My First Mule, Finished (MT19)

[PayneTrain]

Finally got mine last week, and over the course of a few evenings my handle is finally done! It's made out of an old cutting board that split in half years ago, though years after the last peanut butter, jelly, bologna, and cheese sandwich was made on it (I was a chef from an early age). I had to cut out a piece, fillet it, flatten out both sides, then fit it and shape it. I used brass pins in the 3/8" holes and epoxy to keep it together, and just soaked the handle in food grade mineral oil since it's probably going to be used for food eventually, maybe even a PBJBC.

It's my first Mule project and my second ever handle project, so it's far from perfect. The plain side has some deep grind lines, the scales aren't exactly symmetrical in some places in shape or even in thickness, and the tang still has a good amount of scratches that I couldn't get out. Still, it feels great and I was able to retain the cutting board surface on the one side, and you can still see bits of the measurement conversion table that was engraved into it as well as a couple knife marks. I'm pretty happy with it, and pretty darn proud as well (hence my own thread :p ). What do ya'll think?




I can't wait to carry and use this baby, so it's back to the basement today to play with kydex! Then I'll give it a good sharpening, because it's duller than my Manix 2 S110V, even AFTER cutting all the sandpaper I used. I'm hoping they did that on purpose for my own safety, though I still managed to cut myself one of the many times I forgot there was an edge on this piece of metal.

[Ray Allen]

Nice how you were able to repurpose something from your past for something to be used in your future.
Cheers...

[Surfingringo]

Nice. Looks good to me. I like that you left the markings on the wood. Hard to tell but it looks like you left it pretty thick. How does it feel in hand?

[PayneTrain]

Thanks guys! Yeah I love the idea of having some built in character to this knife. I've got plenty cutting board left and two pieces of S35VN that will wear it soon enough.

It's about 5/8" thick, but it's pretty well rounded so it feels very nice. I'm usually a fan of thinner handles, especially on folders, but here I think I hit it pretty spot on as far as my hand goes.

[Surfingringo]

Ahh, that looks nice. I think the other pics just made it look much thicker than it is. Now go put that thing to work and tell us how it goes!

[v8r]

Looks great. Use it with pride. It has a nice story to it because you used the old cutting board that was otherwise junk and turned it in to something useful. It also has memories from all the sandwiches and food perpetration that was done on it.

I would skip the kydex and make a leather sheath, I think it would be a little classier on that knife.

[Ray Allen]

The cutting board gets its revenge in the end by becoming part of the cutter. Classic.

[phillipsted]

Nicely done, Payne! That knife will give you a lifetime of service!

TedP

[PayneTrain]

The cutting board gets its revenge in the end by becoming part of the cutter. Classic.

Hah how did this not cross my mind already? Awesome.

I'm glad you guys like the idea. It was a lot of work for an amateur craftsman like myself, but I really like the result and I hope it holds up ok. I was afraid I didn't put enough epoxy on, just a thin coat on each side of the tang which I roughed up with some 40 grit paper. I also didn't really put any on the pins, and I also didn't peen them at all, just ground them flush. Oh well, if they fall off I still have plenty more cutting board!

The sheath was a pain. I probably had to mold it 6 or 7 times to get it right. It's just a simple pocket sheath, and the whole package disappears in my pocket with room left for a smart phone. I was really pleased at the size of the Mule, because I've been looking for a small fixed blade and somehow the pictures always seemed so much bigger. You're definitely right, v8r, it would look much better in leather, especially compared to my kydex work. I may try to make something out of leather some day, but I bought a bunch of kydex a while ago for a couple sheaths because I feel it's much easier to keep clean and dry. I've seen it recommended not to keep a non stainless knife in leather for too long because it retains moisture, though I'm smart enough not to store two other knives in their sheaths. Oh well, a project for another day.

One more thing. I already like PSF27. While fighting with the sheath, I knocked the knife off the bench and it landed tip down (of course) into the concrete floor. It was wrapped tightly in painter's tape to give a little clearance in the sheath, but it didn't help much on impact. The tip bent pretty hard, maybe a little more than 1/32" of it. First win: bend, not break. So once I was done I took it to my medium 701 stone to grind it off and reprofile it, and it was rather easy. Easier than trying to sharpen the worst spots of my S110V Manix after all that sandpaper, mostly in the tip. Second win: easy to sharpen. Good stuff so far. Now I gotta go cut some stuff on purpose.

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Really nice work PT! I love the character of the wood - the writing on one side and the cut marks on the other, and that you've given it a bit of cannibal tinge as it participates in cutting other woods, etc. now! Cheers, Radioactive :)

[paladin]

The cutting board gets its revenge in the end by becoming part of the cutter. Classic.

Justice in an ironical sort of way...yes, I concur Ray, an instant classic! :)

[LC Kid]

Hi PayneTrain!


Your Mule looks Awesome!

Looks like a fantastic way to recycle a cutting board into a cutting tool. :D

[sal]

Hi Payne Train,

Nice job and you also preserved the memories.

sal

[PayneTrain]

Thank you again guys, I'm really glad you like it. Nothing at all against Halpern, they do a great job as I've seen in pictures and I'll most likely own a set of their scales for a future Mule, but it's always fun to make a little something out of nothing. And I still can't believe I missed the irony of the whole cutting board, cutting implement transformation. All I was thinking about was cutting board = hard wood = good for handle. I'm a little ashamed.

Hi Payne Train,

Nice job and you also preserved the memories.

sal

Thank you Sal! Yes indeed, that cutting board hung in my parents' kitchen for years. I think it finally split at the seam during a holiday dinner. Thank you for a good way to immortalize it, the parents, and the memories!

[PayneTrain]

Really nice work PT! I love the character of the wood - the writing on one side and the cut marks on the other, and that you've given it a bit of cannibal tinge as it participates in cutting other woods, etc. now! Cheers, Radioactive :)

Oh one thing, the marks on the plain side aren't actually cut marks. They are grinder marks from my cheap 1x30 grinder with a really coarse belt (36 grit maybe) as I got a little antsy and pushed hard, trying to smooth out all the rivets at once. The underside of the board, where all the knife marks are, is actually on the inside, glued to the tang. I meant for it to be on the outside, but I drilled the holes wrong. I held the knife in the same direction on top of the outside of both sides of the board, so one had to be reversed. The side with the writing on it still has a couple knife marks, and that's where the true character can be seen.

[Cheddarnut]

Theres even more "irony" if you think about it.

[Cheddarnut]

Ps awesome, repurposing stuff is rad!!

[araneae]

Nice work!

[PayneTrain]

Theres even more "irony" if you think about it.

Yes! God I love puns.

Nice work!

Thanks!