Help with selecting tools for a shop - best bang for the buck

P

Paul Weiss

Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
16
Hello,

I'm looking to equip my shop with good but cost effective tools for a part time knife maker.

I am just starting out as a hobbist and do not want to break the bank...YET!

Please let me know what you think:

1. Craftsman 2 x 42 in. Belt/6 in. Disc Sander - $129.99

NEW 2. Harbor Freight ITEM 38119-3VGA 5 SPEED DRILL PRESS - $69.99

OLD 2. Delta 10 in. Drill Press - $99.99

3. Harbor Freight ITEM 93762-6VGA HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL METAL CUTTING BANDSAW - $159.99

4. Simple forge for heat treating and tempering? Tongs?

5. 6" Bench vise?

6. Clamps for handles?

* NEW 7. Grizzly H4380 8" Buffer w/ 5/8" Arbor - $79.95

* OLD 7. Craftsman 8 in. Bench Buffer - $149.99


* - Please read the posts below about safety. A buffer might not be needed.


Anything I've missed? Any other suggestions?



Thank you,

Paul
 
Paul look around in my shop and see some of the tools I use. If you need to call me sometime. I will help you out if I can. Have a great New Year and God bless. :)
 
From the items you have on your list, I would get the bench vise and drill press. These will not only be useful in knife making, but they will get used for multitudes of other things.

I started out with a wood worker's vise, craftsman drill press (one that you mount your hand drill in that my dad got for me over 30 years ago...), hack saw, and a bunch of files. One of the best things I got were a couple of books. "The $50 Knife Shop" by W. Goddard and "Step-By-Step Knife Making" by David Boye.

This forum has also been one of the best resources to me.

Words of caution: KNIFE MAKING S VERY ADDICTIVE. THERE IS NO TURNING BACK. :D

Ric
 
$40 angle grinder, both for quick stock removal and with a slitting wheel to chop out a profile
 
For a band saw get the 4x 6 Harbor frieght metal cutting band saw.About 150.00
and get a good blade for it.
 
1. A lot of folks like this 2x42, but I've never used one.

2. Your buffer choice is 3450 rpm, so I would get one for half the price from Enco, Grizzly or HarborFreight. I got a 3/4HP buffer from HF for 60 bucks and it's built much heavier than the sears model here. By the way, I also use 1/3HP buffers regularly and they work just fine. In buffing, HP isn't all that important.

3. The drill press looks like a decent deal, although aside from the worklight, this seems to be the same as the ones you can get on sale from HF for $30-$40.

4. Again, HF has the best deal on bandsaws. You can get the HV one on sale regularly for like $140, or you can get a portaband style for about $60.

5. Talk to Darren Ellis about building a forge or just get a couple firebricks and start out with small knives.

6. A good vice is a must, try to make sure you get one that's sturdy and stays in whatever position you put it in.

7. Again I'd get an assortment of c-clamps, spring clamps, etc from HF, clamps-is-clamps, for the most part.

Just so you know, those delta and craftsman tools are usually made in China just like the cheap outfits. I don't believe that in most inexpensive tools that they are significantly better than their cheaper counterparts. This changes when you get into the higher quality Delta stuff. If you have a HarborFreight store near you, you can also print up your sale items from the web and then drive down and save shipping.
 
Thanks for all the information. I have updated the first post to include all the ideas.

Have I forgot anything?

Also, what belts and buffing wheels to start?

Thank you,

Paul
 
Well I will say it as noone else has so far: the buffer is the most dangerous machine in the shop. The others aren't exactly nursery toys either. I have heard Jay Fisher say he knows guys that were killed (yes I said Killed) by buffers. You will get bit learning..I definetly wouldn't even put one in your shop till you have time to talk safety and operatiing techniques with an experienced knifemaker..or don't do it. Please...no knife is worth your safety!!!! The worst injury I got was hand sanding a blade..no electricity was involved and I got bit bad..so please think about safety. For starters get a knifemaking respirator before you even stop to think... I hate to think of all the injuries that now are only microscopic, but one day will turn the lungs into scar tissue thats nonfunctional for breathing even if you are on an oxygen bottle.
 
Good advice on the safety stuff. I got sick as a dog once from working with micarta and G-10 without a respirator. I did not now thir were models specific to knife making. Can you point me towards one?

I am trying to get started myself and expect to have my garage/shop complete in the next month. Thanks for all the advice you guys offer up! Hopefully one day it will be my turn to pass it along.
 
Just a note about a popular book:
Step-by-Step Knifemaking, by David Boye is a great book, and is always recommended as a good starter book.

"Knifemaking", By Bo Bergman, is another great book, which was often recommended for those who love Scandinavian knives.It hasn't been out of print for long, but the demand for it has made the price sky rocket. Last I saw it was bringing something around $150 a pristine copy, $70-100 for a regular used copy. I have stopped loaning mine out. I have given away three or four copies over the last ten years, Hope those folks held on to them.
If you do some Google searching and look hard, you can snatch one up occasionally for as low as $20. I would recommend anyone wanting this book to hunt for it, and scoop one up now. Other books, like "The Bowie Book" are now selling for $1500.
 
Rearranged the list.

Added the HF Drill Press.

Added safety statement to the buffer.

Moved buffer to the end as it might not be needed.

This is a great list of tools needed for the beginning knife maker.


I want to thank everyone who added to this. I will continue to try and improve this list.
 
Paul,
That Craftsman grinder should work fine for a starter. Mine was a 4x36! That's the same Harbor Freight Drill press and bandsaw that I use and they work fine. You'll want to get a few files too. Get some vice grips from Harbor freight. They double as clamps for your handle scales and also to hold your blades when you HT.

DO NOT GET A BUFFER! Many professional knifemakers don't use them. Instead learn how to do a good hand sand finish on your blades. Especially at first when your grinds arent that great, you're going to want to hand sand them rather than buff.
 
I still think the buffer is nice for guards, bolsters, handle materials and sharpening. For the money, a cheap buffer is worth getting into.
 
Hey Paul,

HF has that very same drill press with a keyless chuck. It's usually around $10 more. They also have a larger 12 speed drill press that will give you much more variety of speeds for drilling slowly. You may want to check them out as well. I got the 12 speed and the 5 speed. I do my heavy drilling with the 12 and small, fast drilling with the 5 speed.

Oh and I retrofitted a good keyless chuck to my 12 speed. Well worth it in my book.

Last thing, pick up a selection of good machinist files (round and flat) and a Nicholson 10" Magicut File. you can do fine work with just those, some good sandpaper and some elbow grease.

Good Luck!
 
Lots of sandpaper and a good shop vac. safety goggles and fire extinguisher. hmm, what do you plan on doing about heat treating? I am building a small forge. Lets see, How about a bench grinder, I have seen them for 30-40 bucks. As far as the drill press goes, I have a small one and unless you go slowly it bogs down and can be frustrating so if it in the budget go with a bigger one. GOOD LUCK!
 
I got one of the Harbor Freight 4 X 6 band saws today and have cut 3 blanks and some ebony for scales with the blade that comes with it. I love the thing, especially for $159! Get one, you'll love it. Can't wait to get some new blades for it. What is the proper tooth per inch for cutting wood for scales? The one that came with it worked but really slow. I went to buy it today and as I was looking at it one of the salesmen gave me a 15% off coupon out of one of those entertainment books and it saved me $24 which made it even a better deal for $135.
 
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