thanks for all the interest and comments.
I really feel good about this design concept and have made a sketch and taken the blade length down to about 7 1/4" [184]
Soon I'll forge out the first one
I'm a big fan of ironwood for several reasons, I have plenty of it and it's available to me at a favorable price. I believe Phil Wilson said - ironwood is nature's gift to knifemakers...
This handle does have a few flaws that I could have fixed, I hand sanded and finished with steel wool and left it as a warm look.
Other handles I finish differently.
This particular Sabatier had a heavy thick heel and thick spine at the bolster, these dimensional features remain on this knife.
I estimate the hardness of this blade to being the 58-60RC range.
As far as the front kiritsuke style tip, in the rounded look the knife was not as dramatic. Also with the large radius choil I put in at the heel, the tip lends itself well to a push cut,
warm regards
Harbeer