My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
[reposted from BF]
Did you ever have a knife that checked all or most of the boxes, but you still did not carry a lot?
The Tuff was that way for me. I wanted a sturdy blade in a heavy-duty folder, that was a good cutter but capable of any chore that did not require a long fixed blade. I love pocket fixed blades, but folders win on convenience - they are usually more portable for a given blade length because they fold, and the "sheath" is attached and not going to be separated from the blade and misplaced. "Hard use" gets thrown around a lot, but it is one of those things that leaves little doubt in some instances. The Tuff certainly fits the bill - relatively beefy 3V blade with a high flat grind, titanium RIL, extra-large pivot, solid lockup, great ergos for cutting chores... all the boxes.
But I rarely carried it and almost always carry a PM2 and more recently I have discovered the benefits of the Military. Both are light, thin bladed great cutting tools, very easy to carry, and good for most jobs as long as that thin tip is not a concern (I've only broken one on my PM1, but still obviously not as beefy a blade as the Tuff). Besides the light weight, the main reason I ALWAYS carry a PM2 or mili is the narrow tip, that I use a lot for piercing and drilling in soft material. I don't mind the weight of the Tuff for chore coat pocket carry, but the tip just did not cut it for me (pun intended ). I see the value of Ed's design - keeping a lot of metal towards the tip makes for a very strong blade, plus the rounded drop point is a common feature of bushcraft knives, and lots of other designs have a lot of belly carried towards the tip (lionspy is an extreme example). But the lack of pointiness is why I pick up the PM2 or mili if I'm just taking one knife.
So it finally occurred to me that I could "fix" this
I contacted Chris Berry (Big Chris - check him out at Bladeforums under knifemakers and service providers - great craftsman and very knowledgeable about steels and such) and asked him to reshape the blade of one of my Tuffs - basically clip the spine straight from in front of the opening hole to the existing tip. I just got it back and it came out great!! The blade still has more belly than a PM2 or mili, but has much more of a pointy but still beefy tip.
photos:
compared to PM2 and Military
spine view showing still sturdy tip
Did you ever have a knife that checked all or most of the boxes, but you still did not carry a lot?
The Tuff was that way for me. I wanted a sturdy blade in a heavy-duty folder, that was a good cutter but capable of any chore that did not require a long fixed blade. I love pocket fixed blades, but folders win on convenience - they are usually more portable for a given blade length because they fold, and the "sheath" is attached and not going to be separated from the blade and misplaced. "Hard use" gets thrown around a lot, but it is one of those things that leaves little doubt in some instances. The Tuff certainly fits the bill - relatively beefy 3V blade with a high flat grind, titanium RIL, extra-large pivot, solid lockup, great ergos for cutting chores... all the boxes.
But I rarely carried it and almost always carry a PM2 and more recently I have discovered the benefits of the Military. Both are light, thin bladed great cutting tools, very easy to carry, and good for most jobs as long as that thin tip is not a concern (I've only broken one on my PM1, but still obviously not as beefy a blade as the Tuff). Besides the light weight, the main reason I ALWAYS carry a PM2 or mili is the narrow tip, that I use a lot for piercing and drilling in soft material. I don't mind the weight of the Tuff for chore coat pocket carry, but the tip just did not cut it for me (pun intended ). I see the value of Ed's design - keeping a lot of metal towards the tip makes for a very strong blade, plus the rounded drop point is a common feature of bushcraft knives, and lots of other designs have a lot of belly carried towards the tip (lionspy is an extreme example). But the lack of pointiness is why I pick up the PM2 or mili if I'm just taking one knife.
So it finally occurred to me that I could "fix" this
I contacted Chris Berry (Big Chris - check him out at Bladeforums under knifemakers and service providers - great craftsman and very knowledgeable about steels and such) and asked him to reshape the blade of one of my Tuffs - basically clip the spine straight from in front of the opening hole to the existing tip. I just got it back and it came out great!! The blade still has more belly than a PM2 or mili, but has much more of a pointy but still beefy tip.
photos:
compared to PM2 and Military
spine view showing still sturdy tip
Last edited by dogrunner on Mon Dec 29, 2014 9:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Thats a cool mod. Enjoy it.
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
I like that better than the original. If it had come out with a blade like that I might have bought one.
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Always good to see someone refine a design to suit their needs. Still doesn't float my boat in this config, but the Tuff just wasn't for me.
- xceptnl
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Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
I'm sure the balance is alot different now. Interesting modification for sure.Jazz wrote:Nice mod. Is it a lot lighter?
*Landon*sal wrote: .... even today, we design a knife from the edge out!
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Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
I always like mods and this one is well done. It is like half Millie half Tuff...The Muff? I am impressed with your pimper's ability to keep the tip stout
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Very cool mod! Congrats :).
- GoldenSpydie
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Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Congrats! Cool mod--enjoy it.
I have a 5 inch camp knife in M4 @ 0.1 from Big Chris. He's a great guy and talented knifemaker.
I have a 5 inch camp knife in M4 @ 0.1 from Big Chris. He's a great guy and talented knifemaker.
