Helping a friend with their first knife

clemsonreeder

clemsonreeder

Joined
Sep 25, 2007
Messages
176
My friend has asked me to help him make a knife for himself. He is my age (29) and not scared to work with tools, although I believe fairly inexperienced with them...at least the ones we'll be using. I would like to know from those of you who have done this before what routes you have taken. Do you make up a blank and just have them do the hand sanding and handle work? Or, I have a filing jig that I made years ago on which my first knives were made (before I got my grinder) that I could put him to work on. I'm hesitant to teach him to use the grinder because he doesn't want to get into knife making at all, he just thinks it would be neat to own and use a knife that he made himself. So, what teaching methods/plans have worked well for you guys in the past?
 
I suggest drawing up a simple and SMALL knife (blade 3" or less, 1/8 thick), not real fancy, and let him cut it out of the steel and you talk him through the stages. With a small blade he can use files, and will appreciate the effectiveness of a grinder for later blades. I think using files for at least the first knife is a rite of passage, an initiation thing. Don't deprive him of it. ;-)

- LonePine
AKA Paul Meske, Wisconsin
 
whenever i teach someone I will build another knife right alongside theirs so they can see each and every step done exactly the way I describe.

I'll start with the bar stock,
forge my tip down, usually takes me 2 heats.
when their tip matches mine we move on (takes them a little longer...)
then I'll distal taper the bar
then start the bevels.
rough in the tang
finish forging the bevels
normalize
grind
HT
etc
 
Stephan's way is good. Trade heats when hammering. Grind side by side or take turns at the grinder. You can't stress care with the grinder too much to a newbie. Often their blades will end up really thin due to grinding mistakes. Keep checking their work while they forge and grind so that mistakes aren't made that can't be taken back.

I start people out on the grinder. Hell, the average attention span won't even last through handle and/or guard fitting, and you'll have a beginner knife half finished on your bench for months.

Try to impart a little fascination/excitement to the learning process to combat this tendency.

I try to let a person make the knife themselves. Occasionally I'll ask to step in and take a couple passes grinding or a heat to "tune things up."
 
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