first knife sooooo many questions

I don't have a belt sander, or new files but I'm running into to town tomorrow and was going to pick some new stuff up, I know for the edge I'm not supposed to use a bastard file but a milling file?? If thats what they're called, any other recommendations on what I should grab in town?? I have a bench grinder, mouse sander, angle grinders and such, but no idea of what else I need
 
Heading to town to pick up supplies, I have a bench grinder angle grinder and such, a mouse sander, but I could use some files since I don't have a bench sander, and recommendations on types of files or anything else I should pick up? Can I cut out my blade with a plasma cutter or should I just stick with a hack saw
 
Bastard is a cut (coarse), Mill is a file shape/type (flat and rectangular). You want a 10-12" mill bastard for stock removal, and a 10" second cut flat/mill file for cleaning up the rough filing. An 8-10" half-round is good to have, too.

That an so much more is covered in the stickys The Count gave you. The tutorial, "How to Instructions for Making a Knife." covers a lot of the supplies and materials. I would read this info before buying things or starting the knife.
 
In addition to the files Stacy recommended it would be a good idea to pick up some chainsaw files as well. They come in at least three different sizes. They are not that expensive. Pick up as many sizes as you can afford. And watch these videos. He uses a file but you can use the 1080 when you are ready. First do as the others have suggested. Put the steel aside and research knives. Look at lots and lots of pictures. Make note of the different areas or features common to the many knives. You can find pictures of great knives right here in the makers gallery section or in the for sale section. There are great knives all over the place here. Then draw knives. Post the ones you like the best here and we'll help you sort out the details.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_jMNsjVc-s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvNTQ-CJYqQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra37S7cp0y0
 
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I can see you are very enthusiastic to get started but you are not listening to advice. These guys really want to help you but if you don't show them the respect of listening to their advice they will lose interest in helping you. Start with DRAWINGS. Show us your drawings first. As people have mentioned to you it is easier to adjust and make revisions to a drawing than to steel. Since you have gone ahead and cut out the blank, trace it on a piece of white paper and post that. It will be easier to see the lines of the knife that way. In the mean time, think about the flow of the lines. Graceful curves and transitions are more pleasing to the eye ( and often more comfortable in the hand) than abrupt direction changes (unless there is a purposeful reason for that). I like what you have going there but try to take a step back and follow suggestions. You will eventually get where you want to go faster that way.
 
Ok that sounds good sorry I just bought a knife the other day and really like it so I wanted to copy that into a little larger version I guess, but you are right slow and steady wins the race
 
I agree. I normally use adobe illustrator to make my designs and even I draw the designs up in paper before even moving in on to illustrator. It is very important to get a good design. If you want to attempt to check the balance of a knife use some foam core and carve it out. Keep in mind that you will still have to add the handle onto it so it should be a little blade heavy. I can't stress enough how much the design accounts for in a knife.
 
Great! Ok, now we're getting somewhere. It's good that you included the inspiration for your knife in the same picture so we can make some comparisons. Your knife is up-scaled from the inspiration which is cool but let's take a look at some things that are going on and some things to think about. You know I could have bought all the custom knives I wanted with names on them like Wheeler, Knight, Lurquin, McGhee and others and still had a chunk of change left over for less money than I have into my knife making set up. But I spent the money on my own equipment for the simple reason that I want to make my own knives to my own vision and sense of design. I still love the knives others make but I want to do it myself. You as the maker/designer have the control. You can make knives based on the designs of others but you can also make changes as you see fit. You don't have to be, and shouldn't be, so literal in the translation. Think about proportion, practicality, comfort, how it will be used and aesthetics. I understand that the drawing is a tracing from your blank so it isn't as refined as if you had drawn it by hand but let's start with what we see anyway. Look at the lines of the original. See how the line across the top is sweeping and graceful? The line along the bottom is smooth and a round flowing curve. These kinds of lines give the piece an organic feel. I know as you clean up the lines of your blank the lines will get smoother. But let's just stay with what we see in the drawing for now. The curve where the bottom of the handle turns down into the heel of the blade looks very nice. But a bit farther back it goes from fairly straight to a sudden drop toward the butt of the handle. Connect those two areas with a smoother arc. The line along the top of your drawing could use a little massaging as well. There seems to be a slight lump around the front of the handle on top. You can smooth that area with a line similar to the original. The handle seems a bit short at 3.5" but I have big hands. You may want to add 1/2" or more to the length of the handle for a more comfortable grip. Your handle pin placement looks good. The curve at the front of your handle is nice. The curve of the cutting edge looks fine as well. I think a lot of new makers choose too narrow of a bevel. The original has a higher grind and my own preference would be higher still, but that's just me. You are off to a good start. Let's see what some others say about it.
 
