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How much money do I need to start?

H

Hair

Joined
Nov 9, 2005
Messages
1,455
I've been kicking around the idea of getting into knife making.

I originally wanted to start by putting nicer handles on Mora blades, but I really want to design and create my own blades. Putting nicer handles on Moras might be a good start, but it would only be a start.

How much money does it take to buy all of the machary and tools to create my own knife from scratch? How much for fixed blades? How much for folders?

Also, how much space will I need? Is half of a 2-car garage enough?

Can anyone give me a sort of "checklist" of what I would need and approximate costs?

Words of encouragement (you can do this!) or discouragement (you shouldn't try knife making without training) are also welcome.

Thanks in advance.
 
you can start with all hand tools and start cheap -alot of fine knife makers started this way or if you have the bankroll you can spend alot and purchase the finest equipment available-- having good equipment will get ya farther ahead quicker but there is a learning curb either way these tutorials
will give something to study : http://www.knivesby.com/knifemaking.html
 
More money than you plan on making for quite some time:D
You wanted both and it is usually true.
My shop is half a garage works fine
MIN of at least $2000 if you buy just the basics
SPEND $1000 and buy a KMG grinder to start
the rest will fall into place as you need it
 
killerknives said:
you can start with all hand tools and start cheap -alot of fine knife makers started this way or if you have the bankroll you can spend alot and purchase the finest equipment available-- having good equipment will get ya farther ahead quicker but there is a learning curb either way these tutorials
will give something to study : http://www.knivesby.com/knifemaking.html
Click to expand...

Great answer, thanks.

I have seen that site before, but I lost my bookmarks recently, so now I can bookmark it again. Thanks!
 
Consider buying the book "$50 Knife Shop" by Wayne Goddard. that's about as cheap as one can get.

Once one starts buying machinery, the cost escalates quickly over $1000, and once the tool junkie bug bites it isn't hard at all to turn around one day and realize you've invested $30,000 in a shop.
 
an inexpensive drillpress,a coping saw,a few files and sandpaper.you have a handle...........
samithird.jpg


add a hole in the ground with some charcol and air supply,a hammer and tongs,a piece of railroad track or other useful piece of steel for an anvil.you have all you really need.
 
fitzo- I'll pick the book up next Friday after I get paid. Sounds like a good, cheap way to get started. 1-2 grand for all of the "real" stuff is not out of the question, though. It's less than I expected.

Shakudo- I like it. Seems nice knives can be made without a lot of expensive tools.
 
I've gotten into it all slowly, a peice of machinery at a time, and 2 grand is probably a pretty good figure for having the basics.
I'd recommend that you don't just hit the bank and then the store though and try to stock your shop all at once. Its better to get into it slowly, figure out what your interest level is, and what your style is. Everyone has their own methods and prefers one machine or another for different reasons.

I will recommend that you invest in a good 2X72 belt grinder. I went without for several years, and after finally buying one I regret waiting so long. A good quality one will run you from about $700- to as much as you want to spend.....but they hold their value much better than other tools. In the event that you're not happy with that particular machine, or don't have that level of interest you can get most of your money back from a good quality belt grinder (KMG, Wilton, Bader, Coote etc. )
A drill press is also pretty much a necessity from the get go, but you don't need one very big. You can get them for about $50 for a low end import, or about $200 for something like a small delta (which is still an import, but is in a different class than the HF machines)

With both of those and some hand tools, you can make a knife just fine. And as you get more involved in it you can figure out what else you want to do.
 
It never ends. God help me if I ever lose my thirst for more equipment, more supplies, and more more MORE! You can never have enough, and there is no such thing as a tool you will never need. :thumbup:
 
The $50 knife shop is an excellent book and a good read, but for a beginning "how to" book, I'd recommend Tim McCreight's "Custom Knifemaking" - very much a step by step guide for the beginner covering tools, materials, design, sheath making, and ten step by step projects - everything from a simple paring knife to some embellished folders - all presuming only hand tools - but explaining the use of many of the power tools as well.

