First knife, need some pointers (specific questions not found in faq)

V

Vikingmedic-AL

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Aug 15, 2012
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8
Hey guys. New to the boards. I haven't really been able to find the "exact knife" that i have been wanting, So after countless hours on the interwebs I finally said screw it and i'm going to make my own. It's a combo of one blade profile, with another mass production manufacturer's handle design. See question below the picture

template3.jpg


I'm going to do a scandi grind on the top portion of the blade, and a flat v-grind on the larger "cutting side". I'm going to build a jig to help with both. My specific question is, what angle (in degrees ie: 5, 10, 15, 20, whatever) will I need to set my jig at to get the line that I am looking for in the below picture?

template.jpg
 
We'll need dimensions of the steel stock to answer those questions. Thickness and width.
 
Yes, we can't help you without dimensions.

Also, make sure to read every sticky, thread, video, and book you can get your hands on about knife making.
It will help a lot, and don't be afraid to ask questions.
 
as I don't have a plasma cutter or table band saw Im having to do the stock removal method for my template. I haven't given much thought to what thickness I'm going to do the actual knife out of yet. probably need to start thinking about that. i'm thinking maybe 3/16? As to the blade profile it's going to be 3.5" long by 1.75" at the top hump, tapering down....
 
I believe it was Frank Niro (forgive me if I'm wrong!) That had a handy chart for grind height/angle relative to stock thickness.

Maybe he'll swing on through with it.


-Xander
 
If you're working with minimal tools, I'd recommend 1/8" stock or even 3/32". 3/16 is a lot of metal to remove on you're first try.
 
I concur with using thiner steel. 1/8" is the max you want for a knife that size and use. I would probably use .100".

I know a jig or fixture sounds like it will simplify making your first knife, but it will more likely complicate things greatly.

Your drawing shows a curved blade grind and a swedge. This will be very difficult to do with a jig, as a jig will try and grind a straight line.
The angle will change as you get closer to the tip,too.
Think back to your trig, and you will realize that if the base of the triangle ( blade thickness) is constant, and the height of the triangle gets shorter ( as the blade tapers toward the tip), the apex angle will get larger.
Some of this is adjusted by adding distal taper, but it isn't a constant angle that can be plugged into a jig and get a good curved bevel.


Start with the blade bolted or clamped on a firm board with the end shaped like the blade. This allows you to file/sand right along the edge without the board getting in the way. You want the wood under the blade to prevent it flexing under the weight of filing and sanding.
The edge should be scribed with two lines about .030-.050" apart. These are you filing target lines. Don't let the edge get thinner than this when filing. Use a small drill bit taped flat on a smooth and flat surface and pull the blade blank edge along the tip of the bit. Flip the blade over and scribe again. If the drill bit is the right size, there will be two parallel lines scribed. Don't worry if they are not exactly .050" apart, just use them as a center guide when filing.
File with long and smooth strokes, taking a little off at a time.
File some from each side until the bevel rises almost to the line you drew, and is at the scribes edge lines.
Switch to a finer file, and then sandpaper in 120/220/400 grits. If you use a hard and flat backing block for the paper, you will have a straight and flat bevel.

The tutorial in the stickies "How to Instructions for Making a Knife" will cover most all the details.
 
That design seems simple on paper, but will actually be fairly complicated to grind properly. There a lot of different techniques involved to do it right.

If you want to make knives in general, I strongly suggest starting with a much plainer design. If you only want to make the one knife, you're diving in pretty close to the deep end of the pool. Take your time and practice on scrap first.
 
so i'm almost done with the stock take off. Need to touch up the handle and tie it into the blade a little bit more, but here's the general lay out. BTW, i have no idea what kind of steel this is. I got it from work from our guys out in the truck shop. it was left over from a set of stairs that they built.

418593_10151143596701421_1019912058_n.jpg
 
Well, the chart for what angle for what thickness did not come from me. I wish I could pass along info. like that.
What ever made you think that any piece of steel and in particular the one you picked up, would make a reasonable good knife? Without doubt what you have there is some material to practice on but that's it. Frank
 
I thought you said you read the FAQs. I guess that doesn't mean you read anything informative.

Not meaning to be insulting, but you seem to not be paying attention to what others are writing (or have written) that would be very helpful to you.
 
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Frank Niro said:
What ever made you think that any piece of steel and in particular the one you picked up, would make a reasonable good knife? Without doubt what you have there is some material to practice on but that's it. Frank
Click to expand...

Please read the above quote. Are you using this scrap for practice or to build the actual knife? If the former, fine. If the latter, stop right now before you put a lot of work into a knife shaped object that won't be able to be hardened.

Listen to the guys that posted ahead of me on this thread, they all have a lot of experience and are very smart. They aren't just feeding you a line of bs.
 
Pretty much any steel used to build stairs will not be of the type to harden for a knife blade. Using scrap and unknown type steel to make a knife ( especially as a beginner) is folly.


Fill out your profile, read the sticky info, make a plan on how you are going to do the build, and post it as a thread. I guarantee that one of us will send you a piece of good knife blade steel to make it from. HT is often offered to new makers by one of the folks here,too. We are a really sharing community for those who come to learn, and are willing to do their homework.
 
that steel will not be used for the blade. I'm transferring the pattern to 1095....

i used that piece cause i'm an impatient bastard, and didn't want to wait to build the template until i could source the appropriate material. i've got a local steel shop here in town, which i'm planning on visiting at some point today to see if they have what i need


HA! just got off the phone with the guy down at the steel place. I specifically asked for SAE 1095 and got.... "and what kind of steel is that?"

ETAM:
$(KGrHqMOKjUE3qGC0(t9BN97fCT03g~~_3.JPG
 
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Impatience while making knives leads to injuries. You need to slow down, read some documentation (stickies, books, whatever) and learn how to avoid injuries before you start doing things you don't understand. There's a wealth of information in this forum, and you don't need to kill yourself to get it.

You are not the first to venture down this path. Learn from the mistakes of others while you still have all your fingers and organs.
 
Where is that 1095 from? :D

If you build a jig just test it on your metal template, you will probably be able to guess the correct angle after a few passes. If you can scribe a centerline down each edge before grinding (with a drill bit and a dead flat surface) that will help.
 
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