but it enables
both sides of the blade to have the same edge geometry. This allows
for two cutting edges instead of one. Although slicing cuts are less
effective in neutralizing a foe, when they are executed, the ability to
slice in two directions has its advantages.
The sharpness of the point – the leading part of the blade that
initiates piercing – is commonly overlooked. A properly sharpened
point will be “thumbtack sharp,” that is, the point will catch the
fingerprint grooves in the thumb print when the point is brought into
light contact with the thumb at about a 30 degree angle. A point thus
sharpened will require exponentially less force to pierce than a point
that looks pointy to the untrained eye, but is actually round. An easy
test is to drag the tip lightly across a sheet of copy paper to see if it
slices the paper with point pressure alone.

As with aerodynamics, each irregular surface or protrusion on an

 As with aerodynamics, each irregular surface or protrusion on an
airplane or car will exponentially increase the drag. Likewise, on a
piercing blade, the profile of the blade and grind lines should all be
conducive to minimal drag. Daggers with “leaf”-shaped blades, i.e.,
recurved edges behind the forward third of the blade, produce less
drag than straight blades of the same dimensions. Sharp plunge-cuts
where a second edge begins half-way on the blade will produce areas
of high drag, and possibly even snag the blade upon entry (see page
144). It goes without saying that saw-teeth on a combat blade
indicate a total lack of understanding on the part of the designer.

This is how the author tests the point on a blade; with

light pressure the knife point should easily pick up the
finger prints on the thumb and pull the skin lightly
away. The pressure applied is so light there is
absolutely no danger of hurting yourself. Anything
less than a truly sharp point will just slide over the
skin.

Another view of the “thumbtack sharp” test. Try it

with a pointy thumbtack first to get a feel for this test.
As rare as this Carter Cutlery knife is at a full ¼-inch
thick, it is ill-suited for serious combat use. It is too
heavy at 12.5 ounces (USN MKII fighting knife is less
than 10 ounces and ½ inch longer) and the blade is
much wider than necessary for a combat knife. This
knife is better categorized as a short camp knife.
Master Your Combat Knife

As I mentioned in my entries for kitchen paring knives and utility

knives, ultimate mastery of a knife to the extent that it becomes a
natural extension of the hand only results from constant daily use.
Consider one day in the life of Murray Carter’s Perfect model neck
knife…

The knife we use daily becomes a natural extension of

our hand. Is it any wonder that most knife related
crimes are committed with kitchen knives?

Wake up, put on my neck knife, get out of bed…spread peanut

butter on my croissant and jam on my toast…cut out a coupon from
the newspaper…pick stuck bacon from my teeth…open the
mail….slice open the UPS boxes…pick a splinter from my finger…
trim plastic ears from my child’s “made in China” toy…mix some
epoxy…scrape off excess epoxy…scribe a blade pattern…chop a one-
inch branch from a tree…cut a pair of chopsticks from a branch to eat
lunch…cut off excess silver solder from a soldered joint…skin a
squirrel…dissect some coyote scat…wash the blade in soapy water…
brake the passenger side window of an overturned car at the scene of
an accident…cut some paracord for a customer’s new neck knife…cut
my steak… use the handle to tap loose the pickle lid… trim a loose
thread from my pajamas and fondle the handle while I sit at my desk
and write 101 Knife Designs!

A right handed kata-ha (two layer laminate) version of

the Original neck knife model…a Carter Cutlery
classic! This one sports ironwood and red liners.

Honestly, there have been many days like this in my neck knife’s
life and this is the way to master your knife. From this kind of varied
use your hand will intuitively know how loose or firm to grasp the
handle with different cutting tasks. There are no surprises like having
the blade wrenched from your hand when impacting a hard material
with speed.
If you truly want to master a larger “battle” blade, you will need to
constantly carry it with you and find as many cutting tasks as you can
to use it. Remember, a blade’s practicality is commensurate with the
amount of use it gets. This is why the Nepalese Khukri (Khukuri) is
practical for a Ghurka warrior, but not for anybody else!

Just one of the many things I do daily with my neck

knife.
 Just one gentle push is all it takes when you keep your
knife razor sharp. Ease of sharpening is a criterion for
practical blade design.

Finally, not to be overlooked is the overall weight. The ideal

combat knife will be extremely strong for its size with all excess
weight trimmed off noncritical areas. At over 12 inches long
including the handle, a blade this large is already a burden to carry
for the soldier or adventurer who has to justify every ounce carried.
Any knife considered “more knife than necessary” will simply get left
behind and not be carried anywhere near conflict.
The bewildering question then begs to be asked: Why do so many
so-called “combat knives” have wide single edges with false edges on
the spine? The answer lies in the fact that what modern customers
actually demand is a larger utility knife that could be pressed into
combat if absolutely necessary. The single wide edge design is
preferred because of its ability to slice and chop, which are tasks that
are more commonly required of a soldier or adventurer during times
other than lethal knife combat.
This avant garde “combat knife” design is benefited when
successful design aspects of the dagger are applied, namely:
• A straight blade.
• A point that is near the center of the blade.
• A “thumbtack sharp” point.
• A blade with little piercing drag and/or with a slightly recurved
edge profile behind the first third of the blade.
• A size-to-weight ratio that makes it attractive to carry when
ounces matter.
Camp Knives, 10- to 12-Inch Blades
Today’s camp knives are modern versions of yesteryear’s Bowie
knives in terms of size and design as well as in spirit. The appeal of
these knives harkens back to the days of American adventure in the
early 1800s and stories of bravery during the American Civil War.
Validating this claim is the fact that camp knives are primarily made
and sold within the United States. A well-made and well-balanced
camp knife is something to behold, and holding such a blade in one’s
hand stirs strong emotions. Even those with less than a casual interest
in knives will feel the desire to chop something with a camp knife!
Eleven-inch ladder pattern damascus camp knife with
white steel core, damascus guard and sambar stag
handle with damascus pommel. Plunge cuts are too
sharp and will add drag when used in piercing (refer
to page 144).
Predecessor to the Bowie Knife. Anglo-Saxon
‘scramasax’ blades dated to the 11th century, found in
the Thames River, London, England. The blades are
between eight and ten inches. (Page 36 Arms and
Armor of the Medieval Knight). Note how the points
line up perfectly with the center of the blades for
piercing.
Japanese Matagi camp knife. Blade is 9¼ inch of
Hitachi white steel #1/410 stainless laminate with
desert ironwood handle. Carter Cutlery offers a
version of this knife for hunting wild boar that has a
point which lines up more closely with the center of
the blade.
 Batoning wood for the fire with the Japanese Matagi.

