All About Pocket Knives

I sure hope it smells better! I don't care for it either.

I am looking forward to seeing production pics of the bone variations, call the pattern what you will, doesn't much matter to me. I think this has the potential to be a real handsome knife with the right bone and jigging.

GEC posted bloodwood scales for the Northfield #29 Humpback knife , on the GEC Web-sight. I spotted the snakewood blanks earlier to day. I got my pre-order on the #29 Snakewood knife.

I agree with the sentiments being expressed about the name of the knife. They should use a kitchen sink as the shield. I'm trying to keep an open mind about the 3 backsprings on the Stockyard Whittler and hope the knife is not too wide.

Below are some top & bottom pictures of knives with 2 springs and 3 blades in a whittler configuration. 3 of the examples have a tapered frame and the springs separated by a wedge shaped liner. Interestingly one of them is a GEC 98 Texas whittler so GEC can make a knife like this if they want to.
The 4th example is a Canal Street Cannitler which is a mash up example like the "Stockyard Whittler". It has a whittler blade configuration, a non-tapered frame, and canoe bolsters. I happen to like the Cannitler and carry one frequently.

These examples are all pretty well made in that they don't show blade rub from opening and closing. My opinion is that the old Case Whittler is the most attractive of the bunch attached below and probably exhibits the most craftsmanship. I signed up for a Stockyard Whittler and am looking forward to trying it out. I will be disappointed if the Stockyard Whittler exhibits blade rubbing, especially with 3 springs.

Those pics are very interesting. The Canal Street whittler shows that a wedge shaped center liner is not needed. Are the secondaries thinner stock than on the Case ? If not then why is a wedge divider used ? Instead just use the little 'spacer bits' at the secondary end like in the Canal Street knife.
Is there something i am not understanding about whittler construction ?
kj

Here is a Bulldog that I bought and sold recently. I had never seen a Whittler with such a thick main blade. I’m sure it was made this thick to rest against both back-springs. But that also required that they make the main blade a saber grind since tapering that thick of a piece of steel down to a fine edge would not be easy or particularly esthetic. There was no wedge and the springs were just straight springs. When it was open there was still a gap on both sides of the main blade. Also this main blade was a real nail breaker trying to open. I couldn’t get it open without using a knife pick, which is why I sold it and didn’t keep it.
After reading this discussion of Whittlers and having seen the flaws in this design, I can see why manufacturers have tinkered with these Whittlers to make them more user friendly while dealing with the mechanic nature of them.

Mark the thickness of master blade on the Bulldog is not unusual. The idea for a whittler is you have one strong thick blade and two thin secondaries for finer work. The springs in your knife are somewhat stronger than they should be as can happen with any brand. Don't assume if you see a whittler with a stout master blade that it will be hard to open. Most are fairly easy to open.
kj

kootenay joe wrote:"Clumpy Kitty Litter Acrylic" ! I bet it would be a hot seller. Lee are you in marketing ?
Folks, send pictures of your kitty's litter box to GEC so they can come up with the right look for this new handle material.
kj

Ha ha, no, I'm not in marketing but every now and then I feel like I come up with a winning idea though! And for the record, I did NOT encourage people to send in litter box pics to GEC. That part was Roland's idea.

313 Mike wrote:I am looking forward to seeing production pics of the bone variations, call the pattern what you will, doesn't much matter to me. I think this has the potential to be a real handsome knife with the right bone and jigging.

Here, Here! Yes, I agree completely. The first Autumn Gold bone production pics appeared today, and the jigging looks really nice. They're gonna be beautiful when finished. If I hadn't just bought four knives I'd consider getting this one. I considered getting a NW 93 today, good thing they sold out in all of 5 minutes, because if I had bought one I'd probably get killed in my sleep tonight.

Sharpnshinyknives wrote:Here is a Bulldog that I bought and sold recently.

Mark, I don't blame you for getting rid of that nasty thing! Tortoise shell acrylic... Yuck!

kootenay joe wrote:Those pics are very interesting. The Canal Street whittler shows that a wedge shaped center liner is not needed. Are the secondaries thinner stock than on the Case ? If not then why is a wedge divider used ? Instead just use the little 'spacer bits' at the secondary end like in the Canal Street knife.
Is there something i am not understanding about whittler construction ?
kj

I like whittlers, or maybe it's that I like stockmans and whittlers are a classier way to get one long blade and two secondaries. A manufacturer's high end whittlers will be split backs with the wedge. The inside edges of the springs are filed so even though the springs meet at an angle the edges in contact are parallel. Consequently the master tang does not to be as wide. In addition to cost this design's draw back is that the secondaries project out of the handle angled off to the sides more than other whittlers except for lockbacks. Secondaries open parallel to their spring.

