Complete rookie needing saw recommendation.

C

ciliatus

Joined
Feb 1, 2010
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I'm wanting to try my hand at making my first knife. My problem is that I'm a serial over-thinker. I've been researching the crap out of how to tackle this right the first time (stock removal) but I think it's time to put the rubber to the road, so to speak. I'm not terribly knowledgeable about tools yet and I don't want to get the wrong thing. So, Aaron Gough recommended this saw in one of his videos http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0024OW0F8...UTF8&colid=N1HH1RTG2J6R&coliid=I30UEQI7G41TXL so I realize I probably can't go wrong there. However, I'm on a pretty tight budget so I'm trying to save in every way that I can. Would this be an acceptable substitute? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BRL59FW...UTF8&colid=N1HH1RTG2J6R&coliid=I36VU1EZEVO6B0 It seems highly rated. Is there any reason to avoid the cheaper option? Also, I've been reading Custom Knifemaking - 10 Projects from a Master Craftsman by Tim McCreight and he recommends a jewelers saw. Should that be an option to consider?

Thanks in advance for any input. I've been scouring these forums heavily recently and I've found this to be a tremendously helpful community so far.
 
A high tension hacksaw is good for getting the general shape of your knife and for cutting up your bars of steel. The jewelers saw is useful for cutting out slots for guards or spacers on hidden tang knives.

I've used a coping saw as well, for cutting out the basic shape of your scales or handle block.
 
Any hacksaw will do, I used a cheap one I got from my dad for a while, it worked better than the $20 one I bought.
 
One thing to watch, is when your cutting, dull blades will grab the steel and you'll end up bending it. Always use sharp blades.
 
I use an agile grinder to cut out my rough shape if that's in your budget... they can be cheap and you can get pretty percise with time. Then I pretty it up on the bench grinder.
 
ciliatus said:
Thanks for the input. So no reason not to save a few bucks and get the cheaper of the two?
Click to expand...

You will be fine with either one of those. Or whatever $10 hacksaw they offer at Home Depot. They will be a fine starting point. One thing ergonomics wise you can look for is an angled grip. They are a bit more comfortable IMHO especially when you are cutting out multiple blanks.

Also, don't be afraid to use a drop of 2 of oil on your havksaw blade every once in a while. It does help increase your blade life and make cutting way easier (in my experience).
 
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