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The Outpost This forum is dedicated to all who share a love for, and a desire to make good knives, and have fun doing it. We represent a diverse group of smiths and knifemakers who bring numerous methods to their craft.

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  #1  
Old 09-24-2004, 04:13 PM
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SteveS SteveS is offline
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Don't read if you like Tai Goo's Knife

I'm going to do something I just said I don't like to do: I'm going to play the engineer and see why Tai's latest blade is soooo appealing.

This post is completely out of character with the Outpost forum and I'm sure I'll get grief, but I had to do it. Also I'm sure this type of stuff just flows out of Tai's creative nature and is not pre-planned. But, I'm going to pretend it's all mathematical and see what happens.





I drew a box around the blade, then some lines. The blue line is the exact center. The two horizontal lines are mark the golden section from top and bottom. The other red like is the golden section lengthwise.

* Golden Sections:

The first thing that jumped out at me was the pins sit right on the golden section and tip is just below. Next is the bottom of the ferrule sits right on the other line.

Also the 'plunge line' is right around the other golden section. Creating a golden section balance between the working end and the holding end.

* Balance and symmetry:

The handle material marks the half way point. This creates a balanced confortable feeling to the work.

The ricasso or bolster area also creates a balance with a pleasant matched, inward curved square thingy.

* Texture.

The blade has a very harsh texture to it, both in appearance and tactile. This is offset with a very smooth wood finish. It just invites the hand to hold it. But at the same time the wood matches by having a visual texture very much the same as the blade - a gentle, swirling motion. If you compare the wood grain to the forging marks you'll see what I mean.

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Again it's almost obscene to look at his work this way, but I'm an engineer by nature (not trade).

Sorry if I spoiled your appreciation for this little blade, but I warned you

Steve


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Last edited by SteveS; 09-24-2004 at 04:21 PM.
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Old 09-24-2004, 04:39 PM
fitzo fitzo is offline
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That's why he's an artist and I'm just a knifemaker...... And it's why Tai's work is so utterly appealing: that gift of utter creativity comes naturally. So very individualistic and inspiring....

I personally think you did good, Steve!

Last edited by fitzo; 09-24-2004 at 04:42 PM.
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Old 09-24-2004, 06:54 PM
Misternatural?
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Wow! That's pretty neat.
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Old 09-24-2004, 10:03 PM
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Thumbs up This is soooooo cooooool !!!

Hey Steve :
I guess Tai just has been blessed with that natural talent to use the Sacred Geometry..
Some people have it given to them as a blessing and a gift..
I'm still trying to see it in the trees, a powder horn, buildings, etc. It's all around us in the big wide world; in everything..
Never knew about it till we got into making longrifles, and then spent many happy hours over coffee and " The Golden Mean " ;" The Golden Proportion ".. while the oldtimers just seem to have it down..
One guy told me he just used " triangles in his mind " to lay out out a gunstock on a board..
How cool is that ??


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Old 09-25-2004, 02:10 AM
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TexasJack TexasJack is offline
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I remember reading a scientific study which showed that a baseball player getting ready to catch a ball in the outfield is unconsciously doing trigonometry in his head in order to get where the ball will land. Likewise, the great art of the Renaissance - buildings, statues, etc. - all have consistent mathematical proportions. Furniture makers refer to the "Golden" ratios for laying out drawers on dressers and cabinets. Some do it by nature, some by careful design, but the math is still there.

(Alfred Nobel did not set up a Nobel Prize for mathematics because he believed that math is not a science, but simply a language that describes reality.)

Steve did a really nice job of analysis. The only thing he left out was color. (In this case, the colors are similar, but distinctly different. Gives it a nice contrast.) In fact, if we analyze Steve's analysis, he used a contrasting colors nicely to make his point.

If this was expanded a bit - maybe showing several different knives - it would make a good tutorial on building an appealing blade.


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Old 09-25-2004, 09:22 AM
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I think I do use some loose sorts of design guidlines or formulas in my mind,.... but they are not concrete or mathematical, things like ballance, thrust, texture and contrast. The hard part to learn was turning the design mentally and being able to see it from all angles. I have to meditate and go into a trans like state to do it. I work most things out that way. I can't draw it from all angles though because I can't draw and maintain a deeper level of consciousness at the same time. I just turn the idea in my mind until it looks cool, and do the same thing physically while I am forging. It's fun!
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