Help on which equipment is needed - would like to start making knives.

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blandies

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First off, I've read a lot of different things on what I need. I will let everyone know my intentions so I get the right recommendations.

what tools/equipment does one need to start making stock removal knives? I've taken some advice from a website I used to frequent & purchased/used a dremel with cutoff wheels & hacksaw to try & cut out the blade profile out & used a regular Ryobi belt sander for grinding bevels.

Needless to say, using a dremel is completely useless in my opinion, I wasted so many packs of cutoff disks just trying to cut the blade shape out from the stock (never succeeding)...& this was on thin steel, it would be impossible for me to use any thicker steel which is what I see most knife makers using as a standard for their blades. The hacksaw isn't very ideal for me either.
My belt sander also I had a lot of trouble with getting bevels on scrap steel, I really couldn't get any at all. I tried files as well, no luck there either. I know good bevels come with practice but I'm not sure a regular belt sander is capable of making them correctly.

So I was just curious what RIGHT tools would be required to make good quality knives both big and small & what a ballpark price of all the tooling would cost me. I'm really just focused on fixed blades atm.
I see all of the knives on this website & it's inspirational seeing what one can make, I would love to know what equipment is used so I can start.
And for heat treatment what do you use for that, regular kitchen oven?

I've been looking for a metal cutting bandsaw but can't find any under $1000.00, I found one but is was not vertical.

The main problem is I can't even try starting a knife because I can't do the initial step of cutting out the blade shape.

I will list below what tools I already have,

- Nice big drill press (no problems here)
- Numerous vices
- Few files
- Tons of Drill bits
- Ryobi belt sander with disc sander
- Angle grinder
- Bench grinder
- Nice big work bench

etc etc... I have a lot of accumulated tooling. I'm under the impression the only things I really need are a metal cutting bandsaw & a good belt grinder.
My budget is definitely less than $900.00, but I already have a lot of tools like a good drill press.

I am aware of drill-hopping to cut out a blade, I definitely want a metal bandsaw to save trouble. I have a regular wood bandsaw but it broke when trying to cut steel.

So what do you guys think I need & how much would it cost? Keep in mind I like getting "good" tools right away just so I don't need to get small then get better later....to a certain extent. I do not mind used equipment if anyone has anything I will be needing, I may buy just send PM.

All advice really is appreciated. I've been trying time & time again to make knives for 5 years, yes....that long. I never get anywhere since I can't even cut the blade profile out. Thank you for taking time to help.
 
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Welcome to the forum, filling out your location in your profile will help us know where you are, maybe there are some makers near you!

Anyways... as for your tool list, people definitely make knives with less than what you have, so you are definitely off to a good start.

Metal-cutting bandsaws can be had for less than $100 (from harbour freight tools). These of course are the porta-bands, and require a little bit of ingenuity to convert to an upright with a work table, but many people here do that and they work very well (myself included). You can also get more expensive ones from dewalt, makita, milwaukee if brand name and a few more features/deeper cutting is a concern. For ~$400 you should be able to find a 4"x6" vertical/horiz bandsaw with a stand too if you shop around online.

Many people start making with the 2x42 Craftsman grinder from sears. You can get it new for ~$200 or if you find a used for even less even better.

A regular kitchen oven won't get anywhere near hot enough for heat treatment (~1500F for carbon and 2000F+ for stainless) and is really only good for tempering or sheathmaking. Most people starting out just use an established heat-treating company like Peters heat treating (if in the USA) or Rob at knifemaker.ca (if in Canada).

Count will pop in soon enough with his big list of goodies for new knifemakers. Hope this helps you a bit at least!
 
I think you are missing a few thoughts:
If you can't make a knife using a file, then you most likely won't be able to make one using a sander. If you already have a sander then use it. There's no need to have a $2000 2x72 grinder to make your first knife. You can use that Ryobi to profile and grind just fine. You can get a 4x6 band saw for a couple hundred and a portaband saw for under $100. Or you can get an angle grinder with cut off wheels for $30 to profile your blades.

Now, if you just want to spend $6000 on your first knife, then get a KMG from beaumont metal works and the best bandsaw, Paragon heat treat oven, and Bridgeport mill you can find. If money is no object then go crazy. Plenty of people will help you spend it.

But if you are trying to make your FIRST custom knife, then you can use hand tools. The only thing I would recomend you actually buying is a bar of known HC steel and an angle grinder. Using expensive tools makes the job go faster, but it won't make the knife look any better.

There's my $.02 worth.
Jason
 
You can probably buy metal cutting bandsaw blades for the band saw that you already have.
 
Thanks so far for the replies. And Jawilder,

I know it can be done with cheap tooling, I just stated I would like to make it a bit easier on myself as my old hands aren't exactly the best for hours of filing & hacksawing away. I would just prefer some type of power tool for grinding, if my belt sander will do then that's what I needed to know.
 
