Is there a budget shop thread?

J

johnnyKnives

Joined
Sep 21, 2008
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Looking for pictures and supplies in a basic, low budget shop. I do not mean the $50 knife shop. I figure may $500 or less, bought tools (no washing machine belt sanders). I didn't know if there was a thread for it already. I'm sorry if this has been asked a hundred times already. I have been searching the threads for "budget shop."
 
No, I don't believe you will find a thread for the low budget shop. As I've written else where. In my opinion, You need a good 2" X 72" belt grinder, a good drill press. and a metal cutting band saw you can also use for cutting wood. Yes these will cost well over $500. And we didn't get to material such as blade steel, handle material and grinder belts. As well to make this "buget shop" even a more pricey thing is the fact you will try to make many knives before you may finish one that isn't too ugly for you to use. Sorry, but that's it or go out and spend $50 for some files and give it a try. Frank
 
Buy old equipment and repair it. I just got my band saw for $60 when it would normally be $300 and an 8g surface grinder for $1300. In my opinion its the best way to get quality equipment without spending an arm and a leg.

Also don't buy a 4x36 sander. WAY underpowered, too wide of a belt, and don't last very long.
 
Here are my thoughts on the whole subject of starting costs. I also want to give my opinion on the subject of buying a 2x72" grinder to start. I don't think it has to be one extreme or the other and this is a hot-button issue for me.

Do you want to start making some knives for yourself and for the personal enjoyment of doing it definitely want to keep the initial costs under $500?
Or do you know yourself well and are sure you want to do this for the long run and are willing to save up and buy the best from the start? You can make 1 or 3 useable knives from files and sandpaper, but if you are obsessed with this as a hobby or source of income, that approach won't cut it. I started that way and spent many hours filing and sanding. Nobody tells you but you end up spending money due to wearing out hacksaw blades and files that could have been better used.

If you only want to spend $500 at most to start, have other hobbies and interests you spend money on, or are driving a car with 175,000 miles and can't afford new brakes, I think you're foolish to spend $1000.00 for hobby start up costs. If you have been passionate about this for a long time and really want to get up to speed making knives as quickly as possible, and are sure you will stick with it, then go ahead and save up.

There are people on these forums that make knives by cutting out the shape with a cheap angle grinder, grind the knife on a $130.00 Sears 2x42 belt sander and appropriate belts, drill tang holes with a variable speed hand drill and send the blades out to someone like Texas Knifemakers Supply for the heat treat. If you don't have to have a hollow ground blade or a really thick or large blade, you can make some really nice knives this way to start. Keep in mind that the cost of steel, belts, handle material, heat treatment and shipping will add another $100.00.

I have a Coote 2x72" grinder now and a Sears drill press but cut my blades out with a 4.5" angle grinder I bought at Harbor Freight on sale for $9.99.
I don't regret the $99.00 I spent on my Sears 2x42 5 years ago. I have numerous knives from it that I really like, enjoyed making, and learned from. In my financial circumstances, it would have been another year at least before I could afford the 2x72 and I still would have had to save up for steel and belts.

We never hear from the guys that lost interest or gave up before they even started because they thought they had to have a certain level of equipment to start. This is the only hobby I've seen where people advise you to spend over $1000.00 to start, without knowing anything about your financial situation, character and stick-to-it-ivness. I think that's bad advice.

To sum it up, if you are sure you are dead serious and aren't eating ramen noodles every meal, maybe you should save up some more. If you want to wet your feet and see how it goes, or $1000.00 is just not justifiable to start a hobby, start off cheaper. I don't think it's a waste of money. Finally, if you saw 3/16" blade out with a hacksaw, you'll never want to do it again.

That's the end of my monologue. I don't have a digital camera. Anyone have photos of a nice knife they made with a cheap 1x42 or 2x42 grinder?

Gerry Hamrick
 
Everyone loves a good deal , my moto is you get what you pay for. Unless your a hell of a machinist/ welder/ electrician/ handy man. I bought my grinder I could have made one but not as good as the one I bought now that I have it I know I could duplicate it easily. My vice was 75 bucks and I use it on every knife lots of small clamps for glueing and sheath clamping . Bought them at the dollar store say 10 spring clamps and 10 small pistol type. Aset of nicloson files 100 bucks dont buy cheaper files . Rubber hammer, 4 oz ball pin , centre punch, 1 hp grinder take off grinding disc and put on 8 inch buffing wheels 2 in wide. oh ya thats another 100 bucks. then the grinder you can get away with some 2x72 for the 4 to 500 mark but you get what you pay for . mine was 1500 and worth every penny. I had a 1x30 and went through 100 belts in 2 months. Here s the difference, Istarted a blade last night ground for 15 min got the profile and started the hollow grind. Tonight I finished the knife ready for heat treat and sanded to 320. That took me just under 2 hours to do. I am a new maker but on my other machine ide be drinding for 8 to 10 hours and the grinds would be poor to say the least. The ceramic belts on a 2x72 last for a long timeI havent wore out to many and most of those were because of glue. Take my advice buy a kmg or a kmg clone and take the plunge you wont regret it.
 