This genre of knife has enjoyed resurgence over the past 40 years
after it was popularized by American Bladesmith Society founding
member Bill Moran. The camp knife is by design a chopper. Its forte
is chopping limbs of wood or of flesh with equal aplomb. As such,
these knives typically are too heavy to be carried in the field by
anyone, save hard-core aficionados, and many hand-made versions
are too dear to risk banging around in the bush.
The piercing ability of camp knives varies by design, but those with
sharp points located somewhere near the center of the blade would be
adequate, provided the wielder of such a heavy knife could accurately
guide the point to the intended target. Practical application of the
camp knife for most users is when car-camping and equipment weight
is not a factor. At such a campsite the camp knife can be used
primarily for procuring small firewood and tinder. Another
application might be for home protection by devoted knife enthusiasts
who live in jurisdictions where firearms are restricted. Interestingly,
blades closely resembling camp knives have been dated back to at
least the 11th century.

Making tinder is an easy job with the Matagi knife.

Machetes, 16- to 20-Inch Blades
Machetes, which are also known as cutlasses in some parts of the
world, are typically very thin-bladed tools for chopping vegetation,
but are also used as hacking weapons in regions where firearms are
not available. Machetes are subject to high impact stress during
regular use so tough, spring-like blade qualities are desirable. A
search around the world will reveal hundreds of common patterns
with this genre of knife, so design isn’t very restrictive. Machete
blades are usually wide enough to provide adequate strength for the
thin blades and also to withstand years of repetitive sharpening.
When more momentum is desired, more weight will be present
towards the tip of the blade.
Cutting down corn stalks is a piece of cake with
author’s Japanese laminated steel machete.
Carter Cutlery Kopis machete in Hitachi white steel #1
laminate and black canvas micarta with red liners.
Overall length: 22½ inches.
Swords, Blades Over 20 Inches
Swords are cool. They are extremely difficult for the bladesmith to
create and bladesmiths from ages past are to be revered. If holding a
well-made camp knife evokes deep emotions, then the sword does so
tenfold. Richard F. Burton’s work The Book of the Sword is a
fascinating and extremely educational read, and I have quoted him
extensively in this work as his research findings applied to shorter
blades. However, with that being said, I cannot, with a clear
conscience, include swords in a book about practical design. Perhaps
a book in the future about my own unique research on Japanese
swords will be in order. In the meantime, let’s stay focused on the
topic at hand…practical knife designs!
Katana made by author’s teacher’s father, the 15th
Generation Yoshimoto Bladesmith. This was presented
to Murray when he was asked to become the 17th
Generation smith and thus carry on over 400 years of
uninterrupted bladesmithing.
In Typical Government Fashion

I don’t fancy myself a knife collector, but one knife I have had since
my youth, and the one I will always keep, is my grandfather’s original
issue USN MKII, made by Camillus, NY, in 1944, during WWII. As a
child I was fascinated by this knife, the 7-inch blackened clip-point
blade with fullers, the sculpted steel cross guard and the leather
washer stacked handle with grooves and round steel pommel. The
sheath was impressive as well…not the flimsy leather sheathes, but
the genuine hard fiber and metal sheath. I was sure that a young man
could go anywhere in the world with this knife and survive just fine,
because the knife was just THAT good. (I held that opinion of this
knife until Buck Knives released the BuckMaster in 1984!)
Clip points on these two highly prolific knives are of
very poor design. The clip points prevent the blades
from being truly efficient piercing knives.
 Author regrinds the point on a USN MKII Fighting
knife on the Japanese rotating water stone sharpener.

Author regrinds the profile on a USN MKII Fighting

knife on the Japanese rotating water stone sharpener.

However, that was then, and this is now. After making more than
17,000 knives and sharpening more than 70,000 knives during my
career, I realize that the MKII fighting knife was obviously designed
by someone with a poor understanding of practical blade design. I am
referring specifically to the clip-point design, which offers no cutting
advantages but does seriously impair effective use of the blade as a
piercing weapon.
 It appears the designers of this blade were mimicking a common
design feature of Bowie style blades to appeal to romantic notion
rather than practical considerations. I concur with my colleague and
fellow ABS Mastersmith, Ed Fowler of Riverton, WY, when he states
in his book Knife Talk, “…I finally concluded that the men who
designed knives for the military, the men who purchased knives for
the military and the men who made knives for the military were not
all primarily concerned with making the best tool for the job. Some of
them may have thought they were providing the best knife for the job
[but] they just didn’t know any better. Others were more concerned
with profit or their egos.”
Another fatal design flaw in the vintage MKII fighting knives was
the straight-line, perfectly round handle. This handle design prevents
the user from being able to instinctively ‘index’ the knife in their
hand without first visually confirming what direction the cutting edge
of the blade is pointed. To illustrate this problem I have a skeptic
close their eyes and place their hand in front of them ready to accept
the knife, which I place in their hands. I place the knife in their hands
so that the cutting edge is any direction but in front of them. I then
instruct them, with their eyes still closed, to cut an imaginary cake in
front of them. The blade can never be correctly lined up to make the
cut because the handle gives no clues to the hand where the edge is
pointed.
 Author regrinds the false edge (chamfer) on a USN
MKII Fighting knife on the Japanese rotating water
stone sharpener.

Handles which are slightly oval in cross-section and slightly curved

down towards the end of the handle enable the user to instinctively
position the blade with the cutting edge in line with the direction of
movement. Newer MKII style fighting knives, also with stacked
leather washer handles, are contoured more in an oval shape, thus
somewhat improving this design flaw. Even so, this prolific American
military icon exemplifies the worst result that government
bureaucracy can produce.

USN MKII Fighting knife before and after regrinding of

the tip. The regrind takes Murray just a few minutes
but vastly improves the piercing performance of the
blade.
Communist AK-47 bayonet. I guess if you want to lose
the Cold War, then it makes sense to design a bayonet
with saw teeth to get caught up in the enemy during
use.
Author regrinds a Russian AK-47 bayonet on the
Japanese rotating water stone sharpener.
 A simple modification to a bad design goes a long way
to improve its practicality.

Perhaps the most ironic and hilarious blunder of governmental

failure is manifested in the Russian AK-47 bayonet design. Designed
during the cold war when Russia was opposed to all things American,
they copied the American clip-point design in the blade, which
limited its effectiveness in piercing and demonstrated to the world
their envy of Americana. The AK bayonet design may have been the
surest sign that the U.S. was going to win the cold war.

Author regrinds the chamfer (false edge) on the AK-47

bayonet using the Japanese rotating water stone
sharpener.
The newer USN MKII Fighting knives (left with light
brown handle) are much improved with oval handles.
You still wouldn’t know if the knife edge was up or
down in the dark, though!
Dreaming About Knives: Can You Relate?