What Emerson said is not a good idea at all, unless you can slow your bandsaw down to about 10% of it's current speed. Wood cutting band saws are too fast, and will just burn up blades and cause potential injury. Get a port-a-band and a good stand (swagg offroad makes an exceptional stand, IMO). You could easily get away with a 2 x 42" sander from Sears. Lots of people on this forum have made some excellent knives using this grinder. If you have the money, you could build your own (check out the numerous threads on GIB (grinder-in-a-box) or EERF (free backwards) grinders. You should be able to build a 2 x 72" grinder for less than $750.

I'm sure the Count will add his regular post to newbies here shortly - it has more information that you can digest in a single sitting (or a lifetime, for most).
 
Blandies I'm not sure what size grinder you have, but buying some quality belts for it will help you out alot.




Emerson15 said:
You can probably buy metal cutting bandsaw blades for the band saw that you already have.
Click to expand...


Ya' but a wood cutting bandsaw runs way to fast for metal cutting.
 
All you need (IMO) to add to your existing list are some thin metal cutting disks (1mm or less) for the angle grinder and one of these http://www.vansantent.com/multitool.htm for your bench grinder. It's the only grinding equipment under $1000 that I rate. I wouldn't recommend anything less than 3/4 HP to power it though.

Oh, and a heat treating oven.

The only other tip I would give is that Power tools just make mistakes happen a lot quicker and make small mistakes a lot bigger.

PS: A Fred Rowe Bubble Jig would sort out your freehand grinding.
 
Blandies, you could always skip the bandsaw and just get a 2x72 grinder, if you didn't want to spend a lot this one piece of equipment will probably save you the most time and trouble. You can always grind out your profiles, plenty of makers just throw on a 36 grit belt and hog out the blade shape. Its easier than you might think and sometimes faster.
 
I think I know where I'm going from here after receiving some responses.

I'm looking to get a metal cutting bandsaw now & use my current ryobi belt sander for making my grinds. And then when money permits I plan on purchasing a KMG grinder.

Does anyone have any opinions on that GRIZZLY bandsaw I linked above? Any good? Can it be modded to be vertical w/ a table?
 
Try Tractor Supply Company if you have one near you. They had that same band saw for about $200. Yes that band saw can be vertical or horizontal. Profiling really isn't that difficult. Why don't you like the idea of drilling holes and then cutting between the holes with a hacksaw, that works fine for me. If I had $1000 to spend on tools, the bandsaw wouldn't be anywhere in the top five of the list. Also, a good grinder can be used for profiling. I'm not sure what size belts your Ryobi takes, but look into getting good quality belts. AO belts are good for wood, but not metal. Give us some pictures of what you have done so far, someone may be able to figure out what is going wrong. Good luck and don't give up.
Jess
 
I'll check & see if I have one around me, $200 cheaper would definitely help me out.

I've used the hole drilling method, just never works out well for me. I guess I can do it that way for now. When it comes out though I can never get all of the rough jimped edges flat with my bench grinder, it just chunks steel away & ruins the piece. And my belt sander just doesn't do much it seems.
 
I second the filling out your profile... Lot's of knifemakers everywhere and almost all of them are willing to help out... Learning from someone in person is worth a $1,000 of equipment....

If I were you...

2"x42" Craftsman
Portaband Saw fro Harbor Freight, or a Milwaukie/DeWalt......
Belts for the Craftsman from http://www.trugrit.com/
Read read read.... Tons of info here on the forums.. I've spent a couple hundred hours at least reading past posts...
If you make many knives, and since you're doing stock removal,a heat treat oven... Build your own if you're handy or spend 800-1,200 on a ready built knife kiln.
A bubble Jig for the blade profiling.
There are many past posts about Modifying the Craftsman 2"x42" to make it better. The Ryobi you have is more limited than the 2"x42"....
 
Yeah atm I only have enough $$$ for the bandsaw or 2x42. The main problem I've had was getting the blade cut out rough from the stock so I figured the bandsaw would be my best bet. But I could just do the hole-hopping method for now & pick the 2x42 up. I've just read a lot of bad things on the sears 2x42 that had me on edge.

If I saved I could get the KMG grinder but would have no money for the bandsaw which I really think would help me out.

Pondering upon all of this for a while..... :barf:
 
Forget all the bad things that everyone says about the 2x42. It is a great piece of equipment and has made tens of thousands of top quality knives. No, it's not a 1000 machine and doesn't work like one. But it is a darn good machine for the hobby knife maker. And if you decide not to make another knife, then you have it around the shop to sharpen lawn mower blades, etc. You won't regret the Craftsman with good belts.
 
Can you link me to where I can buy the 2x42? I looked on Sears & they don't have any (that I could find). And all other websites seem to be out of stock. Do they make it anymore? And there were 2 I seen, one was a solid bulky thing & the other was a real skinny belt with no backing, which one are you guys referring to?
 
search belt sanders / grinders sears.com . A belt grinder is way better purchase then a portaband to make knives, use a hacksaw and drill out the profile first. Read a book or ten and search these forums. Every day or two someone posts your exact same question, go back a few pages and you'll find info.
 
I did search sears.

I also searched this forum, nothing pertaining to my original question of my preferences of power tooling. Nothing I could find anyway.

I'm being told the 2x42 is unable to make hollow grinds, any truth to this?
 
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