Ok, sometimes you get lucky!

The last time that I worked with maple, it didn't have much figure. This time however...

Whitetail step 3

If you haven't already, put a new belt on the grinder. The work at this point is to get the scales down to the profile of the tang.

Whitetail step 2

After drilling the holes for the pins, I trimmed the wood on my bandsaw before I started to glue the thing together. Here it is in the clamp.

New Knife (Whitetail)

I have a favorite knife that I have been making with Rob Charlton's Damascus for a while. Designed by Carol Gurganus, it is called the Whitetail. I was able to get LT Wright of Blind Horse Knives to create for me a version in D2. This is a steel that my grinder is too small to do properly. Here is the first step with the knife blank, the Spalted Maple and the rod of mosaic pins that I will make this knife from.

Snow can be such a grind!

While I am sitting here, hoping that the Chantilly show will go on, I have broken out the steel, the epoxy and wood in the hopes of getting a new set of knives done.

Easy cutting

If you want to cut off a piece of steel, instead of using a hack saw, try this. I mounted a cut-off wheel to my Dremel tool. I can now cut part way through the bar and then flex it to finish the cut.