A budget Shop.Here is what I started with.
Angle grinder from Hrbor Freight for profiling.
2X42 sears grinder
Small drill press from Harbor Freight.
You can get all the above for around 200 bucks.Spend the rest on belts and steel,sand paper,some handle material and pin stock and make some knives.
If you really get into it then start saving for a good grinder and upgrade a little at a time.
Hope this helps some.
Stan
 
gshamr I agree about the money but if its something you really want to do then save up or spend the money, I have a brand new 1x30 i got replaced on warranty right at the time i bought my kmg clone I only use it to buff pin stock and have neve sanded a thing on it since it was replaced. The cheap tools I had are in the garbage cuzz i dont want to have a tool fail and cause an injury. One more thing is saftey gear a good repirator and goggles thats another 75 bucks and are a MUST. Ialso agree with the 2x42 from sears lots of people use them and its a cheaper temporary grinder. Keep in mind belts are not cheap . hope this helps you out.
 
Hellgap,

I agree with you on that point....if it is something you really want to do long term, or you can save up enough money within a year. I hope I made that clear to the OP.

I just want to express to the OP and other potential knifemakers that it isn't a clear cut choice between making a junk knife and spending $1500.00 to start. I doubt newbies realize at first how much the cost for materials, safety equipment, etc., cost. We also don't know whether some of these guys are 18 year olds, 50 year olds, or guys that started 5 different hobbies in the last three years-quitting all of them.

When I started, I was still married and we had very little spending money. I really only had $30 extra spending money for myself for the whole month, sometimes. I think there are other guys like that. $1500 to start is just not gonna happen for them.

Best regards,
Gerry Hamrick
 
I'm in about the same boat that Stan started in, with the craftsman 2x42 and a drill press I've had for 15 yrs. Those are the only power tools I really use much, except the scroll saw for a few things I could easily use something else for. I made a forge for heat treating (charcoal, and I only use 1080) and bought an anvil and a hammer and some tongs. All of the equipment and expendables (my first orders of steel and belts, etc) cost me about $500. In 4 months I made enough from knives to pay off the equipment and now make fair return for the little time I'm able to devote to it.

You asked for pictures of knives made with the craftsman? Check out my brother's website (he makes knives too): www.frycustomknives.com or mine: www.travisknives.com. We've both got galleries of our work there. Whether they're any good or not is a matter of opinion, I guess.

There's no reason to spend too much on a new hobby until you know if it'll stick.
 
The absolute best , and cheapest thing you should do , is put your location in your profile , seek out someone else in your area who might be willing to walk you thru making a knife so you can see what is involved.
 
(All of the equipment and expendables (my first orders of steel and belts, etc) cost me about $500. In 4 months I made enough from knives to pay off the equipment and now make fair return for the little time I'm able to devote to it. )

That's a great example and I do like your knives. Maybe I should sell some knives to support my exotic wood/handle scale addiction.:thumbup:
 
I used the 2X42 from sears for almost 3 years.It bought me a KMG.:D
Stan
 
Ray Laconico has what I would consider a low budget shop. Here are some pics of it from when I visited him a couple months back. If you are looking to gear up to get started making knives I highly suggest his simple way of doing things.

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Here is the knife Ray and I made (mostly Ray).
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None of Ray's tools are top of the line, honesty many of them are harbor freight tools. His shop is small, very simple, and extremely minimalist.

I have been gearing up for a while now. Have just about every power tool in Ray's show and just recently purchased a metal cutting bandsaw just like his on craig's list for less than $100 bucks. Keeping things simple and getting tools that will get the job done well, opposed to getting top of line tools will save you money and get you started quicker. I don't have a large belt grinder like Ray, but before he got that he said he used his cheap little belt/dic sander in the pics. Just takes a bit more time.

I would scour craig's list for tools you are looking for. My two bandsaws metal/wood were both off of criag'slist and I spent less than $150 total for both.

Or...you could just go old school. Which is my primary interest in knifemaking. No electricity. Just fire, hammer, and files.

Two knives I forged from files. Haven't had a change to finish them yet. No electricity, shaped with a hammer and files.
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How much patience do you have? How fast do you want to make knives?

If you have patience, and don't mind that it may take a while to make a knife, then a good bench vice, some good quality files, a drill press, a firebrick, a propane torch, and several packs of wet/dry quality sandpaper will get you started with plenty left over from that $500 for steel, adhesives, and handle material.
 
Wordsmith is my brother, and I put him on that path. I've got the craftsman 2x42, a HF angle grinder that was a nice addition I did without for quite a while, a HF vise, and a sears drill press. I use 1080, and heat treat in a charcoal forge in my back yard. He linked to my site, all but about 10 of those knives were made on the craftsman, and the other 10 were done with just files and sandpaper. I've made 67 knives in about 18 months, and it sure pays for my fishing and bails out my wife's economy when Obama fails to send her a personal check. I'd consider mine a "budget shop." Nothing home made yet except the forge, but I have a two speed 3/4 HP motor waiting to become either a buffer or a disk grinder when I get around to it.
 
First post here.. I'm a complete noob when it comes to knife making and have nothing useful to add other than just a personal opinion with regards to harbor freight.

Yes, their tools are really cheap.. but I will say, I have bought tools at harbor freight that, well, work... some of their tools don't work well... some do.. I bought a variable speed jigsaw for 25.00 that works as well as any name brand I've bought.. up until my recent fascination with knife making I've mostly done a lot of wood working... I've got a 600.00 dewalt combination sliding miter saw and a 100.00 skil table saw.. I've got a 250.00 biscuit joiner and a 25.00 hf jig saw... so I have quality stuff and cheap stuff.. I pay what I can when I can..

I'm thinking about getting a hf belt sander to start out with on my first knives.. I would like to get something better.. but funds are low right now.. hf tools have a decent warranty so if you break it, take it back... maybe the next one will be better.. :thumbup:
 
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