- Surfingringo
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Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Nice work. Good to see someone do this as I have been considering buying a tuff and doing this exact mod for awhile now!
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Do you mean 0.1" thick? I've got knives in several steels from Chris but I haven't scored any M4 from him. His knives get work done and his kitchen knives are amazing! How thick did he leave your camp knife behind the edge?GoldenSpydie wrote:Congrats! Cool mod--enjoy it. I have a 5 inch camp knife in M4 @ 0.1 from Big Chris. He's a great guy and talented knifemaker.
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
That looks a lot like the treatment that you give your Salts. I wonder how long it would take with sandpaper?Surfingringo wrote:Nice work. Good to see someone do this as I have been considering buying a tuff and doing this exact mod for awhile now!
- Surfingringo
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Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
On that big slab of 3v??? A loooong time! :DFancier wrote:That looks a lot like the treatment that you give your Salts. I wonder how long it would take with sandpaper?Surfingringo wrote:Nice work. Good to see someone do this as I have been considering buying a tuff and doing this exact mod for awhile now!
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
I would not say it is a lot lighter. It is certainly still noticeably heavier than a PM2 or mili by comparison. If the weight was a concern in the original form, it will probably still be a concern. I think the balance feels a little better to me, but again, the handle is pretty hefty (Ti and steel-lined G10). The blade is longish for a folder, but not for a fixed blade, so I did not really expect much change in how it felt. But I do like how it feels now. And the blade mod definitely gives more versatility for point applications. Still broader at the tip than my trusty PM2, but was able to do some pokey stuff with the Tuff that I could not do before (making holes in plastic containers).Jazz wrote:Nice mod. Is it a lot lighter?
As far as other observations - it is a somewhat unique combination when you start comparing to other spydies - blade and handle length are similar to the Mili, but with the large blade choil, its cutting edge is closer to the PM2. Thick blade but still cuts very well and the general construction definitely inspires confidence in hard cutting chores.
One thing definitely noticeable today - temp was -15F with windchill of -30F. Spydercos with all their exposed blade around the hole are MUCH easier to open when wearing heavy mittens than thumbstud openers and even flippers (mittens get in the way), but it takes two hands since mitten thumbs are pretty clumsy and get in the way. BUT the RIL and all other liner locks including compression are vERY difficult to close with the mittens on!!! Can't wedge anything in to release the lock. OTOH, the Manix2 BB lock was not too bad (still took one hand to hold the knife, the other to manipulate the lock to close it). The challenges of living in a northern climate :)
Last edited by dogrunner on Tue Dec 30, 2014 5:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Hi dogrunner!
This might be the best looking Tuff I've ever seen. :)
Such awesome mod! :Ddogrunner wrote: compared to PM2 and Military
This might be the best looking Tuff I've ever seen. :)
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Thanks, I'm liking it a lot so far. I have to say, I stared at a photochopped image for days before committing to it (and I also have a second unmodified Tuff so I guess I can steal second while keeping my foot on first :) ).
Next up is a custom scale :) I like the original well enough but I guess I'm all-in for modding this one! In case he reads this thread, Ed S should take this as a compliment :) - if I did not like the Tuff enough, I would not be tweaking it
Next up is a custom scale :) I like the original well enough but I guess I'm all-in for modding this one! In case he reads this thread, Ed S should take this as a compliment :) - if I did not like the Tuff enough, I would not be tweaking it
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Wow! That looks like a different knife completely. If the original blade came like that and the scales didn't have all those silly looking divots all over them I would have bought one in a heartbeat. I would love to have a thick 3v Spyderco folder but I thought the look of the production Tuff was ugly as ****.dogrunner wrote:Thanks, I'm liking it a lot so far. I have to say, I stared at a photochopped image for days before committing to it (and I also have a second unmodified Tuff so I guess I can steal second while keeping my foot on first :) ).
Next up is a custom scale :) I like the original well enough but I guess I'm all-in for modding this one! In case he reads this thread, Ed S should take this as a compliment :) - if I did not like the Tuff enough, I would not be tweaking it
Estne Spyderco in toga, an solum tibi libet me videre? :eek:
Google est amicus! :D
Google est amicus! :D
- GoldenSpydie
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Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Yes, 0.1 inch stock, FFG, 0.02 behind the edge for medium wood work, linen Micarta handle, and super light at 5 ounces without the sheath.Fancier wrote:Do you mean 0.1" thick? I've got knives in several steels from Chris but I haven't scored any M4 from him. His knives get work done and his kitchen knives are amazing! How thick did he leave your camp knife behind the edge?GoldenSpydie wrote:Congrats! Cool mod--enjoy it. I have a 5 inch camp knife in M4 @ 0.1 from Big Chris. He's a great guy and talented knifemaker.
Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Nice lines on that one Golden! His grinds have gotten really good.
- SpeedHoles
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Re: My new old Tuff (with remodeled blade)
Beautiful blade reshape on that Tuff!
Do you still use this one often?
Do you still use this one often?
Going back to Caly.