From ABS Master Bladesmith Ed Fowler in Knife Talk: “Fact is, I

eat, sleep, breathe and dream knives. It doesn’t matter whether I am
irrigating, branding or pulling a calf. Likely as not a knife is on my
mind. When I see a beautiful lady, I want to make a knife that looks
and works like her. That is my dream – knives!”
Can you relate?
When it comes to looking at knives and seeing what is there, few
see to the depths that Ed does.
Author often finds himself thinking about the next
batch of knives he is going to forge. This slick Tactical
model neck knife was forged out of Hitachi White steel
#1 and stainless laminate and wears ebony handles
with white liners.
Cutting out blades from the forged billets on a circular
chop saw. Even after 17,000 knives, Murray is still
excited to see how the next knife is going to turn out.

Far in the background, author dreams about making

knives while he sits, mesmerized by the fire.
 Working with the power hammer is kind of like
piloting a helicopter for a living, dangerous but
downright exciting. Here the author cold forges a
blade prior to quenching.

“Through other objects of art, knifemakers and craftsmen from

times past have sent messages that touched me, telling of the splendor
they saw and that they carefully blended into their creations.”
And following is one more quotation that illustrates the similarities
in blade philosophy between my good friend Ed Fowler and I:
“Sharpening is your opportunity to develop a skill and take over
where the knifemaker leaves off. Sharpening is your signature on
your knives.”
Thanks, Ed, for your wonderful contributions to the cutlery
industry!
 Classic Knife Designs

In a phone interview with Joe Kertzman, author of Art of the Knife

and several years of Knives annuals, and managing editor at BLADE
Magazine, I asked what knife designs he thought were classics, and
which patterns have stood the test of time. Joe listed the following:
• Boot Knife /dirk/daggers/Italian Stiletto.
• Buck model 110 folder.
• Laguoile folding knives of France.
• Bowie Knife/D-guard Bowie Knife.
• Kopis design, specifically the Nepalese Ghurka Kukri.
• Loveless Drop Point hunter.
• Cleaver/axe.
• Javanese Kris and other wavy blades.
Let’s examine Joe’s choices, in light of their classification according
to size and also in light of what features the blades manifest in terms
of slicing, chopping or piercing. Why would an expert, who is familiar
with literally thousands of various types of knives, name these few off
the top of his head when surprised with the question? I think the
answer is clear. Let’s expound…
Joe’s first mention, the boot knife, dirk, dagger and stiletto must
actually be divided up into two categories: the boot knife and dirk
which average between three and five inches in blade length, and
daggers and stilettos which fall into our combat knife category.
Boot knives and dirks fall into a size category that I call “no man’s
land” because they are usually longer than utility knives and lack
much utilitarian use, but fall a couple inches short as being effective
combat knives. The only practical application for such a knife is when
it is desirable to carry the largest possible bladed weapon concealed
on the person. While this size and style of knife sells fairly well on the
market, the truth is that not many of the boot knives sold are ever
pressed into daily service. Their popularity, despite the lack of
practicality, derives from the fact that they mimic their large, more
effective brothers, daggers and stilettos, which really are classics.
These knives have existed since the discovery of metal and are solely
designed for the purpose of piercing. These classic blades do what
they were designed to do exceptionally well, which is why they are so
popular the world over.
From left to right: Boot knife, dirk, dagger and stiletto.
Carter Cutlery’s “Ultimate” utility knife, the
Wharncliffe Brute neck knife. This knife has incredible
slicing power for its size, is easy to maintain and easy
to sharpen. This blade design surpasses a conventional
drop point blade design in all tasks with the one
exception of skinning game. Otherwise, it is THE ‘go
to’ blade.
 I’ll discuss the next two entries together: the Buck 110 and the
Laguiole folding knives. Although these two knives are produced
thousands of miles apart and separated by the Atlantic Ocean, they
are close to being exactly the same cutting answer to similar cutting
demands. Both fall into the Utility knife category and are made
primarily for slicing. Both blades feature sharp points for superficial
piercing work, are thin and easy to re-sharpen. Neither blade has the
mass or weight required for chopping.
Of the two knives, the Laguiole has a better-designed blade due to
the straight spine section down to the tip and also sporting a very
slight recurve in the cutting edge one third of the way back from the
tip. The Buck 110 has a Bowie style clip point which has aesthetic
appeal but no practical function. The overall light weight and folding
design makes these knives useful slicers to just about anyone. Millions
of these knives and their variants are carried daily in every corner of
the world to accomplish ordinary cutting chores.
The next entry on Joe’s list is the American Bowie Knife and D-
shaped Guard Bowie. Categorically, in terms of blade length these
two fall somewhere between the Combat knife and Camp knife.
However, if weight is to be a determining factor, then the two
definitely belong in the camp knife class. Since at least the 11th
century, this class of knife has been popular as a secondary weapon,
and only since the development of reliable repeating handguns has
the knife fallen out of common use. These chopping and sometimes
thrusting knives remain popular today amongst makers and collectors
for their aesthetic value. The Bowie and its variants might just well be
the best compromise ever in a fighting blade that combines chopping,
piercing and slicing. Furthermore, because of their use in early
American history, this genre of knife has become an American
cultural icon, as important as ice cream and apple pie.

Prolific folding utility knives that excel at slicing.

American icon: the Bowie Knife. A) Perhaps the
pattern that comes to mind when the word Bowie
Knife is mentioned. This pattern has a well-positioned
point for piercing, and plenty of width and heft for
chopping. Although accepted as historically correct,
the interrupted line from spine to handle is not as
smooth flowing as the other four knives pictured. B)
The wide curved blade in this example gives us some
insight into the intention of the bladesmith who
forged this beauty. It is clearly made for chopping and
slicing, but with a pointy tip for superficial piercing.
The contoured handle is a very nice touch. C) This
knife is patterned from a meat carving/slicing knife.
The trailing point is not efficient at piercing, but sure
does look menacing. The length alone would frighten
many an enemy away, but at the same time would
present carry challenges. D) Searles Bowie Knife. With
Mediterranean influence, this hefty chopper also has
an in-line point with the handle for effective piercing.
The tiny gap between the heel of the blade and the
guard presents a nightmare to keep free of rust and
gunk. E) D-Guard Bowies became popular with
Confederate troops during the American Civil War.
This pattern has a nicely positioned point for piercing
and a curved blade for slicing. The D-guard would
have offered the ability to land some devastating
punching blows, as well as added security for the
hand when burying the blade up to the hilt in an
opponent. Disadvantages include limiting the grip
positions when using as well as the fact that the guard
would catch up in every little branch and bush when
running through the woods with the knife in the
sheath. For these reasons this pattern is not in
production today.

