The North Star!

[Sharpshooter]

I sat home this morning waiting for the "Big Brown Truck" to pull up, it was a lot like being a kid on Christmas Morning.

I knew that Mike had sent the First North Star yesterday; so every truck than went by sounded like THE TRUCK. It finally showed up, just in time for me to leave for work, but first I had to open it and share my thoughts with Mike.

I picture is worth a thousand words, but holding the knife that I was seeking so many months ago in my hand is priceless. It's everything I hoped it would be and more.

Enough rambling....

The North Star




Mike, this is one very special knife; it just feels RIGHT.

The details are incredible; check out the tapered tang and grooves on the spine...



Thanks Mike, you really made MY Knife of the Year.

I'll get it into the woods sometime in the next few days, lots more pics and a full performance report as soon as possible.

Order 'em up now, this will be one hot knife.

Reid

[Bex]

Reid,

Great stuff. This ones been a long time coming!

I've had mine on order since around the time they were first mentioned on Knifeforums! Not much longer to wait now...

[mojofilter]

Ill be having me one of them!!

[Martyn]

Cant see the p[icture - nothing shows up for me.

[The General]

[Gary]

I've asked this else where but thought I'd add it here too - any pictures of the sheath?

[Martyn]

I've solved the problem with pictures not showing up. The culprit was Zone Alarm, I had the ad blocking set to "high" which was killing all attatched and embeded images. I switched ad blocking to medium security and everything is fine now.

Great knife - might hafta get me one.

[Martyn]

Mike, a thought occured to me. How difficult would it be to produce a version with removeable handle slabbs? I was looking at the knife and as the lanyard hole is on the back, there are only bolts/pins in the handle. Wouldn't it be a simple job to use a threaded tube with removeable countersunk screws to hold the slabs in place? The handle could then be skeltonized underneath, giving the owner the option for an ultralight version, or the ability to attach the knife to a stick in the field, which could be used to chop, hack or even a makeshift spear.

Just a thought.

[ZDP-189]

I've asked this else where but thought I'd add it here too - any pictures of the sheath?

Everytime I read this I think "I don't remember writing that" ~ then I realise I didn't. :confused:

[Mike Stewart]

Martyn,

Reid and I were thinking tha same thing. The problem is twofold. The knife has a tapered tang. The holes in the slabs are 90 degrees fron the centerline of the knife--not from the back of the slab. this we overcome by drilling the slabs in a special fixture. the next part is the hardest.


We do not use premade handles. we have never found a company that actually could do it. I know of two in the U.S. that can do it and they are the two rudest companies that I have ever TRIED to do business with. They do premade handles for some of the large manufacturers and we are just a fly buzzing aroud them. They have lied to me , taken the orders and then never delivered the handles. One of them even charged me over $2000.00 in tooling and has still never delivered me the handles. There is another company that just bought a 5 axis Router and has a bunch of 4 axis machining centers and a laser and a Waterjet Cutter. They say that they will ge able to make our N.S. handles at some point. they are still learning and were honest enough to tell me.

Now---If I can't get premade handles, How do we make the knives now ? We make them the way I always have. We pin and expoy the big rectangular slabs on each knife and hand shape them right on the blade. that's the way we have always done it'

Now. Removable Slabs. How would we make them? We would have to have something to bolt them to and then still hand shape each set and then removes them and re-install them on the N.S. They would be very expensive and we would screw up a ton of them.

This company I am working with now is meeting with me again on Monday and we shall see what they have come up with. We may have a removable handle version of the N.S. by October.

This run is totally sold out to the Dealers and Distributors. by Yesterday (Friday) ,at close of business, all the blades were committed on reserve. Folks need to tell their dealers what they want so I know what to build.

This whole run will be hand built with the solid -non- removable Handles.

