Swivel Knife

[tankerman1967]

Hi yall

I know this might be a dumb question but I am gonna ask anyhoo.

Is there a alternitive for a swivel knife?? My problem is my hands are so beat up from work I have a hard time using my knife. My hands will cramp and seize up and I will not be able to move them for a bit. I kinda look,feel, like a crab claw. Is there a pen type ? Something that I can add size to like I am doing with my punches. A soft covering ??? Any help would be great. I keep trying to use it and keep cramping up and when that happens i mess up my cuts..... It is getting frustrating. This is the main reason I put my leather working stuff in a box years ago and set it in the attic. Now maby there is something new that I do not know about.....

Thanks in advance

[Pounder]

Tandy offers and ergonomic swivel knife, basically a swivel knife with a cushioned grip on the handle. This may help. I will be intrested in other replies you receive as well.

[Bob Blea]

Is the yoke height on your knife adjustable? I had lots of problems with my hand cramping on my knife after prolonged carving sessions. I just kept playing with the height of the yoke above the barrel until I found the spot where it was comfortable. I always would get a cramp in the muscle at the base of the thumb.

[Ayers Garage]

I solved the cramping problem by buying a Barry King swivel knife. They are available in sizes up to 5/8" and have adjustable yoke heights. I have big hands and the larger barrel solved my issues.

[King's X]

I would consider a quality knife custom made to fit properly in your hands. i also have issues with my hands and raising the saddle/yoke helped me out. But, I must say that maybe making sure your knife blade is super sharp would be a good start. This would come from a quality blade. I find that newbies tend to use the SK improperly. The pressure comes from the top of the saddle downward. The fingers around the barrel turn the barrel for turns. Every part of the operation of the SK moves in with the help of each piece. The biggest issue I hear from newbies is the cramping of the fingers surrounding the barrel. I usually find that they are putting the Kung Fu grip on the barrel.

I start with sharpening the blade and go over the basics with them. That usually corrects most issues.

In your case, if you have been cutting for a while, I would definitely consider contact Barry King, Leather Wrangers, Hackbarth or even Clay Miller to see about having a larger barrel. Try different sizes of instruments to see what size you would need before you order.

I hope you find a solution to your issue. Good luck

[tankerman1967]

Is the yoke height on your knife adjustable? I had lots of problems with my hand cramping on my knife after prolonged carving sessions. I just kept playing with the height of the yoke above the barrel until I found the spot where it was comfortable. I always would get a cramp in the muscle at the base of the thumb.

it is adjustable. I have tryed different heights and still the same.

My whole hand cramps into my wrist, I think it is from having my finger so far above the rest of my hand amd the barrel being too small. I wrapped nonslip tape around the barrel and that did not work either..

I am currently searching the www for a solution.

[Red Cent]

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=swivel+knife&qpvt=swivel+knife&FORM=IGRE

[Bob Blea]

it is adjustable. I have tryed different heights and still the same.

My whole hand cramps into my wrist, I think it is from having my finger so far above the rest of my hand amd the barrel being too small. I wrapped nonslip tape around the barrel and that did not work either..

I am currently searching the www for a solution.

You might try wrapping the knife barrel in foam insulation weatherstripping tape. It comes in varying thicknesses so you could add as much material to the barrel as you want and still have a soft grip. It might allow you to experiment and find a diameter that works better for you.

[TwinOaks]

If it's caused by the position of your hand, then THAT is what needs to change. I re-purposed a gel wrist support from a computer desk, and added a leather pad to the back of it. Before buying anything, see if raising your forearm up a few inches (put a couple of books or magazines down) changes anything.

Re: your question "..Is there a Pen type?" The answer is YES. Unfortunately, until I get either some production assistance, or another day job so I can buy another lathe.....production is on hold for the moment. The knife is dubbed "The Squirrel Pen", and consists of a barrel which is held like a pen/stylus, and the blade can freely rotate 360 degrees. It can NOT replace a standard swivel knife, but for many of the cuts it would work just fine. I designed (with input from member Shtoink) and prototyped it on a manual lathe, and sent out two of them to be tested. I'll check to see if one of them is still available if you like.

ETA: Yes, it will be available. You can PM me if you would like to try it out.

[Studio-N]

Also if you have the swivel knife in a 'Vulcan death grip' it is only going to add to your fatique. Make sure the knife sharpened and honed so that it cuts smoothly and easily. If you're have to grip it a lot so you can drag it acoss the leather it needs sharpening. strop it A LOT. cut, cut, cut, strop, strop. rinse and repeat.

Cheers!