The best of the ones with no wedge have both springs tapered for their full length. The only whittlers I've handled that were made this way were Queens. Unlike split backs I have yet to handle one that did not have great snap.

Whittlers with no wedge and springs with out taper some times have fillers that are part of the liners in one or both ends. The fillers eliminate the need for wide blade stock. Others like the Bulldog that sharpnshinyknives did not keep just have very thick tangs. To avoid nail breaker snap the springs can be thinner front to back. sharpnshinyknives' Bulldog is the first one I've noticed that has such a thick blade near the tang. Usually the blades are ground down so they have normal thickness immediately in front of the tang. The secondaries of this group open parallel to the handle.

Three spring whittlers offer the option of filling all the blade wells with long blades. The secondaries of my three spring GEC 54 and Queen Sowbelly Whittlers are only slightly shorter than the master. They could have been named three blade moose. The short secondaries in Case and Buck's three spring Whittlers leave a lot of empty blade well that looks inefficient and collects lint in a pocket. However, they keep cost down and their blades open parallel to the handle. Also they are not as wide as you might envision because since the blades powered by springs that lay side by side are on opposite ends they do not need liners between the springs.

Apparently the new GEC 29 Stockyard Whittler will have a lot in common with Buck and case three spring whittlers. The whittler that comes to mind as being the closest to the new GEC was Queen's three spring Rail Splitter Whittler. Both have broad master clip and sheep's foot blades. What sets the the new GEC apart is its punch.

MSJ, lots of info in your post ! Thank you.
Yes with a 3 spring knife you can have 3 full length blades but it makes for a more bulky knife. If you don't need all the blades to be full length then a 2 spring knife is fine and not as lumpy in the pocket. But if a big strong knife with 3 big strong blades is what you want, then the 3 spring is the knife for you.
kj

kootenay joe wrote:Those pics are very interesting. The Canal Street whittler shows that a wedge shaped center liner is not needed. Are the secondaries thinner stock than on the Case ? If not then why is a wedge divider used ? Instead just use the little 'spacer bits' at the secondary end like in the Canal Street knife.
Is there something i am not understanding about whittler construction ?
kj

That main spear on the Canal Street Canitler is pretty thick.

Good picture 67rr. Shows the master blade to be quite 'stout', and secondaries are not especially thin and they all fit without a wedge center divider.
I still do not understand why some whittlers need a center wedge and others like the above CSC, don't.
kj

That “Osage Orange” is a lot better looking than the OP knife. Osage Orange, aka Bois d’Arc, aka Hedge, aka Horse Apple, is a hard, tough wood. I’ve often wondered why it’s not used more often for handle covers, unless it’s too difficult to work it.

The tree is native or adapted over much of North America and widely used for fence posts because it never rots and insects won’t bother it. There should be an ample supply. There’s a 100 year old barbed wire fence on my ranch, built with Bois d’Arc posts. The above ground part of the posts are weathered but hard and strong. If you pull one out of the ground the part that was under ground looks like it was put in last week! You can hammer a staple into a new green post but after that it’s too hard and dense. It’s near impossible to saw a seasoned post - it will ruin a chain saw. Having a greenhorn try to put a fence staple in a seasoned post is a rite of passage - it can’t be done! To repair the fence you have to tie the barbed wire to the posts with baling wire.

Should make some great handle covers!

Ken

Mumbleypeg wrote:That “Osage Orange” is a lot better looking than the OP knife. Osage Orange, aka Bois d’Arc, aka Hedge, aka Horse Apple, is a hard, tough wood. I’ve often wondered why it’s not used more often for handle covers, unless it’s too difficult to work it.

The tree is native or adapted over much of North America and widely used for fence posts because it never rots and insects won’t bother it. There should be an ample supply. There’s a 100 year old barbed wire fence on my ranch, built with Bois d’Arc posts. The above ground part of the posts are weathered but hard and strong. If you pull one out of the ground the part that was under ground looks like it was put in last week! You can hammer a staple into a new green post but after that it’s too hard and dense. It’s near impossible to saw a seasoned post - it will ruin a chain saw. Having a greenhorn try to put a fence staple in a seasoned post is a rite of passage - it can’t be done! To repair the fence you have to tie the barbed wire to the posts with baling wire.

Should make some great handle covers!

Ken

Ken, that's good to know! We use Mountain (Black) Locust trees for posts and they seem to get as hard as concrete when they dry. I always thought the Osage Orange "fruit" looked like monkey brains, wish we had some around the farm.

