Knife making kits?

[midnite-penguin]

Hey , I'm not sure if this is the best place to post this - but here I go.

I'm not a collector, I'm a user. So I only really have experience with inexpensive BUCKS /Moras when it comes to knives. However, I would like to try out an inexpensive knife kit and make something decent to gift to a friend. I googled briefly and only really found Green River kits for < $20 . I'd prefer something thats going to be sharp "out of the box" and I just have to put a handle on it more or less. I'd like to keep it under $30 usd.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Bo T]

I have bought a number of Green River kits from Jantz. All of the blades were fairly sharp when I got them. Even so the blades are easy to sharpen. A bigger concern is that to assemble those kits will take a sustantial amount of time if you don't have power tools. Even with a drill press, and cheap belt sander it will take me 3-5 hours to finish a simple belt knife. Without the power tools (the first coupl I made) figure on at least 20 hours. Also, it helps if you have the correct size rivet bits and corby bolts along with epoxy for the handle.

 

[tueller]

I might be missing something but it sounds like all you want to make is the scales. I would just by a quality skeleton knife then put my time and thought into making some nice, one of a kind scales. For $30 something like a ka-bar BK 14 and you could do all sorts of things for the handle. I'd wish you were my friend. Just a thought... I don't know anything about kits.

 

[theHobbyist]

It's pretty much what I do... I'm still trying to get my new place setup so I'm on hold for a bit... but I like the kits from knifekits.com they're sharp out of the box but a bit more than ~$20-$30. For the kids they've got a couple of "woodies" which are just all wood folders. But check it out...

The scale material is a bit pricey there so I get those from USA Knife Maker

Good luck and welcome!

 

[bdmicarta]

I'd prefer something thats going to be sharp "out of the box" and I just have to put a handle on it more or less. I'd like to keep it under $30 usd.

Sharp out of the box can be hit or miss even for knives that are much more expensive.

$30 is a tough price range. There are a number of companies that sell blades for near that price then you put your own scales on them. You can buy scale material and epoxy, or you can scrounge up some wood to use that you don't have to pay a lot of money for. You can buy the corby bolts to put the scales on with or you can just use metal pins such as brass/aluminum/stainlesssteel rod. You will have to buy some epoxy too, and lots of sandpaper to shape the finished product. Buying bolts/scales/blade online will probably cost you just over $30.

As suggested above I have also bought skeleton knives and put scales on them. You can find skeleton knives, sometimes called neck knives, lots of places but you can search online auctions for this. If you buy blade blanks make sure they come from a good knife sales company and not from Pakistan, you'll get better steel that way.

I've assembled (I don't say "made") over a half dozen knives this way. It is fun and you can be proud of the finished product. It takes me 6-10 hours to do one. I use a Sears 4" belt sander for my shaping, then do a lot of hand sanding. You can use files and wood rasps too. I don't have the patience to do all hand sanding and have to use the belt sander.

My most recent one:

 

[midnite-penguin]

I have bought a number of Green River kits from Jantz. All of the blades were fairly sharp when I got them. Even so the blades are easy to sharpen. A bigger concern is that to assemble those kits will take a sustantial amount of time if you don't have power tools. Even with a drill press, and cheap belt sander it will take me 3-5 hours to finish a simple belt knife. Without the power tools (the first coupl I made) figure on at least 20 hours. Also, it helps if you have the correct size rivet bits and corby bolts along with epoxy for the handle.

Wow, For a fixed blade knife? I can imagine 3 or 4 hours if I wanted a REALLY quality finish to it(excluding drying times for epoxy/stain/sealants etc) - Which I don't mind, I find something strangely soothing about sanding wood. I've refinished the handles on some of my past Moras and enjoyed it - hence I wanted to take this next step. 20 hours though to pop on some rivets and sand it down sounds a little high though - then again maybe that speaks to my ignorance of what it takes to put scales on a blank and make it look passably good.

I assume the kits would come with the correct size rivets?

Thanks for the input though.

 

[midnite-penguin]

Sharp out of the box can be hit or miss even for knives that are much more expensive.

