Dream come true!

Knifemaking has been my dream for ten years. It is finally becoming a reality.

I am planning on attending a class offered by the Texarkanna college or NC Custom Knifemakers Guild as a start. Beyond that I am looking at the cost of setting up a reasonably equipped first shop.

This is definitely one area where I could use some help. Roughly what should I expect to spend in order to aquire the tools I need to make a fixed blade or simple folder by stock removal methods without heat treating? I am figuring on a grinder and a drill press but beyond that I am clueless.

Any suggestions about equipment and approx. cost would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance.

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Usual Suspect
http://www.freeyellow.com/members8/arkhamdrifter/index.html

[This message has been edited by arkhamdrifter (edited 04-05-2001).]
 
dogman

dogman

Gold Member
Joined
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Messages
1,088
Kiss your Emerson collection good bye
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Once you get the bug, it becomes consuming. Since I have been making knives for abut a year and a half, I will tell you what I have purchased to get me started. My shop is in my garage. I built a workbench out of 2X4s, so that expense was pretty low. Good lighting is a must, I installed 8 flourescent light fixtures. Here is the rest of my equipment:
*Wood cutting band saw from Harber Freight - $269
*Wilton Metal cutting bandsaw - $839
*16-speed floor standing drill press from Harbor Freight - $269
*Baldor 1-1/2HP buffer - $349???. Get a 3/4HP, much cheaper and it will do the job for you. I overkilled.
*Bader B-III grinder - $2600. I went all out on this one, but the expense is worth it.
*9" Disk sander - $200 used. If you can afford it, get something like a Tru-Grit variable speed.
*Homemade grinder - $200. I bought this from a Guild member. It is limited, but it works like a charm.
*Expect to pay another $1000 for miscellaneous tools.

Usually it takes time to build up a shop. I had the good fortune of being able to buy everything within a few months period, but went on the road for Northrop Grumman to accumulate the cash.

There are guys out there that do it with a hacksaw, a table top drill press, and a cheap grinder. I learned in a fully outfitted shop, so it would have been difficult for me to step backwards.

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Dogman lives a charmed life!
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My first knives were made with a hobby grinder from TKS, and handheld electic drill and a coping saw.

They looked like it, too.

My shop has come a long way, and the B3 and metal band saw are absolute life savers. I wouldn't trade em for anything. Variable speed Rules!

A 9" disk sander is next on my list, unless I go for a welder so I can make some of the other stuff I need -- like a knife vice, arbor press, forge...

I won't talk about price, but I will say I probably have the biggest collection of HF tools of anyone around here!

Dave
 
Thanks for the info guys. It's a big help just to hear what others use to make knives.

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Usual Suspect
http://www.freeyellow.com/members8/arkhamdrifter/index.html
 
Arkham, I forgot to say, Congratulations! It was a dream come true for me too, and it only gets better.

Dave
 
Hey,

This knifemaking has been a dream for me as well and I am enjoying it a lot. I hope you enjoy it too. So far I have made 3 knives with a few more in various stages of completion, and my shop is in my tool shed. This is what I've ended up getting and using so far:

Grizzly g1015 grinder about $500 w/stand and 10" contact wheel, seems to be a decent machine if you use good belts.

Belts- buy good belts, don't get Grizzly belts they are not that great.

Hand drill- I already had the hand drill, I recently bought a benchtop drill press from HF that turned out to be a POS. It will not drill a straight hole
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But you really need a decent drill press.

Respirator- Need one of these. About $35 for the one I got. Also safety glasses.

Files-even if you use a grinder you need files and steel wool and sandpaper. I've ended up spending a lot of money on sandpaper and steel wool, but then again I make a lot of mistakes
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Clamps-need at least a few of these.

I use a dremel tool for a lot of stuff too. With a cutoff wheel I rough cut my barstock, or sometimes with a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade. I use it for doing finger grooves where I can't reach with my grinder. I put a little buffing wheel on it and use it to do some primitive buffing. I haven't bought any buffing wheels for my grinder yet, but they are on the list.

Radio- Because it gets lonely out in that toolshed
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I also have a Black & Decker Workmate portable workbench and a workbench that I made out of a piece of 3/4" plywood and two sawhorses.

Allen wrenches to adjust the grinder.

A propane torch.

I been heat treating my own knives to start with and I have a torch and a toaster oven for that.

I've been using my own wood for the handles so far. I want to try out micarta as soon as I can afford some. I've been messing around a lot with kydex for making sheaths. They are pretty easy to make.

I bought a couple of books on knifemaking, and I bought all of allen blades videos for instruction. And I got lots of shop metal working, woodworking, metallurgy, welding, etc. books from the library.

Lots of patience, or failing that the ability to release stress by cussing vigorously. I am disabled and work kinda slow anyway, but I hate waiting for things to dry, or cool, or get hot, etc. so I end up cussing a lot(I got no patience).

Hope this helps you out. Sorry about such a long post.

Chuck
 
Wow, I could make myself sick if I listed all of my tools and their costs. Yikes
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The best thing you could get to start is a drill press and hand tools. That way, if you hate it, you're not out too much money. And everybody can use a drill press for something, so it's not a big deal to have to keep it for something else.

