Good place to have blanks made

T

Theforerunner

Joined
Jul 11, 2018
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45
Hey y’all; just wondering who/where you guys recommend to have blanks cnc/laser/water cut. I called a place here in Michigan about a year back and I think they quoted me (roughly) 8-10$ per blade (including the steel) for 1095.

Also, I guess just a side question for all of you big timers out there who have, or do outsource the blanks/heat treating; besides the obvious benefits of having your blades heat treated out of house, do you find that the cost is worth the end result when you have the blades cut and heated for you, or is that really only something you should consider when you’re big time and doing large bulk orders?

thanks; Tom
 
Every waterjet shop is different. Every knifemaker has a different standard of quality - what I call a botched waterjet cut might be called a great cut by someone else. To compound the problem, there isn't an unambiguous way to communicate or measure cut quality. Furthermore, cutting cost depends greatly on quantity, knife size, steel thickness, desired cut quality, and complexity/quantity of interior and exterior features.

Conclusion: start somewhere and use your experience as a basis for comparison. Check out https://waterjetknives.com/
 
Theforerunner said:
do outsource the blanks/heat treating; besides the obvious benefits of having your blades heat treated out of house, do you find that the cost is worth the end result when you have the blades cut and heated for you, or is that really only something you should consider when you’re big time and doing large bulk orders?
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I don’t make a lot of knives in a year, so doing my own heat treating would not be cost effective, proper setups to do stainless can easily cost upwards of 2-3K.

I tried to heat treat a large Bowie (8670 steel) last year, but couldn’t get sufficient even heat along blade and ended up sending it out. It was for my brother in law and he broke 1/4” off the tip on a moose brisket this fall. From what I can decipher, I had to of overheated the tip trying to heat the whole blade. My little forge is now buried in a corner of the shop. For me, I don’t have the tools or knowledge to do it properly, so it’s not worth the risk.
 
www.waterjettech.com is where I’ve had my patterns cut to blades for some 15 years———To do this with the Stainless Steels I prefer. I buy two full sheets from Aldo at NJSB, have them Shipped to Jay at WJT, Then to Paul Bos at Buck for HT whom I have talked with & Emailed HT instructions ..Then to me ready to be bevel ground etc.. works great! Comes out to any average of $10.00 a blade for all included.
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
www.waterjettech.com is where I’ve had my patterns cut to blades for some 15 years———To do this with the Stainless Steels I prefer. I buy two full sheets from Aldo at NJSB, have them Shipped to Jay at WJT, Then to Paul Bos at Buck for HT whom I have talked with & Emailed HT instructions ..Then to me ready to be bevel ground etc.. works great! Comes out to any average of $10.00 a blade for all included.
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That is a pretty good price/blade by the time you are ready to grind bevels. What is the full name of WJT and Buck where you are getting them cut and then heat treated? I am assuming you are using AEB-L?
 
Randy, it’s it Post #8 wwwwaterjettech.com Go to the Buck Knives site. Paul Bos Heat treating. It’s a different man named PAUL now. Paul Bos was the first I know of to open his shop to the needs of the Custom Knife Makers. Also consulted with steel makers for HT of knife Steels .......... I’ve sent 440c, Ats-34, CPM-154 many of the other CPM Steels and AEB-L, they do all air Harding Steels afaik, they will do some Carbon Steels . Check with them.
 
We don’t have a setup fee for our cnc stuff. We also keep the material in stock so you don’t have to order and ship it back and forth between venders. Also offer surface grinding if that’s something you want done. We are just about out if aebl but will be ordering a ton more in January along with a few other alloys.
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
www.waterjettech.com is where I’ve had my patterns cut to blades for some 15 years———To do this with the Stainless Steels I prefer. I buy two full sheets from Aldo at NJSB, have them Shipped to Jay at WJT, Then to Paul Bos at Buck for HT whom I have talked with & Emailed HT instructions ..Then to me ready to be bevel ground etc.. works great! Comes out to any average of $10.00 a blade for all included.
Click to expand...

Must be some tiny blades to average out to that.
 
JTknives said:
Must be some tiny blades to average out to that.
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I get enough steel for around 50 blades in. Batch, 4” Parer to 11 3/4” mostly in the middle at 6”-7 3/4” it might be a couple dollars more now. I had a couple of 50 plus batch’s done in early 2018. Well worth it! I’m sure you provide a great service. I’ve done this combo for over 15 years, used Paul Bos HT for over 20 & am happy.
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
www.waterjettech.com is where I’ve had my patterns cut to blades for some 15 years———To do this with the Stainless Steels I prefer. I buy two full sheets from Aldo at NJSB, have them Shipped to Jay at WJT, Then to Paul Bos at Buck for HT whom I have talked with & Emailed HT instructions ..Then to me ready to be bevel ground etc.. works great! Comes out to any average of $10.00 a blade for all included.
Click to expand...

$10 for both water jet and HT? That's pretty good. That's not including the steel as well is it?

I don't send out for HT, but it looks like Peter's HT comes to about $6.32 per blade for the heat treatment. How much does the water jet alone usually cost you for ~50 blades? I've honestly never really looked into all this so I'm just curious about getting a general idea.

~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Some older vids of some of the older knives I made)
 
coldsteelburns said:
$10 for both water jet and HT? That's pretty good. That's not including the steel as well is it?

I don't send out for HT, but it looks like Peter's HT comes to about $6.32 per blade for the heat treatment. How much does the water jet alone usually cost you for ~50 blades? I've honestly never really looked into all this so I'm just curious about getting a general idea.

~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Some older vids of some of the older knives I made)
Click to expand...
Paul, everyone , I may have not given an accurate complete cost? Could be as high as $15? Or? I’ve been doing it a while now and the $10.00 may have been a few batches & years ago. I don’t even run the numbers anymore.....................I don’t mean to mislead anyone..I’ve found it to be an excellent way to have a stack of my profiled blades out of my chosen steel(s) thats cost effective for me for my knives. ———————————————————-From the Steel supplier, to Water Jet man. To HT and then to me! NJSB, WJT , Paul Bos have never let me down. There is USPS & UPSninvolved. That’s another story.:rolleyes: ....Call Jay at WJT & discuss your needs with him. He’ll give you a per inch per thickness quote........He’s a great man to work with. Obviously the larger the order the better for you all of the way down the line...That way you’ll get an accurate amount for you.Tack it up to some Vodka accounting on my part!:D
 
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