Making knife?

M

mpj13

Joined
Oct 5, 2001
Messages
108
Hello everyone,

This is a great forum, all the people here are so helpful. Just want to let everyone know that it makes allot of difference to people starting out.

Few quick questions.
1- I am going to buy a Jigsaw and get some good metal cutting blades,
will this be enough to cut 1/8" steel after drilling holes around
the form of the knife? This would be better than using my hacksaw.

2- What is the highest grit I should go to since I am just getting
into this? I was planning on sanding up to 1500 grit.

3- Would a dremell tool be a good idea for spot grinding, making
handles like grinding down rods and sanding a shape into Oak or
Micarta? I don't mean to totally grind it down but more as a touch
up tool.

4- Are the only differences between brass rods and nickel rods the
way they look? I know brass is soft, I am guessing it is just a
matter of preference.

5- Would a normal hand held belt sander be useful?

As soon as I can get some work done I'll try and post it here. Thanks.
 
You can finish to any grit wyou would like to on the blade.Small changes in grit make it easier. For the handle material, it depends on what your using. Your more than welcome to sand them clear to 1500 but it won't always be to your benefit. Alot finishes for natural materials will tell you what grit not to go past before applying them. Other stuff gets too slippery, but its all personal preference. If grip isn't a concern because of the shape or type of the knife then go for the high finish if you want.
A good jigsaw would probably cut 1/8" steel. You'll want to make relatively straight cuts and get the best blades you can. Make sure you don't overheat the steel. Letting it work harden will not make your job easy.
Dremels are pretty kick ass things to have in the shop.There's a lot of things you can do with them that can't be done with other tools, or at least not nearly as easily. They do a decent job at alot of things and even a great job at some.
Beltsanders are great. if you have to get a hand held, look for one thats made so it can sit upside down and be used as a stationary sander. I think if you go to your local home improvement store and chekc out Delta's stuff though you'll find either a 1" vertical belt with 5" disc stationary sander, or a 4x36" belt with 6" disc stationary sander for close to the same price. They would be alot more useful.
Have fun , you'll be hooked before you know it.
 
some jigsaws have plastic gears & they
won`t hold up very long cuting steel.
don`t ask me how i know:rolleyes:
 
MPJ13,
Where are you from, or more likely where do you live? The reason I ask perhaps one of us might be kind enough to spend some time with you to get you through your first knife or at least answer some detailed questions. Also do a search there is a great tutorial on how to.
Eric
 
i have a foredom flex shaft instead of the dremel. with sanding bands and some carbide burrs you can do all sorts of things. nickel silver is white brass, only a little harder than the yellow brass. i dont think the jig saw will hold up to steel for very long. get a 4x6 harbor frieght band saw and a good bimetal blade. i also use mine for micarta & wood.
 
Harbor Freight and Enco both have metal cutting bandsaws right now for $169 plus $15 for a bimetal blade. I am seriously thinking about getting one.

One of the things that was brought home to me at the Tom Anderson workshop was the fact that many if not most knifemakers are constantly upgrading their shops and equipment. The evolution may be slow but it is an ongoing thing.

mp, you might look into the Jet Multipro grinding attachment from Kovalknives.com. It would be much more useful as an inexpensive first knife grinder than the belt sander you describe. It bolts onto a standard bench grinder and works quite well.
 
I've never had much luck with a jig saw. However, a skill saw with a metal cutting disk will cut through 1/8th inch steel quite well. It will heat up the metal though. The metal cutting disks can be bought from walmart for around 5 or 6 bucks for 3.

-chris
 
Thanks for all the good advice. I live in southern Indiana. I found a really good tutorial on making your first knife, it was made by "Jonsey" this is what I am basing my first project on. In this tutorial he drilled holes around the shape of the blade and then used a hacksaw to cut the rest out, this took a lot of the cutting out of the job, this is why I am wondering if drilling and then finishing with a jigsaw would work.

That grinder attachment looked great, if I can get the money I would like to buy this. The hardest part is not doing the work on the knife it's getting it past my wife :) Maybe I'll give her a knife for Christmas.

To clarify my first post I am planning on getting a digital camera and then posting some pictures of my progress on the forums. Anyone know of a good picture hosting site for this purpose?
 
Hey mpj, for around $300.00? you can
buy a grizzly ginder(2x72) or you
could build your own.
 
Originally posted by Sylvester
Hey mpj, for around $300.00? you can
buy a grizzly ginder(2x72) or you
could build your own.
Click to expand...

Really? were would I start if I wanted to build my own? Thanks.
 
I've cut steel with my jig saw. it's a Bosh they cut almost anything. but they are almost as expensive as the little metal cutting bandsaw that was recomended earlier.

don't buy a jigsaw to cut metal. buy the tool you need. If you buy a "make do" you will curse it and won't be happy untill you have the right tool. buy it once and be done with it.

don't buy cheep tools. the cheep hoby toys will not serve you well.

your tools are an investment.
 
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