$30 is a tough price range. There are a number of companies that sell blades for near that price then you put your own scales on them. You can buy scale material and epoxy, or you can scrounge up some wood to use that you don't have to pay a lot of money for. You can buy the corby bolts to put the scales on with or you can just use metal pins such as brass/aluminum/stainlesssteel rod. You will have to buy some epoxy too, and lots of sandpaper to shape the finished product. Buying bolts/scales/blade online will probably cost you just over $30.

As suggested above I have also bought skeleton knives and put scales on them. You can find skeleton knives, sometimes called neck knives, lots of places but you can search online auctions for this. If you buy blade blanks make sure they come from a good knife sales company and not from Pakistan, you'll get better steel that way.

I've assembled (I don't say "made") over a half dozen knives this way. It is fun and you can be proud of the finished product. It takes me 6-10 hours to do one. I use a Sears 4" belt sander for my shaping, then do a lot of hand sanding. You can use files and wood rasps too. I don't have the patience to do all hand sanding and have to use the belt sander.

My most recent one:

That looks great and very similar to what I imagined this process was like in my head. When I say "blank" I guess I was referring to a "skeleton" knife. Forgive me if I'm using the wrong terms - like I said this is sort of my entry into actually wanting to tinker with/assemble a knife. Do those Corby bolts just sand right down as well?

I can go over to my fathers house, he has a wood shop but I'm not sure if his belt sander is still working, I have a pad sander as well as some wood files. It would be nice to not have to purchase scales but I live in an urban environment and don't really have a lot of nice hard wood resources laying around to harvest for myself. That's why I was asking about kits, since I was hoping they come with the skeleton + scales +pins all ready to just assemble and sand down/finish.

Also, thanks again for all the response - you guys are incredibly helpful. This seems more involved than I initially thought but something I really want to do so I'm going to pursue it still after a bit more reading in this thread and researching online.

 

[bdmicarta]

When I say "blank" I guess I was referring to a "skeleton" knife.

...

That's why I was asking about kits, since I was hoping they come with the skeleton + scales +pins all ready to just assemble and sand down/finish.

"Skeleton" knife is really a knife that is finished and ready to be used. Popular examples of skeleton knives that are mentioned frequently on the forums are the Becker BK14 and the ESEE Izula. Of course you can add scales to these. In my photos you see a blade blank, one end is finished but the other end is somewhat unfinished. It could certainly be used as a skeleton knive but needs a little more finishing.

You can buy knife kits that include the blade blank, pins/bolts and scale material. I usually prefer different scale material so I buy everything separately. Most people that sell kits probably also sell the components individually, it's just a little more expensive that way.

 

[theHobbyist]

Sharp out of the box can be hit or miss even for knives that are much more expensive.
... omitted for space
My most recent one:

That looks like the one I'm going to start soon... is it the Oregon skinner?

EDIT: Removed my questions to prevent threadjacking!@

 

[Bo T]

Wow, For a fixed blade knife? I can imagine 3 or 4 hours if I wanted a REALLY quality finish to it(excluding drying times for epoxy/stain/sealants etc) - Which I don't mind, I find something strangely soothing about sanding wood. I've refinished the handles on some of my past Moras and enjoyed it - hence I wanted to take this next step. 20 hours though to pop on some rivets and sand it down sounds a little high though - then again maybe that speaks to my ignorance of what it takes to put scales on a blank and make it look passably good.

I assume the kits would come with the correct size rivets?

Thanks for the input though.

They came with cutlery rivets which have a fairly thin head. They are easy to sand through when shaping the handle. The scale material that I used was fairly hard and cutting them with a coping saw seemed to take foreever. Cleaning up the edge of the blade, shaping the handle. drilling the rivet holes and countersink so they are aligned. Glueing on the handle so it is lined up correctly, and making the symmetric from side to side all took a lot longer than I anticipated. The final steps of sanding and polishing the handle were pretty much what I expected.

 

[Phydeaux]

bdmicarta,

What type of wood did you use for your handle?

Ric

 

[bdmicarta]

bdmicarta,

What type of wood did you use for your handle?

It's called Tambotti. I have no other knowledge about that type of tree.

 

[Phydeaux]

Thanks bdmicarta. The tambotti looks great.


Ric