Making another knife for just general abusing :)

Myal · Mar 15, 2008

I been reading all the "got me a new woods knife" type threads and feeling jealous , bad feeling that , having the green eyed monster on my back like that ...

so I got me out the high speed steel scraps and knocked out a few blades , this one Im keeping , no handles yet , its a toss up if it wears iorn bark or she-oak still , depends which log is closer to the chainsaw when I get it fired up

anyway , I was sitting down just messing with the blade and then I was messing wth the chainsaw sharpening file ...

anyway , here are some picks of my new halfway finished knock around knife , hoping to shift the green eyed monster onto someone elses back

I dont expect to be making fuzz on pipes and files in the bush , but I like to have a knife that I can do that with anyway and not damage the edge ... just gives me that bit extra confidence

MRpink · Mar 15, 2008

Making your own knife is sweet! Looking good so far, keep us updated.

Myal · Mar 15, 2008

updates will be coming , I was going to put a handle on today but it didnt happen , probably Monday or Tuesday now .

GEC · Mar 15, 2008

Wow! No chipping or nothing! That looks like it's going to be a winner. Definitely keep us updated.

dipbait · Mar 15, 2008

I want to make a knife. What is the minimum tools I need? Will a lawn mower blade work?

sicily02 · Mar 15, 2008

Get this book read it and follow the instrucktions and soon you will be making your own knives. These are work in pocess that I did yesterday.

Myal your knife is looking like a winner

Take care,
Bryan

DeadeyeLefty · Mar 15, 2008

That's one of my favorite blade profiles - strong as hell and traditional too. (One of my upcoming projects is a Dadley). Nice, can't wait to see more, Myal

dipbait, not sure about the steel in a mower blade - I'd think they're softer than you want in order to avoid shattering when you hit a pebble. I've gotten stock from cruising yard sales for old files. A one will work though apparently it's not the same steel. I don't think it matters much for a first knife though...

A propane torch will let you anneal the tang so you can drill it. For shaping, you can use a a regular 3x21 or 3x24 belt sander but you'll need to secure it upside down to the workbench. If you're moderately handy with a jigsaw, you can fab up a plywood jig to hold it there. Ask around locally about heat treating.

Simultaneous post, but +1 on the book ^

MRpink · Mar 15, 2008

Wow, I gotta check that book out.

stingray4540 · Mar 15, 2008

Looks great so far, can't wait the see the final product.
If it comes out well, don't be surprised if it is the only knife you use. Making and using your own knife is extremely satisfying and addictive.

Myal · Mar 15, 2008

dipbait said:
I want to make a knife. What is the minimum tools I need? Will a lawn mower blade work?

I use a 5 inch angle grinder I got for AU$15 at supercheap auto , I get the cutting discks that are under 1mm thick from the hardware store for about $5 a disk , one disk does heaps of cutting , the grinding disks I get at the same place they are nothing special , and the sanding disks as well , the one machine does pretty much all my profile cutting and shaping and even does the bulk of carving the handle

I get pretty casual about using it , but I have been cutting freehand for years with one , you got to be careful them machines bite , they grab your steel and throw it , usually at your guts or your nuts they take chunks out of your finger tips and knuckles and it takes longer than any other cut to heal that I know of , be careful with the thing wear riggers gloves or rodeo gloves , and you will be right .

I cut my handles with a chainsaw ( well , my handles DO come out of my firewood pile ) and a little circular saw or just a handsaw , sikoflex urathane ( windshield adhesive ) to glue the handle slabs on ( high speed steel is too hard to drill and rivet , but these days if ya look around there are some super fantastic glues around to use )

and sand paper to shift the ugly marks ...

I dont have a belt sander , havent had a working one for years .

Well this is my workshop anyway

I would personally chase up a leaf spring to use before using mower blades ... tho for all I know , mower blades would work just fine .

Any Cal. · Mar 15, 2008

For steel, get ahold of Kelly Cupples at octihunter at charter.net. He has a list of available steel at Ellis Knifeworks: http://home.comcast.net/~eellis2/EllisCustomKnifeworks/steel.html. He is really nice to deal with. For simple tooling, buy 1080 or 1084 in the size of your choice. 1/8" works really well. Beyond that, an angle grinder is good if you have it, C clamps of some sort to hold the blade down while you are working on it are good, if you have them, and a file and assorted sandpaper. There are all kinds and sizes of steel, but the 1080 is about the best for heat treating w/ minimal equipment. Like other steels you buy, it will also come soft so you can start working on it right away..

mp510 · Mar 15, 2008

Looks like a really nice knife!