Nepalese Ghurka knife, the Kukri (known as the

Khukuri to the natives).
 Ancient Kopis used by the Greeks and Egyptians.

Next is the Kopis design, which dates back to the Greek empire, but
perhaps the most widely known pattern being the Nepalese Ghurka
soldier’s Kukri knife. These single-handed knives with tip-heavy,
recurved blades are first and foremost chopping blades. The curved
portion of the blade allowed for some slicing action, but its
outstanding chopping power relative to its size is legendary. It is
claimed that the tips of these knives could be used to pierce, but the
combination of thickness of the blade near the tip, the bad alignment
of the handle to tip and the lack of a guard or device to keep the hand
from sliding up the sharpened portion of the blade upon impact limit
the piercing effectiveness of this weapon. Adding to the blade’s
reputation is the warrior that is associated with it – the fierce Gurkha
warrior who would rather die than surrender. They were feared by
their enemies and admired by their allies.

Author’s version of the Loveless 4-inch Drop Point

Hunter in White steel #1/410 Stainless laminate,
black buffalo horn and brass hardware. The finger
grooves are shallow enough to allow different grip
 configurations, but add to the overall visual appeal.
Practically speaking, a smooth handle is better on this
genre of knife.

Modern American icon; the Loveless 4-inch Drop Point

Hunter.

Joe’s mention of the Bob Loveless style of drop point hunter is

fitting as it the single most copied knife by custom knifemakers in the
past forty years. Features that make this design a classic are:
• Drop point blade under four inches
• Excellent curvature in the blade for superior slicing
• High secondary edge grind for keen cutting and ease of
sharpening
• No jimping or choil to catch on what’s being cut
• A minimal protruding guard that doesn’t extend above the back of
the spine
• A simple smooth handle with few protrusions
 • Simple handle contour and slight bend that naturally indexes itself
in the hand.
The Loveless design is a superb field dressing knife for large game
and, as the most commonly copied knife in the world, has earned
itself classic status in a relatively short time.
“When a man picks up a knife, there’s an old memory from the
collective unconscious that surfaces. A knife is an atavistic
experience. It was man’s first tool and weapon. Man was chipping
flint into cutting edges before he invented the wheel. No matter how
sophisticated we become, a knife takes us back to the cave.” Bob
Loveless
Cleaver and axes need little explanation. They epitomize blades
expressly designed to chop. And chop they indeed do well.
Interestingly, I concur with Joe that the wavy blade pattern of the
Javanese keris as well as the medieval two-handed long flame-bladed
swords of Germany from the 1500s is a classic shape, although not a
very practical design. The waves in the blade are designed to increase
the slicing surface area, and as such were powerful slicers.
Unfortunately, the difficulty of construction and sharpening
challenges doomed this design to the exotic realm only. I think this
exotic element is what captures people’s imagination and that these
blades were the predecessors of the fantasy knife movement.
In conclusion, I think it is obvious why my friend Joe Kertzman
chose these classic knives; each genre of knife excels at slicing
(folding knives, Loveless, keris), chopping (cleavers, axes), piercing
(dirks, daggers) or in the case of the Bowie/camp knives, an effective
combination thereof.
Javanese keris (also known as a kris).
The finest axes in the world come from Tosa, Koichi
Prefecture, Japan. This is Murray’s personal axe that
he uses to chop wood to start the forge at work.

Long Original Neck Knife in stabilized olive wood.

Rope-handled Kiridashi belonging to my trusty admin
assistant. This knife gets used daily.
Emily’s Neck Knife, named after my first-born
daughter. Every time I make one I give thanks for my
lovely girl! Ebony handle with white liners.

The back side of a right-handed kata-ha Secner Model

neck knife in stabilized olive wood.
A prototype mini Wharncliffe Brute in lignum vitae.

Stabilized Olive wood handle on a rare “Kata-Ha”

(Chisel edge) neck knife.

Executive Neck knife wearing Macassar ebony scales.

The back side of a right-handed kata-ha extra-long
Tetsuo Model neck knife in brown/black micarta
“coffee jelly” scales.
A prototype - a cross between a combat model neck
knife and Emily’s model.
PART TWO
 HOW TO CREATE AND PRESERVE NEW DESIGNS

If you have read this far, you know that knives need to be designed
in terms of slicing, chopping or piercing. You also know that most
practical knives fall into a useful size category. This book is full of
useful patterns, many of which have proven to be great sellers over
the years. The following procedure explains how I make a new
pattern that can be used indefinitely.
Patterns used in the shop are kept handy for
immediate use. This collection of patterns is ever
growing, ever evolving in the professional
knifemaker’s shop. They are also one his most
valuable assets.
 STEP 1
I always start out with a new piece of photo copy paper and a
pencil with a fine tip that is easy to erase. I lightly draw a line using a
ruler lengthwise, and then I draw a line perpendicular somewhere
along the first line to separate the handle from the blade.
 STEP 2
With an idea in my head as to how the knife is going to be used in
terms of slicing, chopping or piercing, I start to lightly sketch smooth
flowing lines to establish the profile of the knife. I almost always
make a smooth, uninterrupted line from the back of the blade to the
handle, unless I am designing a dagger.

This is how they all start out. The cross lines are for
reference and will be erased when the pattern profile
is complete.

All blades except daggers and traditional Japanese

kitchen knives have a smooth flowing profile from the
spine of the knife to the handle.
As I sketch, I leave all the lines where they are
because each of them, even ones that seem way off, is
a reference for the line that I am trying to draw. If you
erase all the lines you don’t like immediately, you will
get stuck.
 STEP 3
Once I can “see” the lines I like from among several light sketched
lines, I trace them with a heavy pencil line. I check the profile lines
by holding the piece of paper at eye level. Looking at the new pattern
this way will reveal any high or low spots in the profile. I then erase
all lines except the heavy pencil lines.

From the multitude of light sketches, I choose the best

lines and go over them with heavy pencil.
If the heavy lines look right, I start to erase all the
other sketch lines. (I also make sure to give the cute
eraser back to my daughter when I’m done!).
The original cross reference lines can now be erased.
The design is checked from all angles by holding it at
eye level and focusing on the profile. Subtle
deviations from the profile lines will really stand out
when holding designs and patterns this way.

