First Knife WIP

E

Emphasiski

Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Messages
402
I've seen WIP's all over, so I'm not sure where the proper place is for one...

Getting ready to trace my design on the Kelly Cupples 1080 I got.


Drilling along the line, so I can connect the dots later.


Majority of the shape is done, I just have to do some minor handle shaping still.


I picked up some "scrap metal" today from some old ammo buddies. I got 4 of each, from left to right, MK13 (air tight), 5.56 can, 7.62 can.


I'm hoping the 7.62 can is big enough for quenching, if not I'll have to wait for my friend from a different base to to send me some "scrap metal" in the form of 20mm cans. 5.56 can and MK13 can will be for storage and blank dipping while grinding.

I was going to start the beveling today, and tang drilling, but I locked myself out of the garage, and my wife won't be home with the key until 5. I ask myself, why does she have the only key when all my tools are in there?
 
I'd put a credit card to the lock if I were you. If that didn't work I'd be fixing the door later after doing it some damage.
 
You could probably get through the door with one of those ammo cans. Waiting for the next installment. :thumbup:
 
hahaha, It's behind a door shim, I can't get to it to push it over, and there's no windows! I wanna know who designed this thing!!!
 
battering-ram-full.jpg


Here's whats next on your essential equipment list.
 
My wife got home a little earlier and I was able to start beveling after I cleaned up some sides. The key went to my key chain immediately after she got home.



It's a 5.25 degree bevel, I've already met my scribe line, and I have about 1/4" to go till I meet my bevel line, so I'm going to drop it to a little under 5 degrees and finish that side out (going back out after 9:30 tonight).

My question for you guys is, what is the best way to bevel that tip? Cause obviously a 5 degree bevel won't bring that tip edge down enough, I'll also be doing a pretty steep bevel on the spine near the tip. Also, if you notice my bevel line, I have it going down as it goes toward the tip, I have a few theories, but I'd rather not use trial and error and screw it up. I'm thinking of increasing the bevel degree as I get toward the tip? Any help on this would be awesome.
 
Alrighty, got the main bevel line and my plunge line about where I want it. I'm going to clean up the plunge when I get my belt grinder.

I'm still stressing on the edge grind near the tip, without my belt grinder, I'm at a loss for ideas. I'm trying to get as much metal removal done that I can before my belt grinder gets here. So I can concentrate on other things.

Also, I'm pretty ticked, I found out the chuck in the HF 10" table top drill press does not grab on to a 3/32" bit, so I've got to find out something else to drill my rivet holes with, or get one of those handy step up bits.
 
That's looking really good, nice work so far:thumbup: What are you using to make that initial bevel? Files? If so, are you using some sort of guide? Any pics of that if so? Keep this thread going, it's nice to see other first tries as they progress.

Thanks!
 
Emphasiski, I am pretty sure Harbor Freight sells a small drill chuck that mounts into your regular chuck for using small drill bits. If I remember correctly they are 4 or 5 bucks.
That would make me crazy(er) to drill out a the knife profile. A hacksaw would even get close enough to use a grinder or even a file to finish. I think a cheap angle grinder should be high on your tool want list.
The main thing is that you are getting it done using what you have.:thumbup:

Good luck and have fun.
Alden
 
jonnymac44 said:
That's looking really good, nice work so far:thumbup: What are you using to make that initial bevel? Files? If so, are you using some sort of guide? Any pics of that if so? Keep this thread going, it's nice to see other first tries as they progress.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

Thanks man. I'm using a black oxide craftsman double cut file for the majority of the removal. Here is a link to my file bevel jig.

Alden Sherrodd said:
Emphasiski, I am pretty sure Harbor Freight sells a small drill chuck that mounts into your regular chuck for using small drill bits. If I remember correctly they are 4 or 5 bucks.
That would make me crazy(er) to drill out a the knife profile. A hacksaw would even get close enough to use a grinder or even a file to finish. I think a cheap angle grinder should be high on your tool want list.
The main thing is that you are getting it done using what you have.:thumbup:

Good luck and have fun.
Alden
Click to expand...

I'm heading to HF today for some odds and ends, so I'll definitely be looking for that chuck attachment. I tried the hacksaw and that was just taking forever. After I finished drilling the edge side of the tang i said, "Screw this!" and pulled out my little 4" angle grinder, and cut the rest. It was slow going cause of all the cooling, but it was a lot easier.
 
Got a hold of the drill bits in the pic below at Harbor Freight (they didn't have a clue when I asked about a chuck adapter). So I tried my first rivet hole with one, and the piece of crap just started chipping and breaking up all over the place, like I was drilling with a potato chip. I asked the guy at Harbor Freight at least 5 different times, and he swore up and down that they would cut metal.

My blank after a good sanding with 100grit, next to its fat handled wood mock up maternal twin. I have some plunge line cleaning to do.



Other side, I marked it up a little for some new shaping to be done. It was feeling a little bulky. I might go up to 150 grit paper on the tang, but I plan on keeping the roughness so the epoxy has something to grab on to.



The worst drill bits I've ever used, returning them tomorrow, and not asking Harbor Freight employees for advice....EVER AGAIN!


Going to call it quits till I get better drill bits that will fit in my drill press, and my belt grinder so I can fix my plunge lines and get that edge tip figured out (no one wants to share their secrets).
 
Looking good. I bought those same drill bits! I was bummed, so I went and bought a "good" cobalt bit from Lowes and it didnt work any better. ???
 
Good first start.

I made my first knife (and only one I have completed so far), Up on the South Hill in Spokane in my garage (when I still lived there). All hand tools. Files, Mini Hack saw, and heck, even drilled the tang holes with a hand crank drill.
 
The worst drill bits I've ever used, returning them tomorrow, and not asking Harbor Freight employees for advice....EVER AGAIN!
Click to expand...
You also have to understand, the average handyman isn't drilling holes in high carbon tool steel :D When drill bits say metal, they usually mean mild steel and such at best. To put that into perspective, mild steel registers about 18 on the Rockwell Hardness - C scale. Annealed 1095 steel measures about 31 :barf:
 
I just ordered a 13 piece set of cobalt bits. I'm tired of burning up cheap bits designed for wood. Keep grinding. If you screw up the tip, you can learn from it and start over. It wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last.
 
zaph1 said:
I just ordered a 13 piece set of cobalt bits. I'm tired of burning up cheap bits designed for wood. Keep grinding. If you screw up the tip, you can learn from it and start over. It wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last.
Click to expand...

I was actually just considering investing in some cobalt bits, just the sizes I use the most.
 
E, what I do on a tip like that is to rotate the file so that it's always perpendicular to the edge.

If you think about it, most of the top-shelf knives you see will have a bevel line that is parallel to the edge, and the only way I know to get that is to keep the file turning as you go around the bend.
 
VaughnT said:
E, what I do on a tip like that is to rotate the file so that it's always perpendicular to the edge.

If you think about it, most of the top-shelf knives you see will have a bevel line that is parallel to the edge, and the only way I know to get that is to keep the file turning as you go around the bend.
Click to expand...

Yah, I was just over at Alden's Friday evening, and he schooled me on that, and blew my mind with a shop tour.:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
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