Any General Tips for Starting to Make Knives?

Stark Knives

Stark Knives

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Mar 19, 2010
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Does anyone have any tips on making knives? I'm mainly looking for tips on bevel grinding and handle making.

Is there anything I should look out for if I want to make a chef's knife?

I've already read all the stickies, but was just wondering if anyone had any good tips for a beginner.
 
Just dive in, once you have your materials just go for it. It might not come out good the first time or even the first few times, but every knife you make you learn a lot of what to do and what not to do. If you have questions once you start working on it ask, just make sure you do a search first. Good luck and have fun
 
Are you going to be flat grinding the blade(alot easier than hollow grinding)? Also, what steel are you going to use? I would recommend a stainless steel (because high carbon steels taste nasty and form a patina with fruits and vegetables) though it is more expensive, and then you'd have to send it off for heat treat.(D2 would actually work well, or AEB-L which is a cheap very high quality high low level stainless, eqiuvalent to the stainless mora uses in their knives, the d2 is 12% chrominum, so you wouldn't have problems with the patina on fruit and stuff and the AEB-L is like 12c27). For my first knife I tried keeping costs down by using 1084 and some oak plank with stain and polypropelyne to seal it(wouldn't recommend with a kitchen knife because there will be alot of moisture, try getting some stabilized wood for 20 bucks or some micarta like this http://www.texasknife.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=587_826_841_612&products_id=1358). Also, with a chef's knife your going to want thinner steel so try 3/32 thick and grind it down from there after heat treat(if you grind it before heat treat it has a good chance of warping alot, which is fixable but a pain).
 
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A chef knife is a good place to start, simple shape, thin so not alot of material to remove. I highly recommend stainless with outside heat treat, because they will bend. The pros will return it to you straight. 1/8 is more than thick enough, 12" long is nice, 1 1/2 wide and you are ready to go. Flat grind, files and sand paper will do the trick. This is a pretty straight on shot, print it full size on 81/2 x 11 and you have a nice templet. For the handle , get some thin wood, drill pin holes, glue it on, shape once its dry in place, just make sure the front is lined up as you like.

HPIM5188.jpg
 
Not trying to hijack this thread... but how do you do a flat grind after the blade has been treated? I'm still pretty green so I'm not sure, but as I understand it, a file will "slide" off a blade after HT.
 
Patrickknives said:
A chef knife is a good place to start...
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I respectfully disagree. Chef's knives "look" easy, but are deceptively challenging to really execute properly. Making a good one requires a great deal of research/experience/understanding regarding how it will be used, and a whole lot of skill to suit the geometry/alloy selection/heat-treat to the task. Personally, I feel they're among the most difficult knives to truly make well.

I strongly recommend that any new maker start by cutting thier teeth on a few EDC/utility blades. KISS - Keep It Simple, Son.
 
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I agree with James, a 2.5-3" blade drop point hunter is probably the simplest and best starter project. The sticky on How to make a Knife will walk you through just about everything to get started. It covers tools, materials, work area, and the process of making a knife.
 
Langadune said:
Not trying to hijack this thread... but how do you do a flat grind after the blade has been treated? I'm still pretty green so I'm not sure, but as I understand it, a file will "slide" off a blade after HT.
Click to expand...

Belt grinder, being careful not to overheat. It takes longer but allows more control for most folks, leading to cleaner looking grinds. Also eliminates the possibility of warping (only that caused by bevels) during HT. I'm sure it could be done with real fresh files, but ain't nobody got time for that.

I agree that good chefs knives ain't easy! I'd try a simple kwaiken design first, maybe a spear or drop point. Hard to get simpler than some sharpened barstock :)
 
I fully agree with James above about the chef. Biggest thing when starting out I found was having room to fix a messy grind. With kitchen knife stock there is NO room for error I feel. Shape a basic drop point an 1/8" or thicker and get started.
 
Start with a small knife with a 4 inch blade or less, something straight forward without too many curves. Patience is a knifemakers greatest asset, and go from there.
 
Sorry bad advice, I did realize they are so difficult.. I send mine out for heat treat so it is 95 percent finished and when it comes back I just sand a bit.
 
Great advice from all above. I will chime in as I am on my first three chefs knives after 6 smaller utility knives. The larger and flatter the surface, the more it will show flaws. I have to admit I was pretty proud of knife #1, which was a Christmas gift for my nephew. I feel l like asking for it back and regrinding it with what I have learned from knives 2-6. 7 and 8 are gifts for family who know almost nothing about knives and are aware they are learning projects that will hold an edge better than their Wal Mart current knives. They are expecting a rustic looking knife, which means some hammer or grind marks will remain in the blade, rather than a mirror finish. I am more concerned with good geometry and balance. Knife 3 was a gift but the person I gave it to didn't like the handle, so I am keeping it. It is my current favorite small knife.
 
I also agree, a good place to start is with a 3-4" general purpose blade. Longer can be too much to work on for a beginner and shorter can actually be harder because you don't have as much room to work with. Chef's knives are difficult due to the large flat grind that's easy to get uneven.

For handles start with canvas micarta or G-10. Other materials can be more difficult to work.
 
You guys say kitchen knives are harder, but he'll probably use it so much more than a fixed blade user.
 
Langadune said:
Not trying to hijack this thread... but how do you do a flat grind after the blade has been treated? I'm still pretty green so I'm not sure, but as I understand it, a file will "slide" off a blade after HT.
Click to expand...

The file should not bite barely anything if at all after heat treat right after quenching, but once you start tempering the blade it will soften and people usually bring it below 60 rockwell. After that's done it should be pretty easy to grind on it.
 
Steak knives or paring knives may be a good place to start. They will get a lot of use.
 
sintro said:
You guys say kitchen knives are harder, but he'll probably use it so much more than a fixed blade user.
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I think it's more important to start with a project that will have a better outcome than to start with one that has a higher likelihood of failure. Usefulness isnt the point at this stage of the game. He can use his new experience to make better chef's knives later.
 
I guess he should take your advice! I mean, you guys are knifemakers...counts for something :)
 
I was still planning on doing some non chefs knives before going there. I was just wondering for down the road. I don't think I'd have to worry about warpage if I send the blades out for HT would I? I would still leave the edge about .05-1mm thick.
 
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