Check the design again using a slightly different angle

and different light source.
Once the design passes inspection I add the blade
grind details.
I keep breakfast cereal boxes handy because I find
them perfect for pattern making. This is a great task
for your daily carry knife. If your knife can’t make a
perfect cut in the box, stop right there and go sharpen
it. You’ll need it to be razor sharp for cutting out the
glued pattern.
Glue the pattern to the flat box. Don’t glue over old
creases in the box. Make sure not to use so much glue
that the paper the pattern is on gets soaked. That will
cause the pattern to distort.
Glue the pattern carefully. Visually confirm the
pattern is straight.
Give the pattern ample time to dry. (Hint, glue sticks
dry the fastest, allowing you to cut out the pattern
after ten minutes or so.)

Carefully use your razor sharp EDC (Every Day Carry)

knife to cut out the pattern.
I like the knife better than scissors as it allows me to
straighten out tiny imperfections in the line if there
are any. (Hint, use the curved portion of your blade
for long gentle curves and raise up to use the tip as
you approach tight corners.)
The cut out paper/cardboard pattern is held at eye
level and examined from all angles.
Done with the cut-out, but keep the borders in case
you need them for reference later. If you lose your
pattern, you could use the borders to reproduce it.
 STEP 4
Once the pattern is drawn to my satisfaction, I glue the paper to
cardboard, such as that used in cereal boxes. When the glue dries the
pattern is carefully cut out with a sharp utility knife. Even if the
design includes a guard, only the profile of the steel is cut out. If the
design is a hidden tang knife, only the blade with tang is cut out. The
cut pattern is once again held at eye level, from all different angles to
confirm the desired shape. Adjustments can be made with an abrasive
when necessary.

Various scribes for transferring patterns to metal. The

one thing they all have in common is they have fine
sharp tips that are much harder than the metal they
scribe. My favorite is a broken utility knife.
 STEP 5
The paper/cardboard pattern must now be transferred to thin, flat
sheet metal. While copper, tin, aluminum and other softer metals
could be used, I prefer to use steel because it is the most durable
around other hot steel. The pattern is securely held in place and
traced with a metal scribe. If the sheet metal has unidirectional
scratches on it, like is common on rolled steel or old hand saw blades,
it might be difficult to clearly see your scribe lines. Scratching up the
sheet metal surface with some sandpaper in all directions prior to
scribing should do the trick.
Another trick from the machining industry is to paint the sheet
metal surface with Dykem brand blue layout fluid, which will really
show the scribe lines. The expedient alternative to the Dykem fluid is
using a big black magic marker. A caution is to beware of the pattern
shifting while scribing which will result in double “train track” lines.
Sources of thin sheet metal for making patterns. Be
sure to make patterns out of metal if you are a
bladesmith working with and around hot steel. A
stock removal knifemaker might get away with using
a durable synthetic.
Using a scribe, carefully trace the paper/cardboard
pattern onto thin sheet metal.
Some cold-rolled metal and old saw blades have
unidirectional lines on them making it difficult to see
the scribe lines that run parallel to them.

One solution is to scratch up the surface with

sandpaper. Keep in mind that this may affect your
surface finish in the finished knife.

Beware of the pattern shifting when scribing or else

you might end up with double scribe lines. If this
happens, you have two choices: 1) cut the pattern out
to the inner lines, which makes a smaller knife or 2)
polish the surface of the metal and scribe again.
Layout fluid or magic marker can help you see the
scribe lines clearly.
Alternative handle construction options to the full
tang design.
 STEP 6
Cut out the pattern using whatever means you have at your
disposal. I use a circular cut off wheel (chop saw), but other methods
include a hack saw, band saw, drill press, grinder etc. Be sure to stay
outside the scribe lines or you will end up with something different
than what you designed. I then take as much time as necessary to
grind the new pattern down to the scribe lines to exactly the shape I
want. I will repeatedly hold the paper pattern over the metal pattern
to verify my lines. I am constantly holding the pattern at eye level, in
a good source of natural light, to check for high and low spots in the
profile. This new pattern might be my next best seller, and as such it
needs to be an absolutely perfect representation of the design. Treat
this step as the most important in pattern development, because the
collection of successful patterns is the most valuable physical asset a
knifemaker has.
Cutting out patterns with the circular chop saw.
Notice the safety gear.
Easy does it with this machine; it left its mark on me a
few times in my youth.
Cutting out patterns on my band saw. Always use a
push stick on the band saw.
Notice the gate on the band saw is just high enough to
clear the material being cut. This minimizes the risk of
being injured if something slips.
A cloudy day is the best source of natural light to
really examine the lines of knives.
Sunny days can cast glare on shiny metal, making it
difficult to micro-examine your knife.
 STEP 7
Once I am satisfied with the lines of the pattern, I lightly sand the
corners of the edges just enough to remove any burrs and to make the
pattern friendly to my hand. I am careful not to sand too aggressively,
which might alter the pattern’s profile. I then drill a hole in the
pattern at one end or another so I can hang it from a nail with all the
other patterns. I suppose if you choose to store your patterns in a
drawer or box, the drilled hole is not necessary.
This is how I get all my profile lines exactly the way I
want them with just my eyes…by careful micro-
observation.
 How to Grow Your Pattern Collection

It really is amazing to consider that when I started making neck

knives 14 years ago I had just three patterns: the Original, the
Wharncliffe and the Combat models. Now I have over forty neck knife
patterns. A few of those were conceived on paper and transferred to
sheet metal, but most of them are modifications of existing patterns.
It is my practice to forge knives in batches of between 20 and 100,
depending on the style and complexity of the knife. In some cases I
forge 20 neck knives and scribe them all for one pattern, say for
example, the Original model. When cutting and grinding them out, I
will purposely cut some lines short and leave other lines proud, in the
spirit of experimentation. Then I lay them all out on a table or the
clean floor (clean floor? Those of you who have been to my shop,
stop laughing!) and look at them all together as a group. Inevitably,
one of the cut out blades will stand out as being “just right.” It is hard
to imagine that less than half a millimeter can make that much
difference, but it really does. At this point I immediately trace that
blade onto another piece of sheet metal and make a new pattern. In
fact, any time an experimental knife turns out great, I immediately
trace it on sheet metal to make a new pattern. Several times in the
past I have neglected to make a new pattern from a great knife and
regretted it. You think to yourself at the time “I can reproduce that
from memory,” but some of the extremely subtle nuances in a blade
design can be elusive to reproduce.
 Ten patterns evolved from the Original neck knife.
Each new pattern is slightly different from the
Original, but yet unique enough to be worthy of its
own name.

