$0.75 Start to finish bushcraft knife in less time then it takes to get a pizza.

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Thank you all for the suggestions I understand that there are blade class issues here and I know the stuff I have done is not up to par with what other people are putting out. It was never meant to it was meant to give an alternative for the common man to get them off the couch and possibly give them something stronger then something they can purchase from Walmart or Kmart ect. Thank you for the help and I am learning as I go just waiting on more materials to start a new one thank you for the help.
 
darrin sanders said:
I knew that there would be posts on both sides of the coin, hence my "popcorn" comment.

Is it possible to make a good knife from a file? You betcha, as long as its made from good steel and you don't get it too hot when grinding it. Bob Loveless made his first knives from files tempered in a galley stove on a ship and we all know how that turned out. I'm afraid that you got the one in the video too hot so I suggest you keep them cool from now on.
Chuck & Shaw made you a really good offer. I suggest that you use one of those files to turn that piece of steel into a blade and send it to Shaw for H/T. I was going to offer to H/T it for you but Shaw beat me to it. If you need a pair of Micarta or G-10 scales let me know the approximate size you need and I'll be glad to cut you a pair and send them to you.
One thing you need to realize about the knives on this site. No matter what the price, materials, or degree of finish, they are ALL first and foremost high quality cutting tools. I don't know of maker that puts fit and finish above performance. I've seen some very expensive knives on the belts of hunters and they weren't wearing them for show. They use them for anything and everything they would use a $20 knife for. There are knives on here that sell for $30 and up and each one has its place but an overheated file is just, well, an overheated file.
I look forward to seeing what you make from the steel Chuck sends you and if I can help you anywhere along the way don't hesitate to contact me.
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Everyone knows they were leaf springs, you Hillbilly! :p :D
From a Packard, I believe, lol. :thumbup:

Sam
 
Omega Leather Works said:
Stacy, I'm offended by your constant double posting.

:p

Hope I didn't come off as too harsh either. Reading it back, it does look kinda rude. I apologize if it looked that way. I try not to say anything that I wouldn't say in person. I probably would have said most of it, but in a joking manner.
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Yes, I pretty much thought your comments were not what you were trying to say. Seems all it turning toward positive help now.


This double posting problem is really getting bad.
 
Yeah it seams that some people on here only offer negative information those I am going to ignore as it is not helpful. I do not spend hours and hours making knives I have a full time job and I do not have 10k worth of tools. Sorry if I can not make something to your gold standard. If you are going to leave negative comments please just do not comment thank you.

I am waiting on more knife steel and daylight before I can really do anymore work on my knife or think about starting a new one. Thank you for all your information and help so far. Some things just do not happen over night.
 
If you get specific in what you want to accomplish the Help will be overboard. There are probably a 1000yrs or so experience in this place and some very talented people willing to help.
Been on this board for welllll over a decade and I still rely on their help when I get stuck. My first blade I still have was made from a hard hand scraper on a stone wheel bench grinder. However... Though Fugly got a mirror polish and the best edge I knew of at the time.
Handmade does not have to be fancy artsy or even pretty, Some ugly them up to make em "Users"
One thing a handmade knife does is reflect the makers Personality, Skill Set and above all Creativity.
Find your own style and master it. Bushcraft comes in many flavors. Make it your own style Bushcraft and find a way to make em fast AND well crafted!
But do yourself a favor READ what 12345678910 posted front to back
My suggestion go get some 5gal paint stir sticks and practice practice practice. They are difficult to get right but cheap every time you screw one up. Step up to mild steel also cheap and can be permanent patterns down the road. Then move to known blade steel.
Shortcuts and above all Blade Blanks trying to be passed off will get called out in a heartbeat, no implication at all just sage advice
Then Practice Practice Practice Practice
Remember the only "Standards" you need to meet are your own, they will show in your work. Thats all that matters in the end!
 
