Helping me make a knife!

S

spydercomil

Joined
Jul 9, 2010
Messages
211
Hi! I have decided to take the plunge and try and make my first knife. I was wondering what would be the cheapest way to make one, and what materials I would need. I will buy what I need too but I am willing to put in extra work if it is necessary. Please lend me some of your knowledge. Thanks.
Ps. I would like it to be a hidden tang puukko design if possible, but if you could recomend an easier, more confidence building blade and handle style it would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks again.
 
read Bladsmith's sticky thread at the top on How to make a knife. Actually read em all! They have sooooo much info. I recommend 1080 or 1075 steel as its fairly easy to anneal, treat and temper with a make shift forge. But definitely the number one tool you'll need is a belt sander, in my opinion. Best way to do it. You could even do it with a rasp/file if you wanted, but it takes a couple breaks and a lot of time to do so. Heck maybe it will mean more that way, plus will save you a large sum of money. What you thinking for the material for the handle?
 
I was thinking of ... wood? Im not really sure. Is there a cheaper alternative in steel? I heared you could use a saw blade or a file. Could i do it with just a file and a hot fire? how could i temper the knife? I have seen a few different how to's, but none really tell you the materials you need to make it. I would kind of like to use a file to make it but im not sure what kind. Thank you soo much. My stepdad has been working himself into an early grave, and i think a cool project like this is what he might need.
 
Have you seen this ?

The Standard Reply to Newbies v8

The answer to a 13 year old student is different than to a 40 year old engineer, and you may have a helpful neighbour.
We can often recommend a local supplier, but that depends on where you are.
Fill out your profile with your location (Country and State at least), age, education, employment.

Look at the stickies at the top; many are expired, but not all.

The basic process in the simplest terms

Absolute Cheapskate Way to Start Making Knives-Printable PDF
Absolute Cheapskate Way to Start Making Knives-Website

This is a very detailed set of instructions by Stacy E.Apelt.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=694673


Books

A list of books and videos on the KnifeDogs Forum
http://www.knifedogs.com/showthread.php?t=5285

BladeForums - E-books or book previews Google books
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603203

I like:
David Boye-Step by Step Knifemaking
Tim McCreight-Custom Knifemaking: 10 Projects from a Master Craftsman
These are clear, well organized, widely available and inexpensive too.

Knife Design:
On the Google books thread, you can find
Lloyd Harding drawings
and
the Loveless book with large variety of proven classic styles.
Google books thread


Forging Books:
Lorelei Sims-The Backyard Blacksmith
An excellent modern book with great colour photos for forging in general - no knifemaking.

Jim Hrisoulas- has 3 books on forging knives. Check for the new cheaper paperback editions.
The Complete Bladesmith: Forging Your Way to Perfection
The Pattern-Welded Blade: Artistry in Iron
The Master Bladesmith: Advanced Studies in Steel


The $50 knife Shop
It is a popular book, but it confused me for a long time.
Forging is NOT necessary, you can just file and grind everything away to create a knife (stock removal)

The goop quench is total Bull, commercial quench oils are available, even grocery store canola oil works much better.

Junkyard steels require the skills of an experienced smith to identify the steel and heat treat it properly.
You can buy proper steel like 1084 very cheaply.
(Mentioned in the new edition)

I like cable damascus, but that is an advanced project that has no place in a beginners book.

The home built grinders are the best thing about this book, but there is now a huge amount of info on 2x72” belt grinders on the web, including excellent free plans.

Videos

Heat Treating Basics Video-downloadable
http://www.archive.org/download/gov.ntis.ava08799vnb1/ava08799vnb1_512kb.mp4

Many specific how to knifemaking videos are available, some are better than others.

The best overall Knifemaking video I have seen is
“Steve Johnson-Making a Sub-Hilt Fighter”

The best video on leather sheath making I have seen is
“Custom Knife Sheaths -Chuck Burrows - Wild Rose”
-(Paul Long has 2 new videos I haven’t seen yet, his sheath work is fantastic. I hope the videos are too)

You can see a list of videos and reviews at this rental company; some are worth buying, some renting…
They are slow to get new titles and wait times can be measured in months,
http://smartflix.com/store/category/9/Knifemaking

Green Pete's Free Video
Making a Mora bushcraft knife, stock removal, hand tools, neo tribal / unplugged heat treat.
"Green Pete" posted it free using torrent files.

Greenpete Knifemaking Basics-on TPB
You can also find it on YouTube broken into 4 parts.


Steel
The “welding steel” at Home Depot / Lowes… is useless for knives.
If you want to ship out for heat treating, you can use A2, CM154, ATS34, s30v 440C, plus many others.

If you want to heat treat yourself, find some 1070, 1080, 1084,
1084 FG sold by Aldo Bruno is formulated just for knifemaking.

You can find a list of suppliers here
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=699736

Aldo’s website inventory is unreliable, call instead.
http://njsteelbaron.com/


Heat Treating
You do not have to buy a lot of equipment to start with.
You can send out for heat treating, 10 or 15 $ per blade

This is a PDF brochure which gives good general info
http://www.buckknives.com/resources/pdf/Paul_Bos_Brochure.pdf

http://www.petersheattreat.com/
http://www.texasknife.com/vcom/about_us.php
http://www.knifemaker.ca/ (Canadian)


Grinder / Tools

Hand Tools
You can do it all by hand with files and abrasive paper like the Green Pete video.