Another thing I often do for fun and profit is stretch a knife in

various directions before heat-treating using a hammer. This
hammering has the additional benefit of cold-forging the steel, but
care must be taken not to overdo it because steel can crack from
overworking. As a general rule, hammering the cutting edge of a
blade curves the blade up like a slicing knife and hammering the
spine of the blade causes the blade to curve down like a kopis design.
If one of these modified patterns catches my eye, I immediately stop
to make a pattern of it in sheet steel. Old, unpopular patterns can
sometimes be given a “face-lift” through this cold forging technique.

Another view of the evolution of the author’s neck

knife pattern collection.
 How to Modify a Pattern to Improve It

With each new pattern I make, I get better and better at capturing
the important nuances of practical blade design. New knife models at
Carter Cutlery are met by customers with terrific enthusiasm. Some of
my older, less useful patterns sit and collect dust, and eventually I
will either recycle them or modify them with the intention of
improving them by applying the better understanding I have gained
through the years. Sometimes all that is necessary is a little cold
forging and judicious grinding to bring an old pattern back to life.

Three blades start out exactly the same size and shape.
In about five seconds of cold forging the author
radically changes the shapes of the blades.
The right blade is untouched and its spear-point shape
is ideal for piercing. The middle blade was cold forged
along the cutting edge resulting in a blade ideal for
slicing. The left blade was cold forged along the spine
(assuming there was enough material there to start
with) which resulted in a blade suggestive of the Kopis
design, which is a chopper.

Old knife patterns that no longer make the cut. They

can be recycled or perhaps modified for success.
A bit of stretching under the hammer here and there…
This old pattern might have some potential for
improvement. I think I can see a good blade in there
waiting to come out!
…looking better, but not quite there…

…Ah! That’s more like it.

…I can feel it moving under the power of the blows…

Now I refine the blade to look like my popular Clave

model neck knife…
…checking the profile in the light to make sure it is
the way I want it and…
…enlarging the choil to a useful size and shaping up
the handle…
…Voila! A successful facelift for an old pattern.
 Specific Features of Blades

Point Location and Sharpness

If you intend for a knife to have good piercing ability, the point
should line up somewhere near the center of the blade, and the blade
should be in line with the handle, which is where the thrusting power
comes from. Consider the armor from centuries past. Many of the
helmets and breastplates had ridges to deflect the blow of edges
weapons. Anything less than a 90-degree strike to the armor would be
deflected. Likewise, the most effective piercing occurs when the force
from the hand, the blade and the point are all aligned. A narrow and
thin blade pierces better because it has less surface area. Finally, the
point has to be brought to a “thumbtack sharp” point when given the
final sharpening at completion.
During the early years at my knife shop in Tabaruzaka, Kumamoto,
Japan, I had written on my shop walls in plain view, “Get the point!”
to encourage and remind me to put a “thumbtack sharp” point on
every knife I sold.
The position of the point in relation to the center of
the blade suggests the intended use of the blade –
slicing, piercing or chopping.
“The magic of a millimeter.” Just one millimeter of
steel can drastically change the look and design of a
knife. See for yourself how different these blades look
due to adding or subtracting a millimeter from the
cutting edge profile.
Straight Versus Curved Versus Recurved Edges
Many Western-style knives have a straight stretch of cutting edge
that starts from the handle and stops where the edge begins to curve
up towards the tip. If this edge even slightly curves outward it will
make the blade look fat or “pregnant.” Perfectly straight is much
better, but a minimal recurve will make the blade look really slick
and sharp-looking. The amount of recurve should be almost
imperceptible except when examining the edge profile by putting the
blade flat at eye level with the point towards the eye. If the recurve is
detectable when looking at the knife just lying on a table, it is too
exaggerated and awkward looking. The only blade where such an
exaggerated recurve is practical and looks appropriate is the Kopis.
Blade Spine/Handle Junction
With the exception of traditional daggers and traditional Japanese
kitchen knives, I believe all knives look and function best when the
transition from the blade to the handle is in line with the spine of the
blade. Likewise, any knife designed with a main purpose other than
piercing should not have a guard that rises above the back of the
knife. Such a guard severely limits the way the knife can be held in
the hand.

These three examples leave a lot to be desired. The

knife on the right offers a solution to a problem that
doesn’t exist. The Bowie knife (left) ends up with a
mismatched handle because the maker got carried
away with the blade. The last example (center)
illustrates how an otherwise-useful design is spoiled
by a guard that extends past the spine of the blade.
Those Ridiculous Tanto Points
I know this is going to step on a lot of people’s toes, but it needs to
be said: tanto points are useless. Hear me out − I know you will
agree with me once you read my explanation. And please remember,
my goal here is to educate on practical knife design, and not to
disrespect the makers of exotic blades.
Despite what you have been told, tanto points do not make a point
any stronger for piercing. Any strength that is in the point comes
from the thickness of the metal right behind the tip of the blade, and
is not dependent on the blade profile. What you have not been told by
the tanto point salesman though, is that the very same tanto point
will impede good piercing because of the extra drag produced by the
protrusion of the square point.
Furthermore, we have established that the function of utility knives
with blades less than four inches is slicing, with some superficial
piercing required from time to time. As slicing knives, short blades
are mostly limited by their blade length. A tanto point blade further
limits the slicing ability by dividing a short blade into two smaller
blades, divided by an angle. You have just cut the slicing power of a
small knife in two! What’s more, because the second angled tanto
edge sticks out from the blade profile, in use it is the first part to go
dull. (Go ahead, check your tanto knives that have seen a few hours
of use. You will see a shiny spot right on that corner when held edge
up in a good source of light!) So now, when you try to make a slicing
cut, you are leading the cut with a dull edge.

