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sheridanman

My New Custom Mini Skiving Knife

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hi guys!

it's been a while since my last post. thought i'd share my latest project...which surprised me as well. i made this mini skiving knife for myself. its so hard finding one online that fits my hand and is great for skiving 1/16 inch leather which i work with most of the time. i like rolled edges and the look of it so obviously i need a good skiing knife. i tried making them til i nailed this one. i patterned the handle from my blanchard diamond awl. which has flat sides on the wood for comfort in my opinion and keeps it from rolling crazy on my bench. this knife served me well. and to top it off, i haven't honed it after the first one til now. i just strop before i work with it and it cuts like something i never expect it. gets the job done and the bite on the leather is so smooth and you can really hear the blade cutting the leather which what i am looking for in a sharp one. and as a bonus i gave away and kept some of my bench cutting knives(pattern knives and utility cutters) coz right now this is my skiver and main cutting/bench knife.

the last time i was around here i was looking for a knife that could do skiving and cutting. i opted to buy a head knife and even contacted a few top head knife makers. and all of them suggested a head knife will do both just fine. i was saving for good lifetime use kinda knife and its around the $200 usd range. which is ok if its top notched but i can't wait the piggy bank is not ull yet. so i decided to get some steel from a junk yard shop, have the blade cut to my final design and used a spare awl handle and its collar and i assembled it and just shaved off the handle. it just cost me $25 usd. that's a great saver for me.

i am still getting a head knife but for now this is my main work-horse knife. it so addicting to use. sometimes i'd just practice skiving scraps til i get the thinness i want.

in the pic i made myself a name logo tag with this knife. thanks for looking! have a great week everyone!

ritch

post-6432-075996200 1280795533_thumb.jpg

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hi guys!

it's been a while since my last post. thought i'd share my latest project...which surprised me as well. i made this mini skiving knife for myself. its so hard finding one online that fits my hand and is great for skiving 1/16 inch leather which i work with most of the time. i like rolled edges and the look of it so obviously i need a good skiing knife. i tried making them til i nailed this one. i patterned the handle from my blanchard diamond awl. which has flat sides on the wood for comfort in my opinion and keeps it from rolling crazy on my bench. this knife served me well. and to top it off, i haven't honed it after the first one til now. i just strop before i work with it and it cuts like something i never expect it. gets the job done and the bite on the leather is so smooth and you can really hear the blade cutting the leather which what i am looking for in a sharp one. and as a bonus i gave away and kept some of my bench cutting knives(pattern knives and utility cutters) coz right now this is my skiver and main cutting/bench knife.

the last time i was around here i was looking for a knife that could do skiving and cutting. i opted to buy a head knife and even contacted a few top head knife makers. and all of them suggested a head knife will do both just fine. i was saving for good lifetime use kinda knife and its around the $200 usd range. which is ok if its top notched but i can't wait the piggy bank is not ull yet. so i decided to get some steel from a junk yard shop, have the blade cut to my final design and used a spare awl handle and its collar and i assembled it and just shaved off the handle. it just cost me $25 usd. that's a great saver for me.

i am still getting a head knife but for now this is my main work-horse knife. it so addicting to use. sometimes i'd just practice skiving scraps til i get the thinness i want.

in the pic i made myself a name logo tag with this knife. thanks for looking! have a great week everyone!

ritch

Hi Ritch

This summer I did pretty much the same thing for the same reasons. However I started out with a old Chicago Cuttlery Chef's knife that I picked up at a rummage sale for 50 cents. I whacked of 5-1/2 inches from the pointy end and shaped half of it for a full tang handle. Scales are from a bit of hard maple that I had sitting around epoxied to the tang, LIttle bit of sanding, bit of oil, and it looked pretty decent. The 420 SS holds a pretty good edge and it only takes a couple of strokes on the Surgical Arkansas stone to keep it that way. It is a lot handier than some of my other knives and is slowly becomming my main cuttter for skiving and lots of other stuff. Don't you just love making your own tools, especially when they work better than what you can buy!

Jim

post-10216-046899300 1285555360_thumb.jp

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Very nice guys! I just looked at Sorrell's Boot FB site and saw her J. Cook 'short' blade knife. I can see how handy these knifes can be. Wow!

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@Harnessman ...that's a beautiful piece you got there. i love those vintage worn out look. battle scarred that's the term for it. and it seems you have the right double purpose shape of the blade. cutting and skiving.yeah feels good to make them. saves your pocket. although now i have some work going on pieces where a wider area needs skiving. i am going to get a large paring knife for this job. slowly my orders keep me pointed to the larger projects which involve larger area to pare and way too long to fold and crease. this mini skive knife i made up have a pretty decent edge on it but being cautious on the side too not forget to strop and not use it on chrome tanned leathers. i use this mostly for my smaller projects like the wallets and the logo tags you see in the pic . i have yet to discover ways to temper the blade to the right blend of timing and of course edging. i am still learning though not a pro at knife making. i envy those knife makers that post pics of their beautifully hand made knives and sheaths of course.

@King's X..... Cook's knives are good looking knives. never tried one as i have said here at LW, the absence of leather tool shops and scarcity of real leather tools here in my country pushed me to just dream about the tools you guys use there and with the easy access to them. so i make my own to continue working. i emailed jeff once and inquired bout his knives and he is a nice fellow. his chan geer style handles are great for comfort.

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No problem......ArtS has an AWESOME design to cut a head knife into a nice small skiving knife, but everyone on here is looking really good!! I have just been seeing a lot of them lately!

Happy Skiving!

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I was wondering which is better: a) a Skiving knife that is stiff, B) a Skiving knife that has a bit of flex, c) Pretty much personal preference. The reason Is that I wish to make a Skiver and am wondering which is the best.

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post-23271-091078100 1315925910_thumb.jppost-23271-082634300 1315925929_thumb.jppost-23271-084440500 1315925943_thumb.jp

Greetings everyone ,

All these knives are made from high speed steel saw blades . The smaller knives from HSS hacksaw blades ( NO bimetal as only the teeth are hardened ) . The hardness and toughness of this steel is hard to beat . Some of the blades are hollow ground and some flat ground . Some on one side and some on both sides . The hollow ground are more flexible at the tip , which is good for some work , and their easier to sharpen . Another advantage is when sharpening HSS it won't lose it's temper even when heated red.

The small knives I use to cut around patterns and they are beveled only on one side and as hacksaw blades are thin , they sharpen in a jiffy .

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