It wasn't my first 'how to' book - but it is my first choice.

Rob!
 
Here a good list of stuff you might want to get:

- a metal cutting bandsaw. HF's 4x6 is Da King, $140 ($169 - 20%
coupons they publish every other week) $20 for a quality bi-metal
blade, 18tpi

- a drill press. As long as you're willing to spend $300 on a good one, might want to get HF's MiniMill ($470 - 20%) instead. A mill is a very
nice thing to have

- workbench. Can biuld your own I am sure

- drummmmm rollllll .... Belt Grinder. 2x72 is the golden standard for belt
size. Don't waste any of your money on 1x30, it has no power. You can build your own, like I and countless others did (see Goddard's book for "Big Red") for may be $250 in parts, using HF's $109 grinder/buffer as foundation OR buy one for $700-2000. Or, start with Sears' 2x42 belt/disk
combo, if you can find it in one of local stores ($120 list, but sold for as low as $60 for old display units)


- buffer. In my case, it is "integrated" into the grinder. This is pretty cheap, $50 for a decent one (HF)

- belts, files, plyers. HF is your best bet here for everything but belts.

- for heat-treating stuff in-house you'd need an oven. Gamut here from Goddard's one-brick+Benzomatic ($50 total cost) to DIY electrical oven
($200 in ebay kills and bricks from local ceramics supply store) to $600+
for commercial kiln.


- totally optional: no metalworking shop is complete w/o a lathe. HF's 7x12 is the golden standard for HSM ($500 - 20%)

- somewhat optional: a good woodworking bandsaw. In a pinch, the metalcutting saw will work, but a worthy male outta have one :)

Grizzly's ultimate 14" is the golden standard @ $425. Sears' new 12" is not too shabby, albeit somewhat underpowered ($255 for Craftsman club members). Grizz is 6" but will go to 12" height with riser block, Craftsman is fixed @ 7 1/4". Spare self aggravation and get Timberwolf blade (and read through tons of info on their website, well worth the time)

admiralsteel.com's shop is a very good source for steel.
 
Hey all, my first post. Woohoo.
I am in the same boat as you, just starting, kind of slow. I got the $50 Knife Shop Book. I am trying to get by on what I have in the garage already for now (underpowered grinder, drill press, vise, etc.) I bought some 440 from Texas Knifemakers Supply to start with. Started my first blade and am very excited about it, its more fun than I thought it would be. I found that I need a better set of files, a belt grinder (and at some point a bandsaw). Does anyone know of any good knifemaking resources near Memphis TN?
 
Hair,
You can get a great start with a few thousand. It is mostly a matter of time. With a hacksaw a file and some sandpaper you can make an excellent knife in 100 hrs or so. With some power tools that time can be cut to 20 hrs even for your first knife. Here are some suggestions in my personal order of importance.
A 2 x 72 grinder I have a bader and I love it
a metal cutting bandsaw
a drill press
Go to your local chainsaw supplier and get some oregon files. The 6"flats are useful for filing guards and so are the round files. You can grind 2 sides off the rounds for hogging on guards.
Buy cobalt drill bits and bimetal bandsaw blades from the start, they are worth it. Buy half a dozen of both in whatever size you need but 18 tpi bandsaw blades are what I use. 1/8" drill bits likewise
buy whatever sanding belts you feel like, the best for rough grinding blades are 50 or 60 grit.
however, for hand sanding buy only 3m sheets with the yellow backing, again they are worth it.
A wood cutting bandsaw is useful but not essential
A buffer is also useful but not essential
You can buy all of the stuff for $2000 or a little more depending on how much of the consumables(belts,blades bits and sandpaper).
The other supplies you will need are blade steel, handle and guard material.
A $100 will get you started here, enough for half a dozen knives if you keep away from damascus and ivory or pearl.
These are things you may want to get into later but practice with the less expensive stuff first.
Anything else you need let me know.
I do heat treating of simple carbon steels, so if you need that service let me know.
Del
My shop is 14 x 18 and I have a lot of forging equiment too. Its crowded, but I have enough room. Half a garage is more than enough room to start.
 