John

John, is that huge tree a Black Locust ?
I would like to see a picture of an Osage Orange tree as well. Thanks for posting some information about this tree/wood Ken.
I have not heard of it growing in Canada. I used split cedar for my fence posts and now 35 years later they have all rotted off right at ground level.
kj

Am I making a mistake in not buying one of these with the acrylic handles? I have passed twice on these. I was unable to sign up for the early reserve, we were in the middle of putting our dog down when that came out. I keep hoping I will be able to get one in snakewood, but beginning to wonder if I might miss out by passing on these. Any idea how many snakewood were made and which dealers will have them? I’m just not impressed with these acrylic handles. But having one of those would be better than missing out all together.

kootenay joe wrote:John, is that huge tree a Black Locust ?
I would like to see a picture of an Osage Orange tree as well. Thanks for posting some information about this tree/wood Ken.
I have not heard of it growing in Canada. I used split cedar for my fence posts and now 35 years later they have all rotted off right at ground level.
kj

Those were Osage Orange pictures; tree and fruit. Every now and then while hiking around Virginia and Western MD I'll see the "fruit" on the ground, about the size of large grapefruit.

Sharpnshinyknives wrote:Am I making a mistake in not buying one of these with the acrylic handles? I have passed twice on these. I was unable to sign up for the early reserve, we were in the middle of putting our dog down when that came out. I keep hoping I will be able to get one in snakewood, but beginning to wonder if I might miss out by passing on these. Any idea how many snakewood were made and which dealers will have them? I’m just not impressed with these acrylic handles. But having one of those would be better than missing out all together.

I don't think you're missing anything by passing on the grits, butter and molasses. That's one butt ugly handle if you ask me. $125 FOR THAT . no,no,no!

kootenay joe wrote:Good picture 67rr. Shows the master blade to be quite 'stout', and secondaries are not especially thin and they all fit without a wedge center divider.
I still do not understand why some whittlers need a center wedge and others like the above CSC, don't.
kj

Perhaps this is the best way to look at Whittlers. Excepting three long blade whittlers that require three springs, all assemblies other than split backs are for manufacturing cost reduction. While GEC collectors begging for rationalizations to add to their collection obviously are not seeking lower cost, some of us appreciate less expensive knives. My eBay NIB three spring Case 6308 and 6347 Whittlers cost me under $35 and $40 respectively. They have the same blades that case has used to assemble those patterns as split back since at least 1990. Good luck finding Case NIB split backs for under $40.

By the way, Queen made Canoe Whittlers with normal thin blades. If my memory is any good mine is a split back.

To get this thread back on track I'll add that I do not know of any other new carbon steel knives that have a sheep's foot and punch secondaries. Getting an other wise unavailable selection of blades in the size of knife you want is good reason to pay GEC's prices. Using three springs was a way for GEC to get around the cost of assembling split backs that does not require extra thick blade stock.

TSA Knives just listed about one dozen of the Stockyard Whittlers in its online store.
Nice looking knives and about 3 of them have been sold already.

Sharpnshinyknives wrote:Am I making a mistake in not buying one of these with the acrylic handles? I have passed twice on these. I was unable to sign up for the early reserve, we were in the middle of putting our dog down when that came out. I keep hoping I will be able to get one in snakewood, but beginning to wonder if I might miss out by passing on these. Any idea how many snakewood were made and which dealers will have them? I’m just not impressed with these acrylic handles. But having one of those would be better than missing out all together.

Mark, you might like the Coffee House Acrylic better. So far this pic is all we've got but it will probably look pretty good when finished. I'm trying to imagine the flat section on that piece on the far left all polished up and I'm liking what my brain is seeing.

Hello Gents, been a while since I’ve been on (life and what not)
Love the wealth of information you guys bring to this forum. Didn’t know that about whittlers or Osage wood. I just recently picked up one of these 29’s in Osage wood and I love the feel of it in hand. I also like the blade length on the main blade but... I do have a an issue. When I started using it I realized that there is blade play on that main blade and it’s just enough to bother me. I was wondering if anyone else who has picked up one of these has experienced the same issue and is that something that GEC would be able to tighten up or is that just generally a non fixable defect in the knife? I haven’t experienced this so far with other patterns I’ve gotten and use on a regular basis.

JET79, i do not yet have one of these but i too am bothered by blade play so i hope a bunch of #29 owners reply so we can find out how common this is. With old knives i have gently squeezed the bolsters/pivot pin in a vice. Sometimes this has removed blade play but i don't recommend this for a new knife. I think you should contact GEC and see what they suggest.
kj

kootenay joe wrote:JET79, i do not yet have one of these but i too am bothered by blade play so i hope a bunch of #29 owners reply so we can find out how common this is. With old knives i have gently squeezed the bolsters/pivot pin in a vice. Sometimes this has removed blade play but i don't recommend this for a new knife. I think you should contact GEC and see what they suggest.
kj

I have 2 29s so far, both are acrylic though. I just checked the blades on them, and neither had any play. I have not used either one yet though.

I would definitely contact GEC to ask about them fixing it. It may take a little bit longer than normal to get it done right now due to the rendezvous later this week, but I imagine they'll fix you up.