Now this third point is painfully obvious to any tanto blade owner
 Now this third point is painfully obvious to any tanto blade owner
who ever tried to sharpen his knife; tanto blades are difficult to
sharpen. It really is as difficult as sharpening two small blades at one
time.
But, you say, if the tanto point isn’t functional, then why is it
featured on the world’s most famous blade of all time, the Japanese
Samurai sword? Well, I’m glad you asked. The kissaki, or tanto point,
became popular during times of relative peace within feudal Japan,
when Katana were admired more for their intrinsic beauty than for
their practicality in battle. These sword points were costly to
manufacture, costly to have sharpened and polished and would
render a sword useless once the hardened steel was sharpened away. I
assure you that many swords in Japan that actually saw continuous
use in battles had curved tips (like the reground folding knife picture
here). Some of these swords have survived to be included in
museums, but many of these desirable blades were used up over
decades until they were no longer useful, then probably re-forged into
new tools. Again, I’ll mention that the common tendency is for the
less useful blades to survive in pristine condition and make it into
museums. Remember what the most prestigious Japanese Temple
carpenters (Miya Daiku) say, that the best blades get used up and
never make it to the second-hand store.
So why, pray tell, are these blades so popular? The answer lies in
successful marketing that capitalizes on consumer’s desire for the new
and exotic. The cutlery industry as a whole was in a funk back in the
beginning of the 1980s. Manufacturers were offering the same knife
models that they had for decades and, frankly, consumers were
hungry for something new. The new company Cold Steel, under the
leadership of pioneer Lynn Thompson, introduced the American
version of the Japanese tanto, and they sold like hot cakes. You may
wonder just how many of those knives were ever used on a day-to-
day basis. Based on my understanding of practical cutlery, I’d say
very few. But that didn’t matter to the millions of customers who
bought them. The same phenomenon occurred with other exotic
blades, such as the flat-backed (incorrect design) chisel grind blades,
the karambit knives, radically recurved blades, the Tom Brown
Tracker (pound for pound, the most useless knife that can’t even be
improved by regrinding) and recently, knives with radically bent
handles in relation to the angle of the blade. Successful marketing
does not equate with successful, practical knives!
Common commercially sold tanto point knife (… sigh
of frustration…).
 Simple and quick regrind removing the tanto point
and thus greatly improving the functionality of the
blade. This, I assure you, comes with no loss of point
strength and pierces easier too. Easier to use, easier to
sharpen, slices way better and looks practical to boot.

Now, before you take me for a prude, let me say that I love
capitalism and the free market. If you want to buy exotic knives, good
on you and good for the economy. Now at least you won’t be under
the impression that you are buying a practical knife.
Handle Shape, Contour and Angle Relative to the Blade
The handle has two functions: to transfer the human input to the
cutting edge of the blade and to naturally index the cutting edge with
the direction of knife movement. Straight oval handles are
appropriate for daggers and most kitchen knives, but slightly
downward curved handles with egg shaped oval contour excel on
single edged knives. However, too much angle difference between
blade and handle will impair control from the hand to the blade.
Knife handles should be smooth and free of any rough spots.
Cutting grooves or adding checkering to a handle for a more secure
grip will not only cause blisters during prolonged use, but will also
present cleaning and maintenance difficulties. Likewise, in climates
with big humidity changes throughout the year, handles that
incorporate both natural materials with metal spacers should be
avoided. Too often the natural material shrinks, leaving sharp or
rough edges of the metal washers protruding. Using natural materials
that have been chemically stabilized will minimize this problem.
Handle shapes that allow the hand to grip and hold it in many
different configurations will see far more use than handles that lock
the hand into one position. This is why knives with handles that have
deep finger grooves, sub-hilts, D-guards and knuckle dusters don’t
lend themselves well to practical daily use.
You can almost see the flow of energy as this knife
literally becomes an extension of Murray’s hand.
Three different handles for three different needs.
Three different handle options for the same knife:
(left) olive wood scales with straight sides and no
finger grooves, (middle) contoured black micarta
scales with shallow finger grooves and (right) rope
wrapped handle for thinness, lightweight and
simplicity. This method of rope wrap can be re-
wrapped in the field in less than five minutes.
Straight handles have worked on kitchen knives for
millennia.
Power and control from the arm to the hand to the
cutting edge of the knife depend on how smooth the
flow of energy is, which depends on a correct handle
angle for the knife and cutting task.
Low Drag, Easily-Maintained Profile
Knives should be absent of any feature that distracts from a smooth
profile and that prevents easy cleaning and maintenance. Gut hooks,
jimping, serrations, saw teeth and choils seriously compromise a
blade’s practicality.
There are two types of choils; Type 1 is a small semi-circle void
where the cutting portion of the blade starts, and Type 2 choils are
the gap between the handle and the blade heel on a wide bladed
knife.

Finger choils; if there is to be a choil on a knife, let it

serve a purpose. The top and bottom examples are too
short and too long and serve no function.
The two types of choils; Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1
choils are a design flaw, as the material being cut can
get caught up in them. Type 2 choils are a necessity
with wide bladed knives, and should be designed with
function in mind.

The plunge-cuts where the top edge terminates is an

area of very high drag. This is a poorly designed
dagger. The edges on daggers should be ground as far
back as the blade design will allow, to allow for
maximum penetration. Wild boar hunting spears, on
the other hand, have a cross bar welded to them to
prevent an angry impaled boar from running himself
up the shaft of the spear to get to the hunter!

If the dagger must have a partially-ground edge on the

top, such as when it is desirable to place a finger on
the spine of the blade for power or control, then it
should have gentle plunge cuts as shown here.
A common factory knife with a gut hook marketed to
hunters, for expedient evisceration. The theory is
sound, but maintenance is problematic.
Shallow filed grooves in the blade profile are called
jimping. This is supposed to help the user keep a grip
on the knife when the hands are wet, bloody or
greasy. Actually, they just add an element of higher
maintenance to the knife without offering any real
advantage. A properly designed handle will provide
all the gripping surface necessary, even in adverse
conditions.
Sharp Pommels
There should not be any sharp protrusions from the end of the
handle, as it will limit the number of ways the knife can be held and
used.
The 89 Degree Subtlety
When designing knives with guards, follow the 89 degree rule.
Favor the guard angle by just one degree by angling the top of the
guard slightly towards the blade. The result will be an almost
imperceptible difference that will improve the look of the knife.
Likewise, when designing traditional Japanese kitchen knives, angle
the heel of the blade back just one degree for a proper aesthetic look.
Don’t overdo it because these improvements look best when they are
barely perceptible. You are actually appealing to the subconscious.
The 89 degree rule at work in knives. Tilting the guard
forward by one degree radically improves the design.

The 89 degree rule at work in kitchen knives. Angling

the heel of the blade one degree short of 90 degrees
looks perfect.
 IN CONCLUSION

In an effort to identify the practical traits of common cutlery, I

considered man’s need of cutting tools throughout history in terms of
how they are used to slice, chop and pierce. In examining a wide
variety of blades that saw continuous use over millennia, we’ve
definitively concluded that successful blades share many similar
features, identified in this book.
If you are a knifemaker or bladesmith, I hope you have benefitted
from the sharing of my knowledge, and that you enjoy financial
benefits from applying this information or using my personal knife
patterns for commerce.
For the knife enthusiast who has followed along, I hope you have
enjoyed this journey through practical knife design and that you now
have a much better understanding of desirable features in using
knives.
I am confident that readers of all backgrounds are clear on how any
particular knife they encounter will function in terms of how it will
slice, chop or pierce.
Let me finish by stating that the ultimate value of any knife is not
solely dependent on its inherent usefulness. Some knives have
sentimental value and others serve to fulfill a need or desire in our
heart. If you desire knives with features that I have demonstrated are
not practical, by all means, exercise your God-given freedom and buy
what you want. Not all knives in a collection have to be practical.
Coffee Jelly handle on a rare “Kata-Ha” Pointy
Wharncliffe neck knife. The handle is made by
laminating brown and black micarta, and has the
appearance of a dessert widely eaten in Japan.
The Micro Neck Knife is actually a useable little knife.
I don’t think I can make ‘em any smaller and still
maintain their usefulness.

