Laminated Chopper

A Laminated blade of 416 stainless with a 1095 core looks super cool, and is about as practical as you can get in a true cutting tool.  While the core gives all the benefits of a high carbon steel (strength, edge holding), the stainless sides add their own qualities (low maintenance, toughness) to create a package that cannot be equaled with any other method of blade construction.  The textured spine, another favorite feature, not only adds character, but shows a link to the blade's forged past.  An interesting not about the forging...  Look at the core on the tapered tang.  Look at how not only does the core taper from thick to thin along the length of the tang, but look at how perfectly centered the core is at the very end of the tang.  Now that was fun!

Finally, the stabilized end-grain spalted maple is my personal favorite.

Finally, the sheath represents another of my favorite techniques - the faux inlaid sheath.  The sheath has two "inlaid" windows, which are actually just cut, beveled and tooled leather finished to look like a separate inlay.  Even the stitching around the windows completes the illusion.  This isn't any easier than an actual inlay, but I find it more fun to do.

The balance of the blade is perfect for a knife like this, and I promise you you'll get the urge to run out and cut something just from holding it!  The blade of this knife is 10.25" long, almost 5/16" thick at the spine, and 15.7" overall.