Photo of a nice bevel filing jig .
http://www.flemingknives.com/imagesPrime/FileStation/KPicB007.jpg

Entry Level Grinders
Many makers start with the Sears Craftsman 2x42 belt grinder.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00921513000P?prdNo=3

Commercial Production 2 x 72” Belt Grinders
http://www.prometheanknives.com/shop-techniques-3/grinders

Mapp arm
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=466024


DIY 2 x 72” Belt Grinders

KMG Clone
Free Plans
http://www.dfoggknives.com/PDF/GrinderPlans.pdf

NWG No Weld Grinder
http://www.usaknifemaker.com/plans-for-the-no-weld-grinder-sander-nearly-50-pages-p-723.html

EERF Grinder (EERF =“Free” backwards)
Free plans
http://wilmontgrinders.com/EERFGrinder.aspx
http://blindhogg.com/blueprints.html

Buy the kit
http://polarbearforge.com/grinder_kit.html
 
You can buy a good blade fairly cheap if you want to go that way.It's how I got started.I would be willing to talk you through the whole process if you want to give me a call.Email me if you like.
 
Good posts guys. Those should help out a lot for you. email me as well, I have some files for you, and a recommendation to a place that sells 1080, and 1075 for 7-12$ for a 48" by 1" piece of bar stock! you can make at the bare minimum 4 12" knives with this! or make smaller ones and Have a TON of left overs for practice or more knives.
 
You probably noticed, but just in case.
Texas Knifemakers Supply is in Houston. Your profile shows you are from Houston also.
You might want to make a run by their place and check out what all they have.
Lee
 
The only things you "need" to make a knife are:

1. Something to cut a blank out: Hacksaw works and is fantastic exercise, angle grinder with a cutting wheel is better, metal cutting bandsaw is best. Don't bother trying a wood one they run too fast and you'll destroy the blade on the saw.

2. Files (designed for metal), sandpaper, and a lot of elbow grease.

3. Something to drill holes, a hand drill will do but have to be very careful when drilling holes for your pins/rivets in the handle because you need to be perfectly square. A variable speed drill press is better. Technically you can do a wrap on a handle and not even need to put a set of scales on it.

That's basically it. You can send your blade out for heat treating for about 15-20 bucks and in my opinion much better than trying to do it on your own. Both in cost and time efficiency making a knife with just the above tools will be enough work in itself. Why not have someone who knows what they're doing HT the blade for you so you know it will be done to perfect standards or risk ruining it all in the HT? You'll have plenty of time to get into doing HT on future knives once your skills improve.

I would also suggest a do a knife with a set of scales on it for your first rather than a hidden tang but that's just my .02. Just a basic drop point style knife, basic simple design would be my suggestion for a first. If you want to see a WIP I did with my first knife using basically just files and paper, you can check this thread. I had some help with the cutting out of the blank, drilling the holes, and the HT from Stacy but everything else was done mostly by hand. The limited time I brough in a power tool it actually did more harm than good and I had to actually fix what it did by hand. It's a long read but it was the journey through my first knife. I just wish I have more free time now to get back in my shop :(........*sigh* soon I hope.
 
Fletch Helical said:
The only things you "need" to make a knife are:

1. Something to cut a blank out: Hacksaw works and is fantastic exercise, angle grinder with a cutting wheel is better, metal cutting bandsaw is best. Don't bother trying a wood one they run too fast and you'll destroy the blade on the saw.

2. Files (designed for metal), sandpaper, and a lot of elbow grease.

3. Something to drill holes, a hand drill will do but have to be very careful when drilling holes for your pins/rivets in the handle because you need to be perfectly square. A variable speed drill press is better. Technically you can do a wrap on a handle and not even need to put a set of scales on it.

That's basically it. You can send your blade out for heat treating for about 15-20 bucks and in my opinion much better than trying to do it on your own. Both in cost and time efficiency making a knife with just the above tools will be enough work in itself. Why not have someone who knows what they're doing HT the blade for you so you know it will be done to perfect standards or risk ruining it all in the HT? You'll have plenty of time to get into doing HT on future knives once your skills improve.

I would also suggest a do a knife with a set of scales on it for your first rather than a hidden tang but that's just my .02. Just a basic drop point style knife, basic simple design would be my suggestion for a first. If you want to see a WIP I did with my first knife using basically just files and paper, you can check this thread. I had some help with the cutting out of the blank, drilling the holes, and the HT from Stacy but everything else was done mostly by hand. The limited time I brough in a power tool it actually did more harm than good and I had to actually fix what it did by hand. It's a long read but it was the journey through my first knife. I just wish I have more free time now to get back in my shop :(........*sigh* soon I hope.
Click to expand...
Thanks guys, this is what im looking for. Im going to make the knife on an hunting trip I have coming up and then I will post. Im going to go ahead and heat treat this one on my own, but my second one will be made from 01 annilated bar steel instead of a file. That one will be sent in. Im starting to get more and more supplies for it so Ill be saving up for all the supplies ill need to make pro. knives. I will need a ton of practice, but all I have is time. You guys here have inspired me to go for something I didnt think I was capable of doing, thanks.
 
Go hunting on your hunting trip, clean your guns and sharpen your skinners in your spare time around camp......make the knife at home where you will have time and resources. It will take a lot more time than you will have on the trip, anyway.

I would second getting a puuko style blade from TKS and making a first knife from a pre-made blade. Knifekits.com sells great knife kits,too.

I usually suggest a full tang to start with, but a hidden tang is fine ,too.(Just one more skill to master at a point when everything is new.)
 
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