Going to make my first knife this week

[anchorshot]

Just waiting for the steel stock to arrive. Do you think these (rough) designs are decent? At the very least, I like the way they feel in my hands. Going for a basic utility kind of knife that I can use around the farm.

The steel is going to be 1084, but the smallest width I could get is .140" which I know is a bit thick.

 

[tump]

Your thumb ramps are to far back on the handle.

 

[anchorshot]

Your thumb ramps are to far back on the handle.

Thanks for the tip. I'm not going to include them, have a few more profiles without them and they feel better..the thumb ramps were a spur of the moment thing while sanding.

 

[anchorshot]

Might as well ask if any of y'all have some advice before I start the knife. What would you do differently on your first knife? I know I'll make mistakes, but anything you guys can give me advice on I appreciate.

 

[Justice4all]

I was going to say the same about the thumb ramps. Ramps are useful for enhancing leverage and "feel" if placed properly.

As a fairly new maker, my main advice is to just start grinding and see how it goes. You can read a thousand different articles and books as well as watch a bunch of vids and none of it really means anything until you start grinding.

My suggestion would also be to limit the curves on the first blade or two. Get the basic shape worked out. Grind matching bevels with clean lines and add a rounded handle with flush lines to the spine and belly. Get good at the basics before moving on as each change or step towards a more advanced design adds more complexity to finishing a blade than you might expect.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The bottom knife is the best. Keep it simple with a simple edge shape. Don't add too many curves or extra features. Look at the gallery and other knife photos and see how a simple drop point hunter should be shaped. You will notice that the people who make lots of them keep them very simple.

Get rid of the thumb ramps, and make the bottom of the handle more smoothly flowing ( that dip toward the butt is not right).

Put full distal taper in the blade, especially with such thick steel. That means that the blade should continually get thinner in thickness from the ricasso to the tip. The tip should be about half as thick as the ricasso.

 

[anchorshot]

I was going to say the same about the thumb ramps. Ramps are useful for enhancing leverage and "feel" if placed properly.

As a fairly new maker, my main advice is to just start grinding and see how it goes. You can read a thousand different articles and books as well as watch a bunch of vids and none of it really means anything until you start grinding.

My suggestion would also be to limit the curves on the first blade or two. Get the basic shape worked out. Grind matching bevels with clean lines and add a rounded handle with flush lines to the spine and belly. Get good at the basics before moving on as each change or step towards a more advanced design adds more complexity to finishing a blade than you might expect.

The bottom knife is the best. Keep it simple with a simple edge shape. Don't add too many curves or extra features. Look at the gallery and other knife photos and see how a simple drop point hunter should be shaped. You will notice that the people who make lots of them keep them very simple.

Get rid of the thumb ramps, and make the bottom of the handle more smoothly flowing ( that dip toward the butt is not right).

Put full distal taper in the blade, especially with such thick steel. That means that the blade should continually get thinner in thickness from the ricasso to the tip. The tip should be about half as thick as the ricasso.

With a full flat grind, is a full distal taper a byproduct of that? It seems like a ffg would be easier to start out with.

Also, my grinder isn't exactly at a 90 degree angle (it's high 80s - I can change it to 90 just need to take a wheel off and loosen some screws near the motor). Does the angle matter as long as the platen is square with the belt and I adjust the angle of the steel when grinding?

Thank you both for the advice, steel came in today so I'm excited to get started tonight. I'm going to revise the designs a bit and keep it simple, just try to get good/even bevels. Even using wood it was tricky.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The grind type isn't affected by the distal taper. You taper the blade first, then file/grind in the bevels.

The taper changes the balance of the knife and makes it cut better. In a blade as hick as yours, it is important.

If you have never made a knife before, I suggest you use a file for most of the bevel shaping. A grinder can mess things up really fast. What type grinder is it?

 

[anchorshot]

The grind type isn't affected by the distal taper. You taper the blade first, then file/grind in the bevels.

The taper changes the balance of the knife and makes it cut better. In a blade as hick as yours, it is important.

If you have never made a knife before, I suggest you use a file for most of the bevel shaping. A grinder can mess things up really fast. What type grinder is it?

I thought that if I was doing a flat grind with the bevel going all the way to the spine that I could grind the bevel/taper at the same time. If that's not advisable then I will do the taper first and then grind/file the bevels. (was reading threads where some guys did both together and others did them separately, but I might have been misunderstanding them).

I'm definitely planning on tapering all the blades I make from this stock, thanks again for the advice.

It's the 2x42 speed demon.

 

[Justice4all]

I thought that if I was doing a flat grind with the bevel going all the way to the spine that I could grind the bevel/taper at the same time. If that's not advisable then I will do the taper first and then grind/file the bevels. (was reading threads where some guys did both together and others did them separately, but I might have been misunderstanding them).

I'm definitely planning on tapering all the blades I make from this stock, thanks again for the advice.

It's the 2x42 speed demon.

Honestly that's what I've found. It's going to taper if you get into the spine area with the bevel. My good cutters/utility knives are 5/32's before a bit of reduction on the surface grinder and they cut thicker card board with ease even with the large flats I leave. While my knives tend to gravitate to the heavy use/abuse category, they still cut as well as some of the many thinner material knives I've tried.