Myal · Mar 17, 2008

handles are on
they dont look much , and seriously they are cut from the firewood pile
I reckon they will clean up OK tomorrow tho .

OK , so there is more than one knife Im doing , I got a couple little ones with saw backs , and a couple bigger ones

also this is the cutting disk I use compared to a ordinary cutting disk , the thin ones do a better job in my opinion .. easier on the machine anyway

tknife · Mar 17, 2008

Some seriously talented guys on here. Nice wor, and I like that blade profile a lot.

Any Cal. · Mar 17, 2008

Myal, that is the same grinder I have.

The thin disks are slicing disks, used to cut on the edge of the disk, to slice through something. The thicker ones are grinding disks, and are designed to be loaded on the face, rather than the edge. If you use the thicker ones as a slicing disk, it takes forever because you have to remove 3-4 times the amount of material.

DeadeyeLefty · Mar 17, 2008

Hmmm...I've got some Sikaflex 291 kicking around from boatbuilding jobs but I never though to use it to adhere scales. Any particular weaknesses you've found with it ? (besides the fact that it gets EVERYWHERE, lol). I think the black (or white) line would look good, like a spacer.

Myal · Mar 17, 2008

Any Cal. said:
Myal, that is the same grinder I have. The thin disks are slicing disks, used to cut on the edge of the disk, to slice through something. The thicker ones are grinding disks, and are designed to be loaded on the face, rather than the edge. If you use the thicker ones as a slicing disk, it takes forever because you have to remove 3-4 times the amount of material.

My grinding disks are 3-4 times thicker than the fat cutting disk , also they are offset , not flat .

We may be many years behind the times techwise tho , or I may be anyway , I have only found the thin disks in the last few years here .

Myal · Mar 17, 2008

DeadeyeLefty said:
Hmmm...I've got some Sikaflex 291 kicking around from boatbuilding jobs but I never though to use it to adhere scales. Any particular weaknesses you've found with it ? (besides the fact that it gets EVERYWHERE, lol). I think the black (or white) line would look good, like a spacer.

This is the one I use :

You are very right , it gets everywhere , that and diesel oil are why most of the clothes I buy are black , it means that the stains dont get noticed

... this one I think is not as strong as the windshield version , but I couldnt get that when I wanted it , Ive used this before and havent had troubles tho . I just like to go a bit over spec at times .. well way over spec I spose

but I cant drill this tang , too hard , so I cant rivet the handles the glue has got to do the whole job on its own .

keeping the handles level is a pain , this is my first time using clamps like this , usualy its a vice or vice grips .

white tends to go grey with extended hard use and no cleanings much , but if you put the time in to keep them clean , they do look impressive .

Myal · Mar 17, 2008

Got some time ( kids are at school ) and finished up the main knife ..

roughed out with a sanding disk on the angle grinder :

rough edges taken off with sandpaper and a bit of veg oil to make it pretty :

because the thing is made for general abusing , I generally abused it some :

it didnt do any harm to the knife edge or point :

I didnt make it shaving sharp yet , its slicing printer paper sharp tho , both before and after wrecking the datsun TRX bonnet

I got a few more to finish up before the days out , but I got me a new knife for general abusing

Im seriously hoping that I gone and made some other folks jealous now ... just passin the vibes on

my philosophy is simple when it comes to knives and handles , take a chunk of steel and remove the bits that dont look like knife , glue on some wood and remove the bits that dont look like handle .. jobs done

oneday , Im going to invest in a book on how to do it properly tho , I promise

andrew7978 · Mar 17, 2008

those look pretty cool to me. I am just sending away the first batch of knives I made to have them heat treated. Will get some pics up soon.

I have the same philosophy, that it doesn't have to be done well, it just has to be functional (even though that is mainly just a justification for my many mistakes and lack of knife making knowledge). Shame you had to wreck a nice car hood, although I'm sure stabbing through that was a lot of fun.