This isn't my first post, but close to it, so I'll take this as an opportunity to introduce myself. I've been into knives for decades, but didn't really get crazy about them until a year ago or so. I've started collecting them, modifying them, and now making them. I've always loved sharpening knives, and have been doing so semi-professionally for 10+years.
I run a wood shop and while at a local Woodcraft, I saw that they have exotic woods for making knife scales/handles. I figured I'd give it a try. I bought some Padauk, and whipped up these Manix 2 XL scales:
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Then I did a Mini-Onslaught for a friend, also from Padauk:
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A friend ordered some micarta, and said if I made him scales for his Emerson and Endura, I could use the rest of the micarta. Here's his Emerson in Micarta, sanded to 400grit:
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An older Endura with Wave, first sanded to 400grit, then 1200grit (last photo, darker look):
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And finally a really old Cold Steel Recon for a coworker who had broken his factory handles. This one was not contoured and finished with 40grit sandpaper since he liked more grip:
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If you haven't tried making scales before, give it a try! These are by no means perfect, as I was learning, but they look good enough that few people see the flaws. It's not that hard, and a lot of fun. Now that I know how, I feel like I have millions of options. The Manix 2 XL and Emerson were really easy. The others, especially the Cold Steel (essentially an Axis lock) and the Benchmade were tough because of the internal clearance work you must do to make room for the Axis internals, but overall not too bad. Next I'm going to make a set out of the Micarta for one of my BM 940s.
This also spurred me on to trying to make my first knife. Currently, I am making a fixed blade from a used Dewalt planer blade. I found out it is M2 tool steel, hardened to 62-64rc, so I figured I'd make a knife out of it. It's thin, small, and has a hole in the blade (mounting hole) but it was a great way to learn about grinding and all. I'll post pics of it once I finish it. I just glued and pinned the handles on tonight, so maybe tomorrow. It will be unique if nothing else.
If there's interest, I'll post a how to thread. The Padauk ones were made exclusively with a Dremel, so it doesn't require tons of tools. I have since started using a router to cut the shapes out. Anyway, if there's interest, I'll make a how-to thread.
I run a wood shop and while at a local Woodcraft, I saw that they have exotic woods for making knife scales/handles. I figured I'd give it a try. I bought some Padauk, and whipped up these Manix 2 XL scales:
Then I did a Mini-Onslaught for a friend, also from Padauk:
A friend ordered some micarta, and said if I made him scales for his Emerson and Endura, I could use the rest of the micarta. Here's his Emerson in Micarta, sanded to 400grit:
An older Endura with Wave, first sanded to 400grit, then 1200grit (last photo, darker look):
And finally a really old Cold Steel Recon for a coworker who had broken his factory handles. This one was not contoured and finished with 40grit sandpaper since he liked more grip:
If you haven't tried making scales before, give it a try! These are by no means perfect, as I was learning, but they look good enough that few people see the flaws. It's not that hard, and a lot of fun. Now that I know how, I feel like I have millions of options. The Manix 2 XL and Emerson were really easy. The others, especially the Cold Steel (essentially an Axis lock) and the Benchmade were tough because of the internal clearance work you must do to make room for the Axis internals, but overall not too bad. Next I'm going to make a set out of the Micarta for one of my BM 940s.
This also spurred me on to trying to make my first knife. Currently, I am making a fixed blade from a used Dewalt planer blade. I found out it is M2 tool steel, hardened to 62-64rc, so I figured I'd make a knife out of it. It's thin, small, and has a hole in the blade (mounting hole) but it was a great way to learn about grinding and all. I'll post pics of it once I finish it. I just glued and pinned the handles on tonight, so maybe tomorrow. It will be unique if nothing else.
If there's interest, I'll post a how to thread. The Padauk ones were made exclusively with a Dremel, so it doesn't require tons of tools. I have since started using a router to cut the shapes out. Anyway, if there's interest, I'll make a how-to thread.