I like to tinker.

J

James Wayne Lamb

Joined
May 24, 2017
Messages
24
Hello everyone. Newbie alert.

Just real quick, I'm that guy that likes to tinker around in the shop. Whether it's wood, metal, mechanics, or whatever. I just love working with tools. Well, I've kinda fallen for making knives. I picked it up from my dad. He made a knife for me, and it grabbed my interest, and for some reason it's all I can think about now.
I was doing some research for a beginner project I'm starting, and I stumbled across this forum, and I have to say, "there is some really, really good talent here".
I'm hoping to learn a few things, and some day, produce a knife that will make others say, "wow", just like I have since I've been trolling for the past few hours.
 
Thank you sir.
I'm having a little trouble navigating the forums. My apologies to the MODS if I started this thread in the wrong place.
 
Welcome

No problem with your placement of this thread, it is moved here now.

Look in the stickys at the top of the Shop Talk page and in the "All the Good Info" sticky you will find the "How-To tutorial for making a knife" thread.

The best starter project is a drop point hunter with a 3" blade and a 4" handle. 1084 is a very good choice for the steel if you will be doing the HT yourself. 1/8" thick is more than thick enough.

Draw up some sketches and let us see what you come up with before you start shaping it in steel.
 
I'll second the advice you've received. I usually recommend something along the lines of a small drop point or a bird and trout to people starting out.
It's not too difficult of a project (provided you don't try getting too fancy with it) and you'll have a very usable knife after.
 
Welcome! Yes! As mentioned, pick something on the smaller side. A skinner or a paring/kitchen knife is a good place to start.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Welcome

No problem with your placement of this thread, it is moved here now.

Look in the stickys at the top of the Shop Talk page and in the "All the Good Info" sticky you will find the "How-To tutorial for making a knife" thread.

The best starter project is a drop point hunter with a 3" blade and a 4" handle. 1084 is a very good choice for the steel if you will be doing the HT yourself. 1/8" thick is more than thick enough.

Draw up some sketches and let us see what you come up with before you start shaping it in steel.
Click to expand...

Stacy,

I'm not sure the tutorial link is working. When I try and follow the link it gives me an error claiming the forum could not be found. Anyone else have this problem?
 
I just tried and the links work fine for me. Give it another try.
 
Welcome also. I spent the first month just reading the stickies over and over. LOTS of valuable information there for just about any skill level. Good luck in your endeavor and get ready to buy LOTS of tools! lol Not that you have to but it's addiction after the first knife!
 
Thanks for the welcomes.

My first (real) knife is a simple file knife. I'm picking at it a little at a time, taking it slow, and trying to be as maticulous as possible.

To see if I actually had it in me to make a knife, I bought some crappy 3"x16"x 1/8" flat bar from Lowe's. Sketched out a modified Kukri design, and just started cutting and filing. Of course this metal is really soft and easy to work with, but I wont heat treat and do a "final finish" on it. Just a small piece to tinker with to get an idea.
I'll try to post some pics to get some feedback on what I've done so far.

Thanks again for the welcomes.
 
The steel from lowes can't be hardened. It's low carbon steel. Steel with carbon percentages between 0.70-1.2% are typically used for knives, with the 0.75-0.85% carbon being ideal for most knives. Steel from lowes is 0.18%.
 
Warren, I don't think he has any intention of trying to harden it. He's just trying to get a sense of the work involved with the scrap steel.

James, Welcome. A lot of new makers come through here. The ones that progress that quickest are the ones that pay attention and follow advice. A Kukri is an advanced project. You may be setting yourself up for frustration or dismal results. The point of starting with a simple design like a small drop point hunter is not the knife you make. The take away is the skills you will learn and the confidence to build on those skills as the difficulty of your knives progress. I know you are eager and probably have some tinkering skills but start simple. You will pick this stuff up faster that way.
 
i4Marc said:
Warren, I don't think he has any intention of trying to harden it. He's just trying to get a sense of the work involved with the scrap steel.

James, Welcome. A lot of new makers come through here. The ones that progress that quickest are the ones that pay attention and follow advice. A Kukri is an advanced project. You may be setting yourself up for frustration or dismal results. The point of starting with a simple design like a small drop point hunter is not the knife you make. The take away is the skills you will learn and the confidence to build on those skills as the difficulty of your knives progress. I know you are eager and probably have some tinkering skills but start simple. You will pick this stuff up faster that way.
Click to expand...

I figured as much, I was just adding that it couldn't be hardened, even though he stated he wouldn't try to harden it.

I agree with your advice on a simple knife. A drop pint hunter, edc, or even a paring knife are a good place to start.
 
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