Help... Never Made A Knife Before

S

sopwith21

Joined
Sep 23, 2003
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I am considering making a pair of knives - a hunter and a bowie - for my son as a gift and I would like to research what I'm getting into before I take on the task.

I really don't know where to start, but I got the idea from an Atlanta Cutlery catalog which had knifemaking supplies. It would be nice to make something that could be engraved with his name and be a nice quality piece for life. I'm not particularly handy with tools but I'm no idiot either... so what am I getting into here? Are the off-the-shelf blades in AC's catalog worth using, or is there a better source? If possible, I'd like to budget around $50-75 for parts. Is that realistic? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.
 
Hi sopwith, you would not be a camel would you? :D

There are defintely a lot of makers on this forum that can help you better than I can but I can tell you that with the money you want to spend on materials you can make a pretty good knife.
Dunno what you have in the line of equipment, if you just have hand tools it can be done with patience and passion.A pre-ground blade might be a good place to start though in your situation.
You have come to the right place for guidence, there are a lot of fine gentlemen that will advise you, just watch. :thumbup:
 
I would recommend a couple of books.

My favorites are:

How to make your own knives by Jim Mayes

and

Step by Step knife making by David Boye.

These both are excellent for beginners and are two that many seasoned pros still refer to as well.

Also, feel free to join in our discussions on the link in my profile for my homepage. There is a lot there that can teach one wanting to start making and creating anything from improved and updated handles on an already exisiting knife to making your own from scratch.

One of the best ways to get into knife making is to start out with kit knives. Look in the catalogs for the Russell Green River knives and some of the other kits they offer. These are well thought out and will lay the foundation one needs to know the paths to follow to be able to start your own from scratch and take it to fruition.

Hope that helps some.

STR
 
For what it's worth, I would recommend the blades from Texas Knifemaker's Supply in terms of a better working knife as compared to the blades in AC. TKS offers them in cryoquenched state which, for stainless steels particularly, makes for better edge holding and toughness. They also offer sheaths for most of the blade patterns. You can find TKS by doing a search on Google.

There are a number of other suppliers too of course; check out Koval first maybe, since they are having a big sale to help with medical problems.

Your budget seems reasonable for one knife, I'm not sure you'll get away with finishing two knives for $75.

You'll find that simple hand tools that you probably already have will be sufficient for building a kit knife. Files, a drill, and sandpaper are really all you'll need to complete it. The hardest part for the inexperienced to learn is that it takes a great deal of patience to get the results you want.

You will want to decide whether to work with the finish that comes on the knives or to improve it. Since I've never made a knife from a pre-ground blade I do not know what to expect in that department. Others here will have more experience in what to expect on the finish of kit blades.

Because these are your first knives I think I'd suggest that you accept whatever finish they come with and concentrate on making the handles special for your son.

Good luck and have fun in your endeavor! I should warn you that making knives can be wholly addictive; there is a chance that once you've made one you will never be able to shake the desire to make more. You've come to a good place; take advantage of all the fantastic experience of the makers here. Ask specific questions one at a time for the best results.

Welcome!
 
Sopwith, you might want to post a bit more info about yourself, like where you are. Somebody might live close to you and offer some help. It is not uncommon for that to happen.

The fact that you want to make a knife for your son is very noble, good luck and I hope it works out for you.
As Dave Larsen said, be careful though, it is addictive. I am also relatively new to it but I see postings by guys who have been doing it for many years and they still have a sense of wonder when they observe a knife they made and still cannot believe they did this with their own hands, I know that for me it is the case and when you get accolades from other makers who appreciate what went into it you get a really good glow of pride. The best rush you get is when someone really close to you thinks you are a hot shot, especially sons! :D The way to know you have a good knife is when the old ladies back off and the young men step forward to get a better look. :)

Good luck and be sure to post a pic of the finished product.
Best regards,
Mike
 
Well, that was encouraging! Maybe I can do this after all. Thanks, everyone. I'm leaving for a few weeks but I'll try to pump more info out of you when I get back to the puter... plus I need time to check out the sources that have already been offered. Again, many thanks. Can't wait to get started.
 
You might also want to check out the "archives" Sopwith, top right of this page. You will find the posting of the last 5 years there, enough info to make many very concise books about knifemaking, I scratched around there yesterday and was captivated for hours. Just dig around there a bit, there is an absolute wealth of info about every aspect of this game that you have not even thought of asking yet.
Good luck, :)

Mike
 
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