Simple laminated Kiridashi wood-worker’s

marking/carving knife.
Slim Jim Neck Knife in ironwood. Notice the 50%
reduced size “Carter” stamp used for
smaller/narrower knives.

A custom handle High Grade Series Funayuki with an

octagonal bocote, lignum vitae and black spacer
handle. The blade is forged from Hitachi white steel
#1 steel/410 stainless with Rockwell hardness 64.
8-inch International Pro Series French style chef’s
knife with laminated blade, brass bolster and lignum
vitae handle.

White Corian handled International Pro Series Kuro

Uchi paring knife with brass bolster.
A custom handle High Grade Series Wabocho with an
octagonal ebony and olive wood handle.
 How to Use The Patterns

As the title implies, I have included 101 designs that I use in my

shop. Many of these designs have allowed me to not only put food on
the table for my wife and four children, but also to expand my
business in many different directions. Many of these successful
patterns have been stepping-stones to new successes. I hope they will
do the same for you.
There are actually more than 101 patterns included, because many
of them can be used in more than one way to create a new pattern.
The daggers are two patterns in one because they are reversible.
Some patterns, such as the kitchen knives, are of blades only, and can
be paired up with either western handles or Japanese handles.
Pictures of completed knives throughout the book can be used as
reference and for inspiration. The illustration on page 114 shows how
the partial tang and hidden tang knives can be paired with handles.
Also, handles from one knife can be paired with a blade from another.
From This Book To Real Size
With the exception of a few of the larger patterns, most can be
photocopied directly out of this book for use at 100%. The larger
patterns have been reduced in size to fit in the book. Follow the
instructions within the pattern itself for copying to correct size (i.e.
133%, 200%, etc.). A pattern that says Enlarge 200%” will end up
twice as big as it appears in the book. Your printer at home may not
be able to print out the larger knives, at which point you might seek
the services of specialty printing companies.
Please note that kitchen knife measurements are for the blade only
and all other knives are measured from the tip of the blade to the heel
of the handle.
The Dagger Designs
The dagger designs in particular are meant to give the user the
choice between a recurved blade and a straight edged blade. You will
notice that those patterns have two very small holes, one near the tip
and one near the tang. After you transfer the paper pattern to
cardboard, carefully drill the holes or punch them out with a small
leather punch. Place the pattern directly on cardboard and put two
small pencil marks where the holes are. Trace one side of the pattern.
Now, flip the pattern over and line up the holes with the pencil
marks. Trace the other side for a perfectly symmetrical pattern.
 KNIFE PATTERNS/TEMPLATES

PLEASE NOTE THAT KITCHEN KNIFE MEASUREMENTS ARE FOR

THE BLADE ONLY AND ALL OTHER KNIVES ARE MEASURED FROM
THE TIP OF THE BLADE TO THE HEEL OF THE HANDLE.
ALL THE FOLLOWING PATTERNS SHARE A COMMON METRIC
MEASUREMENT IN MILLIMETERS (MM), HOWEVER, THE WESTERN
PATTERNS START WITH AN INCH MEASUREMENT AND THE
JAPANESE PATTERNS START WITH A “SUN” MEASUREMENT. ONE
JAPANESE SUN IS APPROXIMATELY 1.2 INCHES (5 SUN =
APPROX. 6 INCHES).
KITCHEN KNIVES
DAGGERS
NECK KNIVES
OTHER KNIVES
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

The following books were referenced during the writing of this

book, not so much for the written text, but to study the shape and
design of knives:
Burton, Richard F., The Book of the Sword, NY: Dover Publications,
1987
Edge, David and Paddock, John Miles, Arms & Armor of the Medieval
Knight, NJ: Random House, 1996
Fowler, Ed, Knife Talk, The Art & Science of Knifemaking, WI: Krause
Publications, 1998
Hart, Harold H., Weapons & Armor; A Pictorial Archive of Woodcuts
& Engravings, NY: Dover Publications, 1978
Levine, Bernard R., Levine’s Guide To Knives and Their Values 2nd
Edition, IL: DBI Books, 1985
Levine, Bernard R., Knifemakers of Old San Francisco, CA: Badger
Books, 1977
Mouret, Jean-Noel, Knives of the World, Surrey: Bramley Books,
1995
Walker, Greg, Battle Blades; A Professional’s Guide to Combat/Fighting
Knives, CO: Paladin Press, 1993
Tosa Hamono Catalog of Products, Tosa, Japan, 2000
 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

When Murray isn’t busy in the forge pounding on knives, teaching

classes, guiding tours to Japan, filming educational videos, writing
books, or practicing his husband and father skills, he likes to shoot
guns, ride his BMW motorcycle, fly helicopters, fly planes and work
out. In his free time he likes to relax.
For more information about the author’s hand forged knives,
exclusive bladesmithing classes, educational videos or the annual
Carter Cutlery Japan Tour, please visit: www.cartercutlery.com
or contact Carter Cutlery directly at :
Carter Cutlery
2038 NW Aloclek Dr
Hillsboro OR 97124
503-466-1331
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MY FRIEND, FELLOW ABS MASTER BLADESMITH ED FOWLER

ONCE WROTE “THERE’S NOTHING EASY ABOUT MAKING KNIVES
FOR A LIVING.” THEREFORE, I WOULD LIKE TO DEDICATE THIS
BOOK TO ALL THE HARD-WORKING KNIFEMAKERS IN THE
WORLD, CURRENT AND FUTURE, WHO WILL KEEP HANDMADE
KNIVES POURING FORTH IN THE YEARS TO COME FOR THE
WHOLE WORLD’S BENEFIT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO DEDICATE
THIS WORK TO THE GRACIOUS PATRONS WHO DO AND WILL BUY
THOSE KNIVES, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, ENCOURAGE AND
SUPPORT THE BLADE MAKERS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW.
 Copyright ©2013 F+W Media, Inc.

All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced

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except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a critical article
or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically
transmitted on radio, television, or the Internet.

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Cover photography by Kris Kandler

Photography by Hiro Soga
ISBN-13: 978-1-4402-3383-8
ISBN-10: 1-4402-3383-7

Cover Design by Dustin Reid

Designed by Dave Hauser
Illustrations by Megan Merkel
Edited by Corrina Peterson

Printed in China