New web site

Well I finally took the plunge to get a website set up:

www.tomhalloranknives.com

check it out and let me know what you think!

nick's koa hunter

1084 hunter, differential heat treat, nickel guard, hawaiian koa handle. Blade is 4 3/4" from tip to guard. Overall length is 9 1/2".

Got the kydex done for the G10 bowie, this one is for belt carry, and I am just finishing up one that is molle compatible.

I can also do these in OD green or desert tan

crossdraw hunter sheath

the blog keeps rotating pictures vertical! you have to turn your head sideways to see how this one should be :-)

now I just have to make a kydex sheath for this one

field bowie

here is a new style for me. It is a small full tang bowie forged from 1084, the blade is about 5 inches. It has a tapered tang, so it is slightly blade heavy in the hand. It is going to get OD green G10 slabs for the handle, with stainless pins and thong tube. It will be getting a kydex sheath.

forge and anvil

here is some pics of my cheapo forge and 100 year old anvil.
I am working on getting a new forge built soon, which will make it easier to make bigger knives.

blades

These are my basic hunter style. They are drop point, with a nice point for piercing the skin for field dressing and caping duties, and enough belly for slicing and skinning, as well as just general purpose utility usage.
This style of knife feels really good and well balances in the hand, and the finger notch makes it easy to choke up on the blade for finer tasks.
I like a hunting knife between 3-4 inches of cutting edge/ blade length. I feel anything much longer gets in the way most of the time.
These blades have been differentially heat treated and triple tempered, and are ready for finish grinding and final assembly. They will take an awesome edge, hold it really well, and be easy to resharpen when needed!

Bar Stool Economics

You may have seen this before, but even so, it is worth a revisit as we head into the Obama years…

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. “Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.”
Drinks for the ten now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes, so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men – the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his “fair share”?
They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink their beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before and the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings.

“I only got a dollar out of the $20,” declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got $10!”

“Yeah, that's right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than me!”

“That's true!!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D.
Professor of Economics, University of Georgia
For those who understand, no explanation is needed.
For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

my new name stamp. all blades will be now be marked!

bubinga hunters

here are a couple I just finished for some buddies.
1084 blades, nickel guards, bubinga handles with true oil gun stock finish

hunter with black sheath

new knife

here is a little hunter forged from 1084 tool steel. The blade is about 3 inches, with a fingergroove under the ricasso so you can choke up on the blade comfortably. The handle is black canvas micarta for a good utility grip. The knife is hidden tang construction, with a very nice feel in the hand and good balance.

More knives coming soon!

I have lots of knives in progress right now, hopefully I will be able to post pictures of some more finished blades soon.
I will be starting to offer knives for sale real soon, I need to raise some cash for more belts so I can keep grinding!
If you see something you like let me know and maybe we figure something out.