Making My first knife!

R

ramahl

Joined
Jul 20, 2015
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12
I have always loved knives, so i thought I'd try and make one. I would like a one piece blade and handle type monstrosity made out of 1/4 inch thick steel? i watched videos and researched a lot but i just thought id ask the pro's. any tips before i start this bad boy? I'm hoping some people have attempted a knife of such thickness and can tell me what to expect but i figure my first one wont be great but i have to start somewhere.
 
That would be awesome! What tools do you have?I for one have never attempted a knife of such thickness.
 
Start small and work up. 1/4" is a lot if you're filing. Read the stickies and give it a go. There is nothing better than experience. People can tell you all sorts of stuff but until you have attempted making a knife it won't make as much sense. Post questions as you run into problems. Take your time and don't skimp on any of the steps.
 
ramahl said:
im researching it now but i feel like a nice belt sander would do most the work
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While it WOULD, keep in mind you need the right kind of belt sander. The only thing that is sufficient that works okay and isn't going to set you back a lot of money is the Craftsman 2x42 and even then you want to modify the platen on it. That said grinders make mistakes happen A LOT faster than filing by hand. Making your first knife by hand seems like a lot more work, and it is, however you have tons more control using hand tools since you have no experience grinding steel on a machine that runs at a fast speed. Think of it like driving a car, if you've never driven a car before and the first time you get in one you try driving a Lamborghini at 180 MPH it's probably not going to work out as good as it seems in you head lol. However there's a lot of steps in making a knife and leaning them at a slower pace with all the control in the world teaches you a lot about the steps involved and allows you to complete them without having to try and do a bunch of damage control on various parts of the build.
 
Hell, I say go for it. If you can't bother to read the stickies, you have to learn somehow. Good luck with that filling. Let us know in a few days how it's going.......
 
How about you post pictures of the design you are intending to do? I started doing everything by hand...and made the mistake of using 1/4 inch steel. You will be filing, and fing, and filing forever. 1/8 th is a much better way to go. Look at Arron Gough's filing jig if you want to do it by hand. Good luck!
 
Thanks for all the replies so far. And I'm working my way through the stickies, which have a ton of great info. In the end i feel like nothings better than practice. I'm going to order some thinner steel, for a nicer knife, with a pretty handle. But my first design was a slightly curved, Persian type/fantasy knife at my original 1/4 inch steel. . So far I got a few designs but I want it to have a good feel. Right now I'm trying to get my design to be balanced. I want the blade to feel good in the hand and to flow, but to still be a 10 inch monster
 
Great point. I have grinded metals in the past before but I understand this is an entirely new field. I just wanted to grind to get the main profile out of my steel. From there I wanted to file for days hahaha.
 
There is a very good reason why Count has this specific line in his standard reply...

"Think thin, small, simple and fixed
Forget swords, 1/4” thick stock, saw-teeth, guthooks, crazy grinds and folders for your first knife"

As a beginner myself I followed all of the good advice i got: small and simple designs. small doesn't mean "mini" you can have a 3" blade from 1/8" steel and get a lot of work done with it. not to mention the cost of the steel, although steel isn't terribly expensive, you will be able to buy twice as much 1/8" steel as you would 1/4" i.e. twice as many knives, and since they are your first you will be glad you have more material at hand.

From a beginner to a beginner, small and simple is the way to start.
 
I've been making knives for about one year now. I'm in the process of using .200 steel on a bushcraft knife because I ordered the wrong thickness by mistake and didn't want to send it back. Now, I kind of wish I had sent it back. It's going to be a good, strong, awesome blade, but working with steel that thick has been an ordeal. Cutting it, shaping it and grinding it have all taken much more time than I would have liked to spend.

Bottom line--order yourself some thinner steel. 1/4 inch for your first blade is a huge leap. Good luck!
 
Kudos for asking before ordering steel and getting started. Fill out your profile so we know a bit about you ( age, location, occupation, etc.). that will help us give better answers.

In the beginning you think you know what makes a good knife. After a while you realize much of that was wrong. Starting by asking advice is a good way to shorten that curve.

1/4" is too thick for almost all knives. 1/8" is much more than the majority of knives need. Start simple with 1/8" stock and a simple drop pint hunter. The stickys has a tutorial How to Instructions for making a Knife" that covers materials, workspace, methods, procedures, etc.

Make some drawings and post them here for review and refinement. When all the bugs are worked out, then get some steel and start on the knife.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Kudos for asking before ordering steel and getting started. Fill out your profile so we know a bit about you ( age, location, occupation, etc.). that will help us give better answers.

In the beginning you think you know what makes a good knife. After a while you realize much of that was wrong. Starting by asking advice is a good way to shorten that curve.

1/4" is too thick for almost all knives. 1/8" is much more than the majority of knives need. Start simple with 1/8" stock and a simple drop pint hunter. The stickys has a tutorial How to Instructions for making a Knife" that covers materials, workspace, methods, procedures, etc.

Make some drawings and post them here for review and refinement. When all the bugs are worked out, then get some steel and start on the knife.
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Profile done. And I was thinking I'd try a small neck knife. From 1/8 inch steel of course :) thanks for all the luck and help so far. I'm at work now but when I get home I will upload the design for my neck knife. I will also upload what I had in mind for my monster knife that I will still attempt someday!
 
Sounds good. I will watch for the designs.

For a neck knife, .060 to .090" steel is more than thick enough.

What steel type do you plan on using, and how will you cut the blank and shape it?
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Sounds good. I will watch for the designs.

For a neck knife, .060 to .090" steel is more than thick enough.

What steel type do you plan on using, and how will you cut the blank and shape it?
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What steel do you recommend? If you can also recommend a place to buy it from, would be great. I haven't looked into neck knives much. They just look simple.

I plan on cutting a rough outline of my design out with a saw then filing the rest away, then hand sanding. To get a pretty profile.
