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I did a chopping test with it. Cut through a 4 x 2 cypress pine stud a couple of times and it still held a shaving edge.
I have tested other blades by chopping into 40 x 6 mm mild steel flat bar without chipping or rolling the edge. the 3 -4 mm deep cut in the steel was impressive. I have a video somewhere that I sent to a mate who’s a metal machinist, he gave it a thumbs up.
I haven’t done a bend test like the American Bladesmithing Society requires, but then I’m not trying to pass their qualification test either. They even say that the type of heat treatment required to pass that test is not really applicable to a blade you want to use.
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It’s a nice looking blade mate! Grinds look on point, love the handle
How is the pommel attached Dan? Is it threaded onto the tang? Brazed maybe, epoxy.
Really nice work. Just curious how you put a few things together.
I’ve test chopped on brass and aluminium… never tried steel, though!
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@Supaduke and others,
Through tang construction. ( 1 x 1/4" ) Handle block was first drilled and then filed to fit with a final burn-through for a precise fit. ( Pre -heat treat ) Brass guard slotted for a tight “tap-down” fit. The end of the tang was filed down to a round profile and threaded with a 1/4" UNC thread, brass hilt drilled and tapped for same. The wood is profiled and finished before the whole lot is assembled with G-flex epoxy. Screwing the hilt on really tightens things up, about the only thing I didn’t like is the finish I got on the thread when the brass is final sanded. There is a gap due to the section of the thread, I think I’ll use a finer thread next time and peen it down before cutting it off. My makers stamp turned up after I had heat treated the blade so I stamped the hilt before final finish.
The last pic is how it came off the anvil, the bevels are hammered in but they don’t show up in the photo.
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teehee
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I edited that so that you blokes don’t get too excited 
It’s not exactly how you’d treat a good knife is it. I was just interested in how it would stand up after watching them belt blades into a large bolt on “Forged in Fire”
I’ve got a mate in the U.S who is a Master Bladesmith , ( he’s actually on the board of directors of the A.B.S ), he was telling me about the various tests they put knives through when qualifying people as Journeyman and Master bladesmiths, none involve chopping into steel.
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Yeah, I thought as much, you’ll probably blame the lockdowns 
I am not a handy person by any stretch of the imagination. But i needed a new work bench for the garage.
By chance i was at bunnings on an essential trip and not browsing at all and came across a hardwood bench used in laundrys… it was $80 for 1800 x 600 as it had a massive scratch on it.
So i bought it a shit tonne of lumber, packed it all up in my Kia Rio and took it all home.
So here it is…. My new work bench / reloading bench…
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Good score.
You win the internet for the day JS!
That is a real achievement…
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I should have got a photo without the knives but we’ll a photo of a jarrah chopping board isn’t that exciting, and anyway I can’t retake until the weekend, but I chopped this tree up and am making a few chopping boards with the good timber and the tools that I have which when it comes to wood isn’t much, but I reckon this one’s come up quite good, black expoxied all the holes and cracks worked a treat
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Here’s the latest creation, had a request for a “pig-sticker”, came up with this. Customer requested deer antler handle, not my thing but, “the customer gets what the customer wants”.
I haven’t done a lot of leather work in the last twenty years and my hand stitching had gotten a bit rusty, put a bit of extra effort into this one and getting back to a standard I’m happy with. Here’s a pic of the back, which, if anyone here has done hand stitching in leather will know, is the real test of how well you are doing.
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Daaaaang