well thanks a bunch marc! I was kind of looking at the way I wanted it was say your'e holding the knife and you run your middle finger down the front of the handle and your index along the back of the blade, like your skinning, that's the way I skin anyways and with that shape and length it felt comfy. I guess thats what you meant by your sense of vision and your design, what suits your needs I guess. By the way thanks for sharing those videos I learned a lot from that feller with the simple tools you can find anywhere
 
Ok, great. It's good that you have an idea of how the knife will be used. By "your vision" I meant that if the knife you used for reference had a smooth handle for instance and you felt that finger grooves would look or work better then you can do that. Or if the original had a wood handle but you felt that Micarta or G10 would be more durable for the environment in which it will do its work, by all means make that change. You can change any aspect of the design or construction you like. If it is structurally sound, aesthetically pleasing and well designed for its intended use then you can make any changes you want. Or you can design it from scratch with any features you like. When designing a knife from the ground up always start by asking the question, "what will this knife be used for?" Rather than just trying to make a "cool design" and then asking yourself "what can I use this thing for?". Always start with the tool's purpose for being because that will dictate most of the specifications of the knife. The blade material, thickness, shape, type of grind, finish, handle size, shape and material and more all relate to the purpose of the knife. Yes, those are good videos but please investigate all the information in the Count's post.
 
Ok sounds good a lot if the stuff at the top of the post I couldn't access because I had to download some weird ordeal but I will look through the rest and it looks like a good material list I can take to town tomorrow
 
That is a good starter design. The lines are more than smooth enough as they are, but watch the "flow" as you file and sand. Marc's advice has been good. The main thing yo need to do is plan the whole project before starting any of it. You already have the design and have cut out the blank. How thick is the metal? For a skinner it will need distal taper.

The next steps to think about are:
1) What handle material do you plan on using?
2) What attachment method - pins/rivets, Corby bolts, Loveless bolts, etc?
3) Methods of filing, sanding shaping, drilling, etc.?
4) Order of steps in doing those things?
5) HT plans?


I know it sounds a bit repetitive, but it really will help if you fill out your profile. It helps us a lot to know if we are helping a 19 year old college student on a tight budget or a 40 year old machinist with his own shop.
 
Thanks. that helps us tailor answers much better.
Your info tells us you can't just run into town or get supplies and tools by mail as easily as some of us from south of 54-40' can.

You sound like an interesting guy. I remember going to the Coeur D'Alene rodeo in 1967....the Canadian rodeo chaps really seem to be having fun.
 
Ya i see what you mean very smooth, clean, I'm trying to think of a better word but I can't other than clean. I'm really learning alot from you guys, I could even tell a difference from the way I was filing that first bowie thing, to the way I'm filing this skinner. Alot smoother, not as much pressure on the blade, and more flow to my strokes
 
Mike, you are a little over an hour from me. I am moving my shop from my garage to a shop that was used to breed reptiles before. In about a month, I will be able to have some people over to discuss blades and have some beer or whatever. There are four of us on this forum that I know of in around Edmonton. I have quite a few scraps of steel I can send you to practice with, if you want to make 3 finger knives, and you are welcome to come over and HT with my kiln when you have a few blades ready. Send me an e-mail with your address and I'll send you some steel and handle material to play with. I've been doing this a little over a year now, so I still have a lot to learn, but have the basics of geometry and HT reasonably figured out for the knives I do.

Warren
 
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