Yanagiba

[ZDP-189]

This is my knife #8, a traditional Japanese fish knife with a Scandinavian twist.

A typical Japanese knifemaker would use cheap and effective handle made from a softwood handle bound by an iron ferrule. The handle is burned/ hammered onto a heated tang.

While my knife looks to be made in the traditional style, it has more in common with a Scandinavian knife than a Japanese one. I have made a two-part handle, of curly birch and an ebony bolster for strength and colour contrast.

I have carefully slotted the handle and bolster so that there is a perfect fit with the tang and shoulder of the knife. This neatly avoids the need for a ferrule and should help to prevent the hardwood bolster’s splitting during use or after drying out.

For further moisture protection I have sealed the natural voids in the birch with ZAP CA+ cyano-acrylate glue, before sanding back and applying several coats of Danish oil till the wood was fully saturated. The handle will still require careful washing, drying and oiling, but then so will the carbon steel blade.

Forged White Steel Blade

The forged white steel blade supplied by Brisa (http://www.brisa.fi/jap.html) is a Japanese Yanagiba, which means “Willow Leaf Blade”. The long blade has a slight convex back allowing for a particularly acute edge, which is ideal for filleting and slicing fish. On the facing side, the wide chisel grind displays the 12 layers beautifully. The layers became actually subtler than they were, after I replaced the original sandblasted finish with a my own hand rubbed finish.

The knife is completed by the smith’s hand chiseled calligraphy, which in case you’re wondering, says “Hero’s Knife” in Japanese.


Chemical specification of Shirogami Hagane ('white blade steel')


Carbon: 1.30 - 1.40%
Silicon: 0.10 - 0.20%
Manganese: 0.20 - 0.30%
Phosphorus: less than 0.025%
Sulfur: less than 0.04%


http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/yaivmj305j.jpg
http://www.uberlevel.com/link2image/yackd43kfv.jpg

More images are available on my website: http://www.zdp-189.com

[ZDP-189]

This thread is intended as a reference and resource, but more importantly an appeal for feedback. I feel I have finally gotten the fit and finish (almost) where I want it, the handle feels good in the hand and the proportions look right.

Neverthess, I hope you can share your frank and straightforward views and/or recommendations.

Thanks!

[Colin KC]

Zed, it looks like a great knife & you're right, the proportions are spot on! :biggthump

One thing I would suggest, if you haven't already, is to make sure the shoulders on the kit blade are absolutely perpendicular to the centerline. (many kit blades are notorious for sloped shoulders)

To do this, you either need a jig (many knifemakers have one) or use the top of your vicejaws (you may need to use wet & dry on your file blade if the knife is hard;))

This will ensure the best fit for the handle (unless you already do that:))

[keith_beef]

This thread is intended as a reference and resource, but more importantly an appeal for feedback. I feel I have finally gotten the fit and finish (almost) where I want it, the handle feels good in the hand and the proportions look right.

Neverthess, I hope you can share your frank and straightforward views and/or recommendations.

Thanks!

Excellent!

I love the octagonal handle shape. No danger of that rolling off the kitchen worktop. Lovely contrast between the pale birch and the dark ebony.

The handle reminded me a little of a Tapio Wirkkala puuko. I've not found a link to the knife I'm thinking of, but I've seen it in a book...


KKK.

[ZDP-189]

Zed, it looks like a great knife & you're right, the proportions are spot on! :biggthump

One thing I would suggest, if you haven't already, is to make sure the shoulders on the kit blade are absolutely perpendicular to the centerline. (many kit blades are notorious for sloped shoulders)

To do this, you either need a jig (many knifemakers have one) or use the top of your vicejaws (you may need to use wet & dry on your file blade if the knife is hard;))

This will ensure the best fit for the handle (unless you already do that:))

Hi - I can't quite visualise that - could you describe it again or illustrate it?

Thanks!

[Colin KC]

OK, If you put your blade in your vice, with the stick tang pointing up (all square, of course) & the (probably) sloping shoulders just sticking up from the top of the vice jaws & run a file/stone/backed wet & dry across the shoulders, you will end up with perfectly square shoulders, which fit snug up to the face of the handle.


Better? Sorry, I'm crap at this describing lark:rolleyes:

[ZDP-189]

You can do that? I thought a sharp transition might be a stress point, so I have been carefully chiselling a groove to cover the first 1-2mm of the shoulder. That's the most difficult part. If I can avoid that, it'll cut my build time by a couple of hours.

[Colin KC]

It hardly becomes a stress point after ht Zed (there will be a very small radius, if that makes you feel beter;))

[Colin KC]

The main idea is to level & square up the shoulders:)

[PS_Bond]

As Colin says - the radius is small, I'd guesstimate about 2mm radius as what I tend to aim for on small blades. Larger blades, greater radii.

Diamond stones can work very nicely on squaring iffy shoulders after HT. I usually use a couple of bits of hardened (no temper) flat ground with some locating bolts at either end, although I've got some ideas for another jig which I'll post if it works out (once I get a round tuit, as usual).

I like the looks of your knife, too - looks like something I'd be happy to use in the kitchen (although I don't cut sashimi as often as I might)

[twisty]

David,

as always, a wonderful knife. It seems that kitchen knives of sorts are becoming more of a thing for newer makers. I'm just finishing one up myself, although not as stylish as yours. I'll post it after I find my digicam hook up cable, it's in a box around here somewhere.

Good to see your still having fun. :240:

Trenton

[Jon]

OK, If you put your blade in your vice, with the stick tang pointing up (all square, of course) & the (probably) sloping shoulders just sticking up from the top of the vice jaws & run a file/stone/backed wet & dry across the shoulders, you will end up with perfectly square shoulders, which fit snug up to the face of the handle.


Better? Sorry, I'm crap at this describing lark:rolleyes:

Thanks for this Colin. The line drawn with a set-square followed by a dremmel grinder method is too stressful.
"Bit more, bit more, just a bit more, :censored: too much !" :mad:

This may just save my sanity, too late it's gone.

Jon.

[Sajuma]

Excellent!

I love the octagonal handle shape. No danger of that rolling off the kitchen worktop. Lovely contrast between the pale birch and the dark ebony.

The handle reminded me a little of a Tapio Wirkkala puuko. I've not found a link to the knife I'm thinking of, but I've seen it in a book...


KKK.

First I have to say, little bear, well done!! :biggthump

Tapio Wirkkala, my weakness... IMHO the best designer there was, is and will be. I think I know what puukko you meen.

http://www.design-technology.info/designers/page29.htm

Story goes that even he could not "make better" puukko design than original puukko and he got little depressed for a while. He made two designs, the original Wirkkala and "muonapuukko" for army troops, it looks almost like J. Marttiini's "Ilves" or "Lynx".

Juha

[Dave Barker]

Cracking job Zed.

Personally the sloping shoulders on a blade gives me the chance to change the style of the transition between blade and shaft. It means that the shaft can Grow over the blade making it look more organic. tronds stuff is a first class example of this.

Again all stick tang blades should be embedded into the shaft by a couple of mm so persomally i wouldn't change this either but this is just the opinion of me..

Nice job.
:biggthump