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Awesome Idea with the paint sticks. That is something I can do while waiting for parts ect. Just got back from the forest and trying to catch up on the forum thanks guys. Yeah I have seen tons of people buying blade blanks from Ebay putting some handles on it and calling it hand made. I would rather rock my file then run someone elses blade blanks that I do not know or trust.
 
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bigboysbushcraft said:
I did not realize there are more people on here that would rather make there knives out of "titanium" and "gold" then actually get out and use the knives.
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bigboysbushcraft said:
... you are taking all of the usefulness out of a knife and making it an art form. It is like putting together a show car and not driving it. It is not logical. .... I also know that blacksmiths for hundreds of years had other ways of tempering/hardening a blade that did not consist of thousands of dollars of equipment. ... unless you want to change the name to things that used to be knives now cost thousands of dollars and are now art forums then I believe that this is a handmade knife ...if you do not have anything nice to say or feel guilty about me telling it like it is then please do not post. If this post has lost its meaning and is just getting knife snobs upset please delete it.
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bigboysbushcraft said:
I have a full time job and I do not have 10k worth of tools. Sorry if I can not make something to your gold standard.
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The moderator has warned the group to not bash you or your idea or your postings........which is fine and good. You admonished us, in your first post to 'keep and open mind'. Also valid advice and seems right in line with what you keep saying.

I would advise you to also keep an open mind. The quotes from you above show clearly your preconceived notions about what is a knife and what is art. They also, evidently, show that there can be NO blending of the two.

You do seem to offer apologies on the one hand but offer up veiled shots across the bow, such as the above quotes, with the other. You mentioned the word 'knife snobs' in another post while the quotes above have a snobbish quality of their own. Those comments are equally as unnecessary and inflammatory as the others posted against your thread. They convey an attitude and a tone that will not take you far in any aspect of life, with any group of people.

You've been advised in previous posts by myself and others that 'pretty' or 'artsy' details don't automatically relegate a knife to the 'unusable' category. But you seem pretty closed minded about that. I would ask you again to reconsider that.

Now.....to keep this discussion on track........
 
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bigboysbushcraft said:
The point was that if someone wants to start getting out and doing bushcraft or just wants a knife that is sturdy enough to batton They can do so for cheap.

I am trying to show people that in 30 mins and 75 cents you can make the most expensive part of your bushcraft set.

will it get you by better then any of the Bear Gryls crap I see at Wallmart yeah I would bet my life on that.
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bigboysbushcraft said:
I wanted to give the common person an option they may already have a spare file or find one at a flea market or yard sale ect and this will do the job fine for the usual stuff.
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bigboysbushcraft said:
it was meant to give an alternative for the common man to get them off the couch and possibly give them something stronger then something they can purchase from Walmart or Kmart ect.
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bigboysbushcraft said:
Yeah I have seen tons of people buying blade blanks from Ebay putting some handles on it and calling it hand made. I would rather rock my file then run someone elses blade blanks that I do not know or trust.
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I was honestly curious.........not being at all sarcastic..........how you arrived at the above conclusions? How do you know your file is good knife steel and not some case hardened piece of junk? How do you know that it is stronger than the 'Bear Grylls crap'? Have you done testing to prove that your file is better than the knife blanks that you see people buying on ebay?

I'm legitimately curious. I'd encourage you to test that blade. Do some real bushcrafting with it. See how the edge holds up. Cut some rope. Slice some leather and cardboard. Peel an apple. Start to look at things like edge geometry and how long the edge holds up in various uses. Without testing, the above comments are speculation at best.

Use it and let us know the results. Then take that info along with the answers to the questions you are asking and keep going and make the next one better and the one after that even better.

Sounds like you're getting some good knife steel and someone to heat treat it for you. Good for you. Now you're going through positive channels that will yield known, testable and repeatable results.

Remember, many makers CAN blend art with ultra high performance. And many of those makers do it with minimal and basic equipment. And there is a huge market for that.
 
You don't need a lot of money to make nice knives, my early ones were made with a $30 4x36 grinder, a few files, $45 drill press and hacksaw.

Here's my first work bench.