By the Way-I have never been so frustrated in my entire life as I have trying to find and talk to a compitent Machine shop. I have yet to actually find one. I am convinced that I am somehow too stupid to have something machined out. I have given these Chaps 3-D CAD drawings on paper and disc and sample models of parts. I get back nothing.

The Bottom Line is that my crew can have 500 knives finished totally by hand before one of these bafoons can turn out one sample part. I'm sorry if I sound down on modern machineists but I am. in the old days I could hand a part to one of the old timers and he would have parts for me the next day. These new Computer guys make me nuts. They have to sit and think about stuff forever. I am finished with the run before they have their light bulb go on. sorry for the rant.

We will continue to make handles the same way until I find someone who is both capable and actually wants to make them for us.

Mike.......

[Martyn]

Fair enough Mike. I did think about the complexity of pre-making the handles, but I thought I'd bring it up anyway as I wasn't sure of your process and the NS handle profile looked to be not that complicated. But if there are issues with even the simplest, I guess that is that. On an aside, I think some TOPS knives have removeable handles - I dunno who does thier machining, or if they do it thierselves, but it might be a lead.

Thanks for the reponse.

[Gary]

From a bushcraft prospective I like Mikes idea - the solider the better, especially when used with a baton or for chopping. More proof of a well thought out tool!

As for attaching your knife to a pole to make a spear ........ .......... your knife is your live and I'd never advise someone to risk losing or damaging it in like manner. If you need a spear sharpen and fire harden as sturdy pole of suitable wood.

Sorry bushcraft head on!! :p I'll shut up now.

[Martyn]

From a bushcraft prospective I like Mikes idea - the solider the better, especially when used with a baton or for chopping. More proof of a well thought out tool!

As for attaching your knife to a pole to make a spear ........ .......... your knife is your live and I'd never advise someone to risk losing or damaging it in like manner. If you need a spear sharpen and fire harden as sturdy pole of suitable wood.

Sorry bushcraft head on!! :p I'll shut up now.

I had a knife once with removable handles, it was called the laser strike, designed by Jeff Randall (of Randall's Training & Adventure) and made by TOPS. It had these screw down countersunk pins (this is what made me think of it) and it was as solid as any knife I've used. Physical strength isn't an issue with this mounting method Gary, trust me. The spear thing was a little tounge in cheek, but could be useful I suppose, I would imagine a liughtweight version would appeal though - maybe even a cord-wrapped handle.
It would sell.
As we're talking of a model variation here, all you're doing is offering your customers choice. Cant be bad.

Look here....
http://bill-hay.com/SpringTrip.htm



In the above link (& picture) you'll see the Laser Strike, which was designed as an outdoors knife, with removeable bolt on handles as I've described. The countersuck (hex/allen-socket) screws thread into a short tube that passes through the tang. You'll also see other TOPS knives in that link that use this method. Strength isn't an issue, you can batton the hell out of these knives.

[Gary]

Sorry Martiyn bushcraft head was on and as I say to a practioner of 'the Craft' such a knife use would make the blodd run cold - but looking at it from a cutlers point of view yes I can see where your coming from.

The world is fortunate I dont make knives or they would be the most boring, solid, utilitarian and practical things imaginable.

And as a none knife nut I can only bow before your vision and interests! :notworthy

[Martyn]

Sorry Martiyn bushcraft head was on and as I say to a practioner of 'the Craft' such a knife use would make the blodd run cold - but looking at it from a cutlers point of view yes I can see where your coming from.

The world is fortunate I dont make knives or they would be the most boring, solid, utilitarian and practical things imaginable.

And as a none knife nut I can only bow before your vision and interests! :notworthy

LOL, well I'd have to agree, aesthetically, black powder coatings are awful and the laser strike is far from a pleasing knife to handle, but the concept of removeable handles is simple enough. Imagine the NS, with the above type bolts attaching the handles instead of pins? No great offence to even the most aggricultural of bushcrafters.

Still, it's all moot, if Mike cant make em, he cant make em, which kind of kills the idea.