First ever knifeblade WIP (and first time using the angle grinder)

[n0rth3rnlight]

It's time to make my own blade out of AEB-L! After watching some videos online i figured i had everything covered and so i asked my father to teach his adult yet unknowing son how to use the angle grinder. Btw, it does matter how you hold the grinder as otherwise you may well end up spraying your face with hot metal (yes true story that one). My father did his best to control his very eager son, yet he didnt touch the grinder even once! Thanks dad.

It started some weeks ago in autocad, i wanted an blade with an straight pommel for the versatility it brings, also i wanted an small fingerguard and also an drop-point for some added strength and the ability to drill a little better (dunno if any of this is true). The Nordanljus BC-4 was born Nordanljus is northernlight in swedish and BC-4 stands for Bush Craft 4 inch. (and yes i borrowed some well needed blade geometry from the trapper).

Photoshop drawing from autocad blueprint

printed

glued onto the bar of steel

found out there is a correct way of doing things, the old mans way. i traced the outline of the print and changed clamp. the angle grinder is doing good.

roughed out using a cut out and a grinding wheel. !angle grinder love!

roughed out on the belt-sander. Need some kind of 90 degree platform as freehanding it was hard

Next i will grind the blank 100% complete, drill the pinholes and lastly try my hands on some freehand edge grinding.

All in all i had a F R E A K I N G blast and getting to spend some quality time with my dad (though im 25) was incredible!
/Michael

 

[rocketmann]

Looking good so far. Keep it up.

 

[Frank Niro]

Keep on going it looks to be good so far. Frank

 

[Ryanol]

Looking good.

My advice - either file the plunge or get a plunge guard clamp dealie rigged up.

I've only made a few but I muffed up the plunges/ricasso on all of them because I wasn't using any kind of guard.

 

[n0rth3rnlight]

Today, instead of started on the edge i took the small piece of AEB-L that was left from the stock and started on a small neckknife with hidden tang. On this blade i tried my hands on some freehand edge grinding. It's hard but not impossible I also cleaned the BC-4 up and made it ready for the drillpress (i will take care of that business tomorrow).

after the cut with the cutoff wheel.

roughed out with the cutoff wheel

After some freehand grinding on the edge. Will possibly clean it up with an file and an simple jig tomorrow.

The BC-4 is now ready for the drillpress and then i will put an bevel on with the beltsander (possibly cleaning it up with an file and an simple jig).

 

[redsquid2]

My father did his best to control his very eager son, yet he didnt touch the grinder even once! Thanks dad./Michael

I laughed when I read that.

Sounds exciting.

 

[redsquid2]

very exciting. The profile of the smaller one reminds me of a Roselli Bear Claw, but maybe longer.

 

[n0rth3rnlight]

hello there guys, yesterday i got preoccupied with some things so i didnt have time to work on my blades. But today i did have some extra on my hands.

This is what i cut out using the angle grinder, an 3inch blade with rounded handle.

and this is the convex edge i put on it. another first for me, i would love a good tutorial on the matter of convex edging as i freehanded and went solely on feel to get this edge. It started out as an flat grind and from there i used the slack on the beltsander (i had to improvise the slack to, images coming tomorrow) to make the edge convex.

i totally messed up on the ricasso on this one as i didnt have a guard to make sure the line was straight... im glad im doing the misstakes now on these test-blades and not on the big bushcraft-knife i still havent had the courage to put at edge on. Tomorrow i will probably try my hands on some filework for the first time. It's going to be used in place of jimping on the blade.

/M

 

[n0rth3rnlight]

Got some things done yesterday, put an freehand edge on my nordanljus bc-4

today i actually picked up some mild steel to build myself an edge-grinding-jig as this freehanding stuff is driving me insane It's tough to get it right and this edge probably took me close to an hour to get as straight and uniform as i like it.

lastly an image of my ricasso guide i made yesterday, works out great!

 

[quint]

Thats some great looking stuff, makes me wanna get some steel and cut out my own blades.

 

[n0rth3rnlight]

Ok guys, i have without any doubt been hiding away in my shop working on my skills for to long but here goes (hope there is still some interest left).

Ever since the arrival of my fallkniven f1 the only grind that seems to interest me anymore is the convex grind, what an awesome grind! And an awesome knife too. I actually carved severeal crochet needles and crochet an couple of baby hats

But anyways, about the knifemaking.

i made an small utility blade with an convex grind, it turned out ok i guess. Also i made another convex chisel ground little badboy (turned out kinda shitty actually).

an Nordanljus BC-4 with an convex grind (not full convex this time around).

the grind seems to be improving, the imperfection on the tang is since then taken care of.

 

[S.Grosvenor]

You have skills! Good work.