Luckiest guy in the world.

[Robert_Phelps]

My grandmother liked the last knife I made, enough so that she finally agrees I might could make a couple dollars making knives. She's letting me use some of my leftover money from my college account to get a good start. She agreed on $2,000 (4x more money than I've ever had in my life at any time)

So anyway, I'd like to hear some opinions, from wiser heads, how you would use it. Things I'd like to see are: starting to make some shortswords, bardiches and things, and making my work easier.
I was thinking of something like:
800 for a grinder (I was thinking a coote), 200 for some materials (steel/wood/micarta), ___ whatever a buffer costs(What does a decent buffer cost?), 400 stocking up on wet/dry (and the other countless little things used up when making a knife..) Then the rest for learning to forge, perhaps (haven't a clue where to begin there, though).

 

[rocketmann]

With 2 grand you could get a really decent setup. Coote grinder 800.00, sears drill press 100.00, buffer from harbour freight 100.00, bandsaw from harbour freight 200.00, build a heat treating forge 75.00, pyrometer from ebay 75.00, real quench oil, belts and sandpaper 250.00 ,file guide 50.00 and the rest +/- 350.00 on materials...sounds like a good shop set up to me. Hopefully you already own some of these tools and can use the cash for other things...Good luck !!

 

[Sam Salvati]

Sounds good dude. Save some for belts and steel too, and maybe a class at (look this up on google) John C Campbell Folkschool. GOOD LUCK! Be sure to give Grandma an extra big hug and kiss.

 

[Mace]

Take the intro to bladsesmithing class at the ABS school in Arkansas....get a grinder and some belts after that. The bonus is you will get school credit for taking the class!:thumbup:
And don't forget to take grandma out for a nice lunch or something too.
Mace

 

[Will52100]

First thing I'd suggest would be Wayne Godard's "50$ knife shop" It showes how to get by on the cheap and still do quality work. If your handy with tools you can make a lot of what you'll use from flea market and garage sale iteams. I'd get a decent grinder, the Coote is probably the best bange for the buck. Look out for motors at garage sales, I wouldn't give over about 10$ unless it was new and still in the box and plastic.

You realy don't need much more than a decent grinder, a drill or drill press, some files and drill bits and belts and sandpaper, and though I don't use it much a buffer is very good to have for handles and hardware.

 

[bryce]

Good stuff, tools are an investment in yourself!

at least thats what I tell myself lol

Im over 2 grand in debt but its good debt IMO
because well I have tools!!!

Plus I have two cars sitting around i should sell and my motorcycle
and whatever else I own to pay them down and that is my plan lol

 

[L.K.Smithy]

think hard about the tools you will actually use. if it were me, id go with a coot or something around that price, belts, sand paper, a buffer from HF, drill press if i didnt have one, and parts for a gas forge and pyrometer if i didnt have one. that would be a good starting point. try to keep some extra for miscellaneous afterthoughts. i would have to say get an angle grinder and a ton of cut off and regular disks from HF in place of a band saw. saves money and is very versatile. wood rasps, files, solder, epoxy etc should not be forgotten, but major tools are a must. the rest will fall into place. im exited for you! thank grandma!
-Lou

 

[Dave Bowen]

If you plan on forging, you will need a good anvil and a hammer or two.
The thing about anvils, is you really have to be careful what you buy.

There are some "new swordsmith anvils" selling on Ebay for $300.00 but they are crap. They are from russia, and are basically a boat anchor from what I read. Anvils are an investment that will last a lifetime, but you will pay dearly for a good one. Do your homework on this. I bought a used one from a local blacksmith instructor at a university. I paid $400 cash for it. They are out there, you just have to search.

Sounds about right on the rest of your tools. If you shop smart, and only get what you need, you can have a great shop for $2000.

 

[Robert_Phelps]

Alrighty, thanks for the suggestions. Forgot to mention I already had a good heat treating forge, and drill press. What does it cost to have an anvil face repaired? I have a Peter Wright that is chipped and rounded all around the edges.

 

[Keithcellini]

One thing that I would suggest to you is that you take a deep breath and relax............... I know how exiting it is to have all that cash burning holes in your pocket but one thing that I have learned over the years is that impulsive purchases tend to be bad purchases. I would take time studying every aspect of knife making and every aspect of the tools you mey need and compare. I am in sales and often see people new to the hobby come in and blow their wad on all this cool stuff only to find out that theyt should have spent their money in different areas. I think it is a great idea that you have asked thes pros for help, that shows maturity on your part and is the first thing you should have done. If you can try not to spend everything either, put a little away for a rainy day or for a time down the road after making a few knives you find that you need a certain tool that you did not think of at first.

I am happy for you and hope that you take the advice of the pros. You should be able to set yourself up nicely. Keep us posted.

 

[B . Buxton]

I won't tell you what to buyor what you need for we all have our own ideas of where we want this hobby or profession to go. But in my experience a good grinder and a good heat treat oven are a must, everything else can be picked up as you go along, also a fair to good drill press, bench size will work just fine. If you can't heat treat it properly then you don't have much and the oven takes a lot of the guess work out of producing a very good knife, add a couple gallons of good quench oil and that should get the big stuff out of the way for a little while.

I missed where you stated you already had a good heat treating forge (Though I prefer a temperature controlled oven) and drill press so just slow down and use the cash where you need it as you progress.

Good luck,

Bill