First Knives:Self-critique and Questions

D

DMD08

Joined
Jul 22, 2005
Messages
261
As a kid I grew up in a home where we had a lot of woodworking tools and I got this crazy idea one day that I was going to use these tools to make a knife. I never did it but I still remember it consuming my thoughts for a while. Fast forward almost 20 years and my thoughts are consumed again. My love of outdoor activities has cultivated my love of outdoor gear, especially guns and knives. I started lurking here in the shoptalk subforum last year and I've slowly taken steps to try and make my own knife. So here I am to critique what I've done so far and to ask some questions about where to go from here. Any comments, criticism or answers are greatly appreciated.

Tools I've used includes a HF angle grinder, HF 1x30 belt grinder, band saw, drill press, hand files and sandpaper. Steel is 1095. The designs are my own although as I look at them I can see that one in particular is influenced by a couple well known makers.

First one is a mutt. I'm not sure which category to put it in. As I'll discuss later my design got a little muddled and is neither here nor there. It's a 4 3/4" fixed blade out of 1/8" stock with OAL of 9 3/4". The second is a big chopper. 10 3/4" blade out of 3/16" stock with OAL of 17". Both have been profiled, ground and sanded to 320 grit. I'm planning on using homemade micarta with either brass or nickel/silver pins for the handles with lanyard tubes.

Here's some pics:
IMG_6295.jpg


IMG_6296.jpg


IMG_6298.jpg


IMG_6299.jpg


IMG_6300.jpg


Self-critique:

Chopper

I'm actually quite happy with how this one has turned out so far. The grind is supposed to be full flat which it very nearly is. I ended not quite at the spine. It really is pretty flat but only due to a lot of time draw filing. It took an eternity to grind this on my 1x30 sander. My plunges kind of suck. They aren't quite even and they are a little rough. I had hard time making them nice and smooth both while grinding and hand sanding. I also had a tough time with keeping a flat grind as I transitioned to the tip. It seemed I was grinding either at the spine or the edge but not getting a single plane from spine to edge. It turned out OK though I think.

The handle shape I really like but the scale is off. I think it's going to be too large. I can't bring myself to alter since I think it looks nice with the blade. I make a thumb depression on the spine for choking up and the handle thins to the rear with a knob to hand on to while chopping.

I'd say the blade style is reminiscent of Busse and now the Rat Cutlery Junglas machete but I had this designed before the Junglas was announced. In looking at the handle it is maybe a little Scrapyardish? Overall I like it.

Mutt

When I designed this one I was kind of thinking about the Rat Cutlery RC4. I really like the RC4 but if I could change anything about it I wish it was thinner. I wanted my design to be a ~4" general use outdoor blade like the RC4 but in 1/8" stock.

I gave it a choil and drop point blade. The handle as it started out was quite different from how it is now. My original design was too complicated and looked horrible. After profiling it initially I started reshaping the handle freehand until it look like it does now. I now have a simpler handle that still looks horrible. The blade would have been OK but after grinding it I thought "I wonder how hard it is to grind a swedge?". So I tried it and now I have what I think is more of a fighter style blade on a knife I orginally wanted for camping/hiking/fishing :foot: ......and it has a choil.:rolleyes: I really like the Rat Cutlery choils but mine...not so much. So like I said this knife is neither here nor there from a design standpoint. I'm going to finish it though since I have nothing better to do.:D


Now for the questions.

1. Is sanding to 320 prior to heat treat sufficient. I think it is but thought I'd double check.

2. I started drilling holes in the Mutt and they came out slightly triangular. Is this because my drill press stinks, my drill bits stink, or did I just not clamp the knife down well enough?

3.Are there any secrets I should know about drilling holes in knives before I attempt it on the chopper?

4. I was going to send them to Texas Knifemakers Supply for heat treat since I'm not going to try that myself but after doing some reading they only do air-hardening steels. I've also heard of Peters Heat Treat. Does anyone recommend them? Are there any people on this board who take heat treating jobs? I'd be paying of course.

That's all for now. I may think of some other stuff later.

This ended up pretty long so if you're still reading "Thanks" and "Sorry".:D
 
Really nice job!!:thumbup: I just sent you an email with some info.
 
Those look better than the first 10 knives I made with the same tools. Any plans for heat treating?
 
Its almost impossible to drill round holes with a drill bit. Drill bits drill elongated holes.

If you want a round hole use an undersized drill bit and follow it with a ream of the size needed for the finished hole. The hole will be round.

A decent drill press doesn't hurt either.:)

Fred
 
Questions 2 and 3 I can help with. You RPM's on your drill are too fast. Slow it down. And use some kind of oil, preferably cutting oil, but WD-40 or engine oil works ok. Oh, and big safty tip. Wear gloves, esspecially when working on knives. Even a dull knife can whip around and give you a pretty nasty cut, if they don't take your finger off. And to be honest, I've never had the triangular problem on my cheap drill press and I don't even clamp my work down. So, low rpms, constant preasure, cutting oil, and it should cut fine.
 
jll346 said:
Really nice job!!:thumbup: I just sent you an email with some info.
Click to expand...

