Beginner asking for advice & opinions

Z

zcostilla

Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
79
Background: I love knives, and I love to tinker. I tried getting into knife making about seven years ago but I didn't have the capability to heat treat, and being active duty military at the time, I didn't have the time to invest in it either. Now, I'm retired/disabled, and have a lot more time. But I don't have any heat treating capabilities...yet.

Anyway, I wanted to see if this was something I wanted to invest in again (I gave a lot of knife-specific tools to my friend in Alaska who was also getting into it, and now he owns his own business.) I decided to start with some steel that was already heat treated. I was helping clean out a house after an estate sale, and was given some of the tools that didn't sell. Included were some Widder pneumatic hacksaw blades made from "high speed steel" according to their site, but they don't say exactly which HSS is used. Everything here is done with a cutoff wheel, a 4x36 belt grinder and two-axle grinding wheel (course/fine). It's a rough blank and I haven't started the sharpening process yet. I plan on a cord wrap before I have a friend test it out on his hunting trip. That way there isn't a lot of time/money invested in something that might end up being a real piece of junk. It all goes OK I might upgrade to oak scales.

I fear it might be hardened too much, and might need a little bit of annealing. I emailed Widder Tool to ask about the blade composition but that doesn't mean they will give me an answer.

So before I finish this first knife and begin a filet and dagger from the blades I have left I wanted to ask for any advice, and on opinions on my first blank. I don't want to waste my time if someone has already figured out this this isn't the way to make a knife if decent quality. Please don't be afraid of hurting my feelings, after 20 years in the military there isn't much that hasn't already been tempered fairly well, lol.

Zac

EDIT: I guess it would've been helpful to link a picture of the blank, duh.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/gpprcrmfd26knmc/Photo Oct 21, 10 46 02 AM.jpg?dl=0
 
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Sorry I didn't link to the photo at first. I included a blowup of the sawblade markings, in case that means anything to anyone.

Thanks again.
 
OK, I tried again with the link. Sometimes dropbox doesn't play nice with permissions. I tried it in an incognito window so it wouldn't recognize my cookies/logins and it worked, so hopefully you can now seeit too.

Zac
 
Unless you constantly cooled the piece while you were working on it you likely messed up whatever hardening and temper the steel had. It's likely too soft at this point.

It looks knife-like and you didn't try to do anything like some bizarre crazy shape so that is good.

The stickies are a great place to start. It's a lot of reading but it will put you light years ahead of just blazing in with trial and error.

Thank you for your service sir.

Read this stuff and avoid doing all sorts stupid S*** :)

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...reads-All-The-Good-Info-You-Want-In-One-Place

Not all of the links work.

You can make a great knife with minimal stuff using a Jig that Bladeforum's own Aaron Gough has made popular if you don't want to buy a ton of stuff at the beginning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9iNDRwwBQQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TRsvSO8v0k
 
Thank you for your service. Fill out your profile so we can see where you are located. If you have minimal tools right now maybe you should start with an easier project. If you want, I can send you a heat treated blade. You can do the finish sanding, put on the guard and handle. If you have any energy left after that you can make a sheath for it too. Those jobs are plenty of work but a good place to start because you won't have to worry about the heat treating and grinding. Let me know.
 
@Maelstrom78: I did keep it cool. Worked bare-handed and plunged it into a cup of ice water any time it felt warm to the touch. My concern is that as a Sawblade, it might be too brittle. That's why I'm going to have a friend out it through a torture test on his next hunting outing. If you have any specific criticisms on this particular blade profile, I'd welcome them. Maybe the handle is too thick at its belly, or the handle ergonomics look off or seem ok.

Thanks for the links. I'll definitely check them out. And I'll get in the profile update. I live just outside St Louis now.
 
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i4Marc
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Thank you for your service. Fill out your profile so we can see where you are located. If you have minimal tools right now maybe you should start with an easier project. If you want, I can send you a heat treated blade. You can do the finish sanding, put on the guard and handle. If you have any energy left after that you can make a sheath for it too. Those jobs are plenty of work but a good place to start because you won't have to worry about the heat treating and grinding. Let me know.​
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Thank you so much for the kind offer! I might take you up on it. I have some CPM154 blanks unfinished from years ago that I never sent off for heat treatment. It was a skinning design with a huge belly curve.

I'm somewhat comfortable with leatherwork. I've made plenty of bible covers and two knif sheaths already. I was thinking about switching to kydex because it is so user friendly. I can make the molding jig myself from hinges, plywood, foam, and a clamp.

This community is great!
 
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