First knife design/plan

Design aside, I don't know about angle grinder to hacksaw. I would probably just skip the hacksaw all together unless you're using it to cut the design off a larger piece of stock. Get the shape 95% with the angle grinder then go to files instead of a hacksaw to clean it up. Draw filing is fast on annealed stock.
 
John Katt said:
I only asked because when I was tweaking your design I didn't want to draw something outside of the materials you had bought, to get any sort of real drop in the handle area you would need 2" material

Your drawing feels more like a tactical/fighter which is a design worthy of your pursuit ;0)
Click to expand...

If you are making a stabbing knife rather than a cutting knife, ignore my design suggestions. Think knife shaped dagger then, and the original design is close to that. For a cutting knife, go 3/32" thick, for a stabbing knife, 1/8" or 3/16" thick, probably 3/16" with a lot of taper to the tip.
 
@oic0- I didn't phrase that quite right. I meant I'd start with the angle grinder, then go to whatever tool I'd need to get it down farther before filing the bevel. I didn't think I'd be able to file that fast on steel, but I guess you're right about it being annealed and softer than most steels I've worked on in the past. When I cut out the blank I'll skip the saw.

@Willie- I'm making a cutting knife I guess. Honestly, I'm making it to look cool, but it's probably going to be used at camp for anything I need it for. It's way too big for an EDC. I carry my leatherman wave as an EDC anyway.

Also, Aldo's 1084 only goes down to 1/8", and I figure that'll be good for making the swedge stand out anyway.

I brought up the index finger a little over 1/4" and brought down the top of the butt 1/8" to even out the handle. I think I may have brought up the index finger a little bit too much now that I brought down the butt.

I dunno, it's starting to look kinda funky. I was going for that tactical look, but the usability does come first.

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If you can, transfer your design to something you can hold. A piece of cardboard, yardstick, etc. and refine your shape from there. What looks good on paper doesn't always translate well physically. Your hand will tell you how and where to tweek the design.
 
Thanks for the tip, Langadune. I just made a cardboard model of my knife, using 1/8" for the blade and 2 stacked for 1/4" total for each handle scale (bringing the entire handle width to 1/2"-5/8". It feels pretty good, but I think I was right when I said that I brought the index finger up too high. I'll add material to the index spot until it feels good and account for that on my sketch.
 
In the end, you have to make what makes sense to you. :) :) :)

Make it, use it, and learn from it!!!!

If it doesn't work, make another one. :)
 
Alright, I brought the index finger a bit lower and it feels better now. Before it felt like I was only gripping my knife with my middle, ring, and pinky fingers.

So, does it look good? I think it does, but if you guys think there is something I can do to it to make it work/look better in the end, I'm all ears.

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It looks better, to be sure.

To give you some insights into why I made the suggestions I did, I've observed that most new makers tend to look for ways to remove as little metal as possible. This results in things like super scrawny scandi grinds, long straight lines, and big fat handles. Such design traits neither look good nor make for a useful knife. So I try to guide them into reconsidering those choices. However, I prefer not to tell them what to do instead. Better, I think, when they make the design choices because then it's THEIR knife, not mine (or someone else's).

So good on you for making your own choices. While no first knife is ever perfect, all are learning experiences, and valuable as such. Make that knife now, and make it as well as you can.

BTW, you should also consider what sort of pins you will use and where you will place the holes. Also, a lot of folks lighten the tang by drilling extra holes or skeletonizing the tang. They say it makes for a more balanced knife. In any case you should do all that before you heat treat the blade.
 
Thanks for all the help.

I said in the first post I'll be using corby bolts, but it's easy to miss. I actually forgot to make marks on the sketch for the placement, I'll do that later.

I have thought about skeletonizing the handle, and I've been debating between that or putting a gouge in each side with my Bench grinder. I'll probably go with drilling holes to make mechanical pins with the epoxy. I'll also make indents on the inside of the handle scales to make more surface area.
 
Alright, so I got my 1084 from Aldo (Great guy by the way! Gave me a free piece of low carbon steel to make some sanding blocks out of), made a filing jig, and have all my other supplies being shipped to me right now.

I need to get my angle grinder back from a friend, and once you guys give the approval for this design (I know, I know, it's my design, but I want the approval of people who know what designs look and work well), I'll start cutting it out. Unless you guys think there is some other way to improve it, I think this is my final design.

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I'm no expert at all but I like the design. Simple and functional and not over the top. The swedge or whatever it's called looks like it could be tricky but I have not tried one yet.
 
I cut out the shape, and later I'll start filing the bevel.

I started out with my angle grinder, but quickly found that I could be more accurate with my hack saw, so I switched to that. Then it only took me about 10min to grind the rest down on my bench grinder.

One thing I noticed is the steel is actually on average 0.143" thick, not 0.125". Should I be draw filing it down to the right thickness before using a drill bit to mark the center of the blade edge? Or should I just use a slightly larger drill bit? Right now a 1/8" bit will be off-center.

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The camera angle makes the blank look slightly longer than it is. It is actually 10 1/4" long.
 
Bump. Should I bring down the thickness or use a larger bit?

It also occurs to me to keep the slightly undersized but to make two lines, to keep a good edge thickness for heat treatment. Good idea?
 
The steel is sometimes oversized so the scale and decarb can be ground off leaving you at the intended thickness. Use your grinder with a flapper disc to get to bare metal, check for flatness, and start profiling. Don't waste your belts on this as all it does is ruin your belt. Use the right bit when you know the thickness you are working with.
 
Use the drill bit that is closest in thickness to your piece of stock. Scribe it once, then flip the stock over and scribe it again. The space between your 2 scribe lines is the center of your edge.
 
@Willie- I don't have a belt sander, I'm working only with hand tools.

@Shane- That's the idea I had I my last post, I just didn't phrase it right. Thanks for the suggestion about using the closest size bit though, I was going to stick with the 1/8" bit.

By the way, should I sand the edges up to a high grit now to show the scribe marks, or is draw filing with a fine single cut file fine?
 
I'll go with the sharpie method then, thanks.
I'll post more pics when I'm done filing the bevels. It won't be or at least a few days though because I'm overhauling my basement workshop. New pegboard, waterproof paint on the walls, just finished building a new workbench, the whole shebang. The workshop won't be finished for at least a few weeks, so I can only work on the knife in between cleaning/organizing.
 
I finished filing the bevels (a few days ago actually) and have been trying to decide if I want to make the swedge or not. I think it looks pretty good now, but I think I'd like the swedge too, so I'm not sure what I want. What are your opinions?

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I really like the general shape. I'm also new to this so ts only a personal opinion but I loved the looks of the swedge on your design. If you feel confident putting it on go for it.

Jay
 
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