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I took apart 2 squirrels that I shot today. It does seam to need a sharper edge so I am going to work on that. It did pop the hands and feet off perfect tho the shape and width of the spine is great for push chopping sort of like a cleaver. Its still a work in process and I have been working on getting a few testing done this weekends a hunting weekend tho thank you I will check back soon with some more updates.
 
Daniel Fairly Knives said:
You don't need a lot of money to make nice knives, my early ones were made with a $30 4x36 grinder, a few files, $45 drill press and hacksaw.

Here's my first work bench.

006cqz.jpg
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Awesome I am using a 3x21 inch belt sander mounted in a vice as its a portable one. Are there any high grit belts you would recommend? It is my first attempt at a usable knife. My first one ended up being to long of a blade and a tanto tip as it was easy to profile with limited tools. The blade angle needs to be changed to a shallower angle for better cutting edge. I may have started off with to thick of a file as the blade is super strong but its over 3/8th wide. I know that battoning is a benchmark for bushcraft knives so that is what I was taking in consideration. With the advice here is this overkill once I get it heat treated?
 
3x21" belt sander clamped in a vice sounds like a great way to start out.
People here are always willing to help those starting out. Thinner stock for a Bushcraft blade might work better, maybe 3/16" not past 1/4" thick. IMO 5/32 would be ideal done in CPM-S35V after getting more practice.
Walmart or Ebay should have good belts cheap.
These guys are the best out there for what they carry, excellent customer service and best price on pretty much everything:
http://www.alphaknifesupply.com/
Now lets see some great Bushcraft knives coming from you.
 
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Well said John.

I'll hold my tongue, because I'm not going to be so.....politic. I don't want an email.

Keep learning, open your mind a bit. Go look at some of those "artsy" knives and find out why they work better than your sharpened file thing. I encourage you to test your knives. Always test test test. Hold them to a high standard.
 
bigboysbushcraft said:
Awesome I am using a 3x21 inch belt sander mounted in a vice as its a portable one. Are there any high grit belts you would recommend? It is my first attempt at a usable knife. My first one ended up being to long of a blade and a tanto tip as it was easy to profile with limited tools. The blade angle needs to be changed to a shallower angle for better cutting edge. I may have started off with to thick of a file as the blade is super strong but its over 3/8th wide. I know that battoning is a benchmark for bushcraft knives so that is what I was taking in consideration. With the advice here is this overkill once I get it heat treated?
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Here's some advice. Make it 1/6th as thick. Thin is in. 3/32" steel is plenty strong. 1/8" max.

You have a choice. Do you want to make knives,.our do you want to play around. No harm in wanting to play around, just don't insult our intelligence by insinuating that knives that look good can't actually be used. Knock off the passive aggressive bs.

If you want to make knives, then study them the way you'd study anything else you were interested in. I was going say study them like a woman, but then you'd never understand them, ever. You'd just be frustrated all the time, lol.

You're already realized a lot. Read through the stickies. You'll learn a lot and reveal a lot of questions you didn't even know you had. Come here and get answers, then read some more.

You think your knife did well on the squirrels? Think about one in 3/32" thick stock or even 1/16". Start there.
 
I don't want an email either. That's why I've kept my mouth shut. The OP doesn't want it from me, I promise. Gold standard.
 
Inquiring minds want to know: Brian what steel would you suggest in the 1/16" - 3/32" thick range?
Would be helpful to all I'm certain.
 
It's awesome that you are interested in making your own tools, so props for giving it a go.
I dig you just want a tool and agree that tools don't need to be polished and pretty, but they should be functional.
Speed of making shouldn't be the most important thing, but instead optimizing the functionality of your tool.
There is a wealth of knowledge here and with a little reading, you can improve your design to function at the highest level.
Everyone wants you to succeed, but being a knife community we sometimes see trolls. The title of this thread could lead some make the rational assumption this was a troll or joke thread, and replied as such.
Best of luck and continue to work on your craft, it is very rewarding trade.
Cheers,
Hawk
 
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