If you really want to do it. A variable speed grinder is well worth the money. I know a few guys that can make a good knife on a cheap, single speed...but the variable speed in a QUALITY grinder is well worth the money.

A metal cutting bandaw is nice.

Well shoot, how about I make myself cry and just make the list...

I'll start with what I feel is PROBABLY the "most beneficial" in descending order.

Drill Press (a gift) - Roughly $200

Respirator, safety glasses, ear plugs- About $100 worth

Sturdy Benches - pretty cheap including formica

Heavy duty bench vise- HF - $50

Hand tools- files, sandpaper, etc. - $200

Variable Speed 2X72 Burr King grinder - $1500

Air scrubber- A gift, but worth about $150

Belts for said grinder - $1000 worth in the shop right now.

Jet Metal Cutting band-saw - $250

Milwaukie Chop saw- $165

Delta 14" wood-working bandsaw - $600

Home made disc sander (motor with machined disk) - given motor, $60 disc

Baldor 3/4 hp buffer - $325

Dremel tool and tooling- $100

Enco Mill- $1200 without tooling

Grand Rapids Surface grinder - $1600

Sherline lathe (17" model) - $630 w/tooling on ebay

Harbor Freight 6X48" belt/disc sander - $450

Blade steel, handle stock, epoxy, rivets, screws....on and on.

HF sand-blast cabinet- $80

Air Compressor- $250

Heater for shop - $100

Something I am finding more and more essential that I still don't have...is a dust collector.

Keep in mind that this is a pretty darn complete shop that has taken me since age 14 to build up slowly...nothing overnight.

I recently added a forge, will add another, and am searching for a quality anvil. I will soon build a press for forging damascus.

Remember, it can be done with a hack-saw and files...I did it that way when I started!!!

This is just putting up the big numbers...there have been thousands of dollars spent on replacing belts, tooling, and materials. When I first got really serious at 18, I dumped about $4-5000 into it with my grinder, buffer, band-saw, vise, and lots of supplies. The cost keeps climbing, but I do this a lot...so to me it's worth it. And I hate working with crap tools.

Nick

 
Arkham,
Keep one thing in mind as you search for equipment. You don't need lots of expensive tools to make knives, they just make it easier (at times). My first knife was made entirely with handtools.
Try to find a knifemaker who you can visit and see what kind of equipment they are using. Take your time and try to buy quality equipment when you can. Your tastes will change and I for one hate to buy equipment that I soon find out is not needed. Here's my list.
-assorted flat, round, halfround files.
-assorted pattern files, the kind that flex
-good set of calipers
-filing guide
-quality set of drill bits
-bench vise w/ masonite or other jaw pads
-drill press w/ holddown vise, not absolutely essential but it makes life less frustrating
-hacksaw (handpowered is fine)
-respirator and safety glasses.

-belt grinder, this is where visiting another knifemaker comes in handy, this is an expensive purchase. My first grinder was a two wheel from KBC. It worked fine but the motor couldn't handle continual heavy grinding. It burned up and was warrantied. By then I had a good idea of what to buy so I ordered a square wheel and modified it like Ed Caffrey shows on his web site.
Hope this helped,
Jon

 
I admit to falling into the knife making backwards. I was pressed into service by requests from the theatre where I was working as an actor. They needed swords and daggers for, what else, Shakespere.
I made lots of blades with only a 4 1/2" side grinder. A cut-off blade for shapeing, grinding wheels for making it look like bevels, sanding disks for cleaning up.
I used 316C stainless, because I could get the scrap free, but since then I have used the same techniques for real blade steel even though I now have lots of tooling and a forge.
One suggestion on starting. Get the hand tools first and learn to use them! The more I learn about this craft, the more I do hand work. The machines make the rough work easier but great knives are made with a carefull craftsman with experienced hands working with hand tools. Buy good files!
Helpfully, Lynn
 
Ark,
It looks like we're in the same boat. What are you going to be making primarily, folders or fixed? That should determine the tools you will need.

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The meek shall inherit the earth because they stay up late and change the will.
 
Hillbilly Chuck, Nick, Jon, Lynn,
Thanks for all the info. The detailed posts are a great help. It looks like I will be spending some time setting up shop! I can't wait to get started on this.

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Usual Suspect
http://www.freeyellow.com/members8/arkhamdrifter/index.html
 
I just wanted to touch back with the fact that a great knife can be made with very few tools.

Bare minimum...for stock removal, is a vise and a file.

For a forged knife...a forge, anvil, tongs, and hammer.

A lot of guys get into the argument that tools aren't needed...and in all fareness most are not. Tools "speed up" the process. They don't really make it easier...I know of no machines that you simply put steel and ivory into and get a fileworked dagger with fluted ivory handle.

I bought all of these tools at a young age because I love making knives, and I know that the better equipment I have...the sooner I will be making the best knives I can with the utmost precision. I agree with the previous point, I do more handwork now than I did before...more precise handwork.

So like I said, start with very few tools to make sure you really like it...and if money and time allow...build up your shop.
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Nick
 
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