Help! What thickness for a knife???

J

JBBladeCrafter

Joined
Jul 9, 2013
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7
Hey guys! Me and my uncle are going to be working on our first knife and even though I've been researching around the web for a couple weeks, I still am not sure What thickness piece of steel we should use. We are going to use the stock-removal method and believe me, we are going to take our time. Also, any tips for a first timer? I'm 14 years old and I really want to do this! Please, anything will be helpful!

-JB
 
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Of course it depends on what kind of knife you are making and what steel you will be using. For a general use camp/hunting knife you can't go wrong with 1/8" or thinner. I personally see little need to go thicker than that though some do.
 
Welcome to Bladeforums!

Read the stickies... 1/8" thick is nice for a slicer, 3/16" for something bigger... I'd consider 1/8"
 
Welcome to Bladeforums.
1/10" to 1/8" is a good starter thickness. Make a sketch of your project and post it here. The guys will gladly critique it, and you can make changes before you start cutting out steel, to get a much better first knife.

Fill out your profile, so we know where you live ( city and state). That may allow a nearby maker to offer you some assistance.
 
1/8" is good for most knives. If you want a heavy duty hunter/camper, then you may want to go as large as 5/32nd, but it's not really needed. Seeing how this is your first knife, I'd go with Aldo's 1084 or Alpha Knife Supply's 1080+. Both are excellent knife steels and both have fairly easy heat treatments.
 
Keep it simple. Most students who come to my shop want to start with a 6" chopper or short sword but after just a bit at the grinder quickly learn why I steer them towards a 3" blade.
 
I use primarily 3/32" steel, and have working knives and machetes in that thickness that work wonderfully. If your knives are for slicing then I think a thinner profile would be better for beginning makers. I find that for myself and others just starting out that there is a surprising difference in grinding the two thicknesses. Plus if you leave the grind a bit too thick- as most do at early stages (myself included) the thinner overall stock would help aid in cutting efficiency.

Another thing that I would suggest is marking everything clearly on the blade blank, and go slowly, especially as you get to final dimentions. If you don't already know, do not sharpen the edge prior to heat treat, leave it about the thickness of a dime. Make sure to scribe into the edge the pre heat treat thickness, or it is easy to get a wavy edge. Start with a decent known steel of your choice (I would follow common suggestions of 1080 or 440C if you want stainless- no need to make the process more frustrating with harder to finish/grind steels). Grind approximately the same amount off of each side, switching sides every 2-3 passes on the belt or so. DO NOT USE A BENCH GRINDER WITH STONE WHEEL- you didn't say what tools you will use, draw filing the bevels can be slow, but then so will be the mistakes. What tools do you have at your disposal?

Remember that this should still be fun, you won't be perfect for a loooooong time, so don't expect a masterpiece. Get a better feel for your designs by cutting them out of cardboard/mdf/plastic or grinding out of wood-many suggest paint stir sticks for free from hardware stores.

Once you show designs/finished product here, get your thick skin out and try to leave ego behind as others rip apart your design (some with tact, some without) as most comments will be trying to help.

The first is the gateway! I started with a single knife for a friends wedding present, then did a batch of 6, and probably have 30+ at various stages of my ADD/have two young kids knife making.

Good luck and enjoy the process and the people involved! Some of the most generous people I have ever met hang around these parts! Show up for the knives, stay for the knife people! Welcome!
 
Okay I have a bench grinder, a few files and sandpaper... plenty of sandpaper all different grit that I cant tell you now cause im on vacation. Ive got a vice, a lathe a drill press, and a band saw but no metal cutting blades. BTW, what does a metal cutting blade cost on average? I'm a kid so I dont have a lot of money... What tools do you think I would need bare minimum after all I've told you that I've got?
 
If you have access to a woodcutting bandsaw, it will not work well for metal cutting -- wrong speed.
you can do most of the work with a file after the profile is cut out.
profile can be cut out with a hacksaw, the bench grinder (if you're careful and dunk the steel in a bucket of water frequently to keep it from overheating), or if you've got a LOT of time on your hands, it can be done with the file.
Here's a thread from a couple years back that shows a filing jig
 
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