Ideas for starting in knife making

R

Robert L Sr

Joined
Jul 9, 2015
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I have been toying with the idea of making knives for a while. I am finally getting my shop set up after moving and decided this would be a good time to give it a go. I have been reading about how to work the steel and different types of steel, heat treating, annealing, etc. Most of this makes sense to me but the actual practice of it is not as clear as I would like. The beginner knife tutorials are great on here but I feel I am going to be asking a lot of questions.
First, should I start with a blank or just a piece of steel? It is even worth making a knife from blank? Would I learn much from the experience? I have done knife repairs in the past which mostly consist of replacing the scales (I am a pretty decent wood worker) so I kind of feel like working a pre-made blank would be much the same thing.
Any sage words of advice? I am pretty sure one guy I talked to said "run while you still have your wallet" but that could be applied to a lot of my hobbies lol.
Some background - I was a helicopter mechanic for 11 years and currently repair medical laboratory and imaging (CT, MRI, X-ray etc) equipment. I have an extensive wood working shop but my metal working shop is pretty bare at the moment. I will be getting a small bench mill and lathe next month if that is of any consequence. Feel free to ask if you need any more info on my skills or lack thereof.
Thanks in advance for any advice or answers. I am pretty excited to finally be able to try to get this underway.
 
Hi Robert:

I'm still pretty new at this myself--I've only been making knives for about one year. I certainly can't give you any sage advice, but what worked for me was to just do it. Buy a piece of steel from one of the online distributors, use whatever tools you have, and just go for it. There are many, many good videos on YouTube about basic knife making, and the guys on this forum are as helpful as you could possibly imagine. Your first few knives probably won't win any awards, but making them will be tons of fun.

I recommend the YouTube videos by Walter Sorrels and Trollsky. They've helped me a lot.

Good luck and have fun!
 
If you are ok with just puting a handle on a finished knife then get a blank. I started with a couple blanks that came sanded to 120 or so. I finish sanded them and put on some handles. This was ok but I am the kind of guy who like to do it all. If I'm gonna build a hot rod I build it from scratch(except body and frame of course:D). I don't buy one half built. Anyway, I just bought some steel and built a grinder. You can use files also, it's your preference. Just go for it. Get some 1084 if you want to ht yourself or some stainless(440c is cheap) and send it out. Worst case scenario is you screw up 20 or 30 bucks of steel. There is no substitute for practice. Start with something small and simple before you worry about swords and daggers! Have fun!
 
Thanks Matt. I think I am going to jump in all the way and see how things go from there. Do you heat treat? What equipment do you use?
 
Robert L Sr said:
Thanks Matt. I think I am going to jump in all the way and see how things go from there. Do you heat treat? What equipment do you use?
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I built an oven and do my own ht. I had a local maker that did mine before that. Fill out your profile so people know where you are and a little about you. You may be close to someone and a lot of makers doors are always open.

If you do 1084 you can ht with a torch or forge and quench in canola oil.
 
If you are going to "jump all the way in" I hope you have at least two pockets full of money, preferable 100 dollar bills and spend some of that on a good 2X72 belt grinder
Frank
 
Buy a bar of steel, use your current equipment to work with, send off for heat treat. You can likely make a very nice knife with little investment and see how you like it.

I'd buy some precision ground O1 or A2 in 1/8" thick by 1.25" tall... try some basic Hunters or Skinners. Use files/sandpaper to finish your bevels
 
Daniel, i think I will take a very basic approach on my first knives as you suggested and see how I like it and go from there. Having someone else do the HT seems like a good idea for now so i will go with that. Thanks for the suggestions.
 
Robert L Sr said:
Daniel, i think I will take a very basic approach on my first knives as you suggested and see how I like it and go from there. Having someone else do the HT seems like a good idea for now so i will go with that. Thanks for the suggestions.
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That's what I did and it worked out well for me. I literally started with a C-Clamp and files... later a HF drill press and used Craftsman 4x36 grinder. $100 budget.

My first big investment was a kiln as my wife also needed one for annealing glass beads... after that a KMG Grinder and eventually a better drill press.

Take as much time as you need to make each knife as perfect as possible.
 
Taking my time is what i worry about the most. I have been trained to work as fast as I can since I started in the military and now work repairing equipment for customers that breath down your neck if they are not back up within 10 seconds of you walking in the door. Of course working on aircraft there was no room for error lol
I do have a pretty decent drill press and will have a small mill and lathe shortly (i just have to go get it) so I will have some tools to start with.
Thanks for the advice.
 
If you are going to buy a good belt grinder, I suggest you look at one made by Travis Wertz , I hope the spelling on his name is correct, and pay particular attention to his surface grinder. Not long into knife making you will find this to be a very desirable piece of equipment to have.
Frank
 
Thar TW grinder is a good looking machine. I am not sure at the moment if I am going to purchase on or try to build one. Probably depends on my wife lol. Thanks for the info.
 
Hey Robert,you can always build your second one.:D. If I had a do over I'd go with the TW.
 
Lu, lol I am not sure I will need two, convincing my wife to let me get one might be a challenge itself.
There is so much information on this site, it is astounding. I have been watching videos and reading articles for weeks before I signed up and I have yet to scratch the surface. I do feel like when my steel arrives, I will have a fair chance of actually turning out something that will be a useful tool though.
 
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