Finalized Profiles

[riverie]

Very nice Marko, can't wait to get the suji though .

[Marko Tsourkan]

Have to make handles first. That is the hardest, at the moment, believe it or not. Takes more time to make a handle than to grind and finish a knife.

M

[riverie]

Takes more time to make a handle than to grind and finish a knife.

M

That really surprise me... is it really easier or you just feel way more comfortable grinding a blade ?

[Marko Tsourkan]

Maybe, but constructing a handle (the way I do it - nippled construction, metal spacers, etc), shaping it, sanding and finishing it takes me about 6-7 hours. I can grind and finish a knife in about 5-7 hours, depending on a knife's length. This doesn't include profiling, pre-grinding, heat treating, etching name, etc. When I will be done with a knife, I will have over 20 hours in it.

PS: If I could make handles faster, I would not have discontinued offering them to the public.

[kalaeb]

I think you mistakenly left the cleaver profile out of the pic.

[Marko Tsourkan]

I think you mistakenly left the cleaver profile out of the pic.

Well, I have a big enough dewar to accommodate a cleaver up to 4.5" tall.

[kalaeb]

hehehe, good thing I only like them 90 mm tall.

[Darkhoek]

True, Marko. Handles with a fully mortized construction takes a lot of time, but I think it has one huge advatage over other constructions. When the wood is mortized through the spacers and the horn ferrule and the wood is the only material connecting with the tang, the shrinking of the different parts of the handle will not affect the fit of the handle on the knife making it crack apart in the joints.

Looking forward to seeing the finished knives. Your profiles are looking really excellent. I want one Need a new gyuto... With a "Hoek" handle of course

DarKHOeK

[Marko Tsourkan]

Right. Mortise and tenon construction handles can be friction fitted (as opposed to glued) so, one can remove the blade for polishing. This has been a big factor why I pursued this method from the beginning, plus the sturdiness of construction. The spacer, ferrule are "sitting" on a tenon (with epoxy being the binder), so when you shape the handle, you don't have to worry that heat will affect epoxy bond if they were simply glued and if metal spacers were used.

You need a new knife? No!

[Darkhoek]

You need a new knife? No!

You're right, Marko. I really don't NEED a new knife. But I do WANT one. If all the guys in here just bought knives they strictly needed, the custom business would be a very sad story for most of the makers here. It seems you're doing pretty nicely, however, so my guess is that the want factor is pretty significant on the customer side In your case, I think it will be wise to get one of your knives before your back-log puts my order way into my retirement age and your success makes you absolutely impossible to deal with

DarKHOeK