Got it. Thanks for the info. I'll look into that.

me2 said:
Any plans for heat treating?
Click to expand...

I'm looking to send them out. jll346 gave me a lead. Anyone that you recommmend?

Nebulae said:
Nice! they look great!
Click to expand...

Thanks. It's been fun to try this and I'm glad that up to this point at least they actually kind of look like knives.

Fred.Rowe said:
Its almost impossible to drill round holes with a drill bit. Drill bits drill elongated holes.

If you want a round hole use an undersized drill bit and follow it with a ream of the size needed for the finished hole. The hole will be round.

A decent drill press doesn't hurt either.:)

Fred
Click to expand...

I don't have any reams right now so I'll have to make do and try again.

thompsonblades said:
Questions 2 and 3 I can help with. You RPM's on your drill are too fast. Slow it down. And use some kind of oil, preferably cutting oil, but WD-40 or engine oil works ok. Oh, and big safty tip. Wear gloves, esspecially when working on knives. Even a dull knife can whip around and give you a pretty nasty cut, if they don't take your finger off. And to be honest, I've never had the triangular problem on my cheap drill press and I don't even clamp my work down. So, low rpms, constant preasure, cutting oil, and it should cut fine.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the pointers. I was using some oil and I think I have my pulleys set up for the lowest rpms. I may try some different drill bits.
 
DMD08 said:
Thanks for the pointers. I was using some oil and I think I have my pulleys set up for the lowest rpms. I may try some different drill bits.
Click to expand...
Huh? :confused:
Is your drill press shaking and vibrating when you're drilling? It could be your drill bits aren't balanced, that is, the tip isn't centered along the length of the drill bit. Do you sharpen you're own bits?
 
The drill press runs really smooth actually. No vibration or anything. I don't sharpen my own bits. The 3/16" holes were fine but when I drilled the larger holes I noticed a slight tri-lobed appearance. They're mostly round but with the slightest triangular shape. It's noticeable in the pictures. It's a pretty old bit I acquired at some point and was not purchased new by me. Maybe it the bit? I'm not too concerned since I was only using the larger holes as a way to remove some material from the handle.
 
Probably notice that the drill chuck has three main holding points...Just like your hole...eh?

What brand of drills?
 
DMD08 very nice. How wide id the big chopper? I like the design and am looking for a design for a new project. Wondering if the stock I have is wide enough for something like that. John
 
bhyde said:
Probably notice that the drill chuck has three main holding points...Just like your hole...eh?

What brand of drills?
Click to expand...

yes indeed. hmmm. The 3/16" bit I think is a Black and Decker I had in my toolbox. The larger size I have no idea.

johnggrg said:
DMD08 very nice. How wide id the big chopper? I like the design and am looking for a design for a new project. Wondering if the stock I have is wide enough for something like that. John
Click to expand...

A hair under 2 inches.
 
Great job on those two. I like the looks of both of them. You've gotten some great answers so far. One thing I do disagree on is wearing gloves when working at the drill press. If your glove gets snagged, it will wind around the drill bit/chuck/shaft like a paper towel roll, and guess what's inside that glove. I know of folks who have lost chunks of flesh and broken fingers because of wearing gloves at the drill. Same thing is true of any shaft rotating equipment like a mill, lathe, buffer, etc.

I remember as a kid seeing a demonstration of the dangers of a PTO shaft (power take-off shaft) from a tractor or well motor when used without the guard. They took a full weight crash test dummy and dressed him up in blue jeans and a shirt just like any farmer hereabouts would wear. Then they just brushed him against the U-joint of a running PTO from a tractor. In a fraction of a second, it caught his pants, slammed him around the shaft about 4 times (a 150 pound dummy), and broke him to pieces. Think of a drill as a smaller, less powerful PTO.

Clamp your material down securely when drilling and you won't have to worry about it whipping around and getting you. Also, never clear chips or curls with your hand when the bit is turning.

--nathan
 
Oooh..I definitely agree...Wear nothing that can catch when on power equipment. Rings, gloves....I would rather have a chunk of skin missing as opposed to an appendage.

As far as the drill goes, I think that Black and Decker was probably more engineered for working with wood. Try either a bit more expensive bit..
At work as a machinist, I have access to names such as cleveland precision twist and guhring drills and have no problems...You likely started the hole with a bit of wobble as it was pre-drilled with a smaller sized drill and got the triangulation you described...Center drill and either drill to size or close and follow with a reamer.


HTH

Bill
 
And people thought my first knife looked good but it pales in comparison to yours:o

I would sand to 400 before HT, I had mine done throught Rob at knifemaker.ca. But he is up here in Canada so it may be too far for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top