I can't believe you lost your bookmarks:D
welcome aboard the bug wagon.
you can spend many thousands or very little, but before you spend a lot make sure you have the knack for it, the want and the ability are two different things, if your hands do what your brain says that's a great start.:D you'll know very soon if you got it or not..:)
 
I'm a blademaking newb also. Do a search on this forum for the Po-Boy knife. All you gotta have is an old Nicholson file. I get them at the pawn shop for ~1 dollar. I've made seven knives so far. I get to practice my grinding and handle making. The only heat treat is annealing, and you can do that in your wife's oven. I want to learn to forge a blade, and a nice guy form this forum has offered to teach me some things, but its nice to see I at least have the beginnings of a knifemaker before turning my woodshop into a metal shop. I already have a 1x42 grinder by delta, a 6x48 and 12" disc sander by delta and a grinder. Most of my tools are rebuilt old tools from Redmond and Sons. If you are near Atlanta stop at Redmond and Sons and you'll just about loose it. Its a huge warehouse full of old tools. Disney for men.:D
 
I agree with the recommendation of The $50 Knife Shop by Wayne Goddard. Step-By-Step Knifemaking... by David Boye is also a good place to start. For just starting out, I would recommend that you avoid spending much money on tools/equipment devoted solely to knifemaking. Lots of folks try it and find out it's not for them. There's no reason to have a ton invested in a bunch of equip. 'till you're sure you're gonna stick with it. Also, I would start with stainless steel and send it out for heat treating. After you're sure you're addicted to this, you can get a forge, heat treat oven, or whatever your fancy and heat treat your own. In the meantime, read all you can about the subject.

My reccomendations to start:

The 1" x 30" belt sander from Harbor freight for around $30- It's certainly not the best, or even decent, but it beats the crap out of draw filing, and only costs about twice as much as a good, big file.

Some belts-just get the cheap ones from HF. 1" x 30" belts don't last long, regardless of where they're from. Plan to use at least 4 or 5 per blade. get the lowest grit you can find and the highest you can find for cleanup work, probably 50 grit and 120 grit.

Lots of good, wet or dry sandpaper, every grit from around 100 to 800. You can go all the way to 2000. You can find this in the automotive section at most Walmarts, or at most auto parts stores.

Handle material can be had from any knife supply store. Try Jantz Supply-www.knifemaking.com, or do a search for Texas Knifemaker's Supply. There are many others as well.

Handle pinning material can be bought from the handle supplier, or you can go to your local welding shop and get a couple of stainless welding rods.

A drill press, or a hand held drill, and some bits- a pack the size of your pinning material and one a few sizes bigger to make a funnel in the pin holes. The press is much better, but you can do ok with a hand held model.

A bar of steel, say 1/8" x 1" x 18" of 154CM, $16.95 from Jantz Supply, probably cheaper from Admiral (www.admiralsteel.com). This size is big enough for two medium sized blades.

You can get your blades heat treated at Texas Knifemaker's Supply very reasonably, and there are several other places that you can find on the net. Be sure to get the cryo.


That will get you started for under $100, and you can add equipment as your skill develops. Having a $1000 grinder won't make you a good knifemaker, only experience and desire can do that. Why not get some experience, see if you still have the desire, and then get the expensive toys.:)

Todd
 
Holy moly guys! Thanks for all of the help.

I think I will start off with the $50 Knife Shop and Tim McCreight's "Custom Knifemaking" and see what I can do with hand tools ( I already have most of what I need looking at your checklists). If I am still interested, I will get some starter power tools that you all have listed. Sending the blade out to be heat treated also seems like a good idea.

Thanks again for the help. I know this goes without saying, but the knife making-community is very helpful and welcoming!

I won't be getting started for a month or so, but when I do, I will let your know my progress and probably have a ton of questions :D
 
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