Looking to get in to knife making

G

Grandalen

Joined
Dec 11, 2016
Messages
15
Good evening,

As the title states i am looking to get in to the hobby of knife making. After spending almost the entire weekend watching videos on youtube, i though i'd sign up here and ask some newbie questions.

I was hoping to get some input on some of the tools i am planning to buy.
I already have a workshop with most of the ''basic'' tools needed for knife making, like files, a vise, angle grinder and so on.
But i would like to get some new machines to upgrade my workshop and make it easier on myself.

And yes, i have gotten the whole ''you don't need that for starting'' and ''what if you don't like it''. Well, in that case i can still use these tools for other tasks.
But anyways, i'll link the tools i'm thinking about buying below.

Bandsaw:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/262297470057

Belt grinder:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Heavy-Duty-1-Sander-Belt-5-Disc-Grinder-Table-Top-Sanding-Machine-1-3HP-Motor-/381774027081?hash=item58e3815949:g:I-oAAOSw4shX2xlm

Drill press:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/222243516404_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Does any of you guys use any of these? And what are your thoughts about them for knife making on a hobby basis?


Best regards,
Kim.
 
Make sure you read the stickies (all of them). They are extremely helpful.
Pretty sure that band saw is a wood cutting bandsaw, which means it will run too fast for cutting metal. Most people get a portaband from Harbor Freight for like $120.
A bunch of people say don't get that sander as it's not good for making knives, but that's what I started on as that is all I could afford. Yes it's not the best, but it works.
Not an expert on drill presses, but that one should do fine.
Oh, and get lots of good sandpaper.
And lastly welcome to the addiction.
 
I suggest finding a better belt grinder. The short belt on that one will mean changing belts litterally every 5 minutes. Maybe a 1 X 42 or even a 2 X 48 would be far better and worthy of spending the money on to also be able to get quality belts.
Frank
 
Jrmysell said:
Make sure you read the stickies (all of them). They are extremely helpful.
Pretty sure that band saw is a wood cutting bandsaw, which means it will run too fast for cutting metal. Most people get a portaband from Harbor Freight for like $120.
A bunch of people say don't get that sander as it's not good for making knives, but that's what I started on as that is all I could afford. Yes it's not the best, but it works.
Not an expert on drill presses, but that one should do fine.
Oh, and get lots of good sandpaper.
And lastly welcome to the addiction.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your input! I will be looking into different bandsaws, and in regards to the sander, all i can find over here is this one here, it's a 2x27 inch.
Other than that, i also looked at the Craftsman 2x48, the price is right, but the question is if anyone will ship internationally.

17-477_xl_2.jpg


Thanks again!
 
Last edited:
go ahead and pull the trigger on a 2x72 sander. grizzly or kalamazoo makes economical models. its sandpaper turning in a circle . :) have fun.

If you go up in quality later you can use your older model for a backup.
 
I were to start again I would do some things differently. One thing is I wouldn't have wasted my money on the 2x42 belt sander that I used to start with.
This is what I would start with: Files and and a filing jig like the ones described in the "sticky" section of this forum. Aaron Gough's version seems to be popular. That would allow me to see if I liked the hobby or not. Then I would save up and get a 2 x 72 grinder. There are quite a few great commercially available models and you can even build one yourself, you can find plans online.
The cheap drill press I bought actually still works pretty well I wouldn't change that (http://www.ebay.com/itm/WEN-4208-8-...351606?hash=item2ef7c496b6:g:mWkAAOSw5cNYM2Vo)
I bought the Rikon version of the band saw you are looking at and didn't like it. It definitely won't cut steel and wasn't all that great at cutting wood. I second the recommendation for getting a variable speed port-a-band. Dewalt and Milwaukee are good names to look for. Paired with a port-a-band table like the one Swag Off Road makes it's the best low cost option IMHO. You can cut steel and wood just fine with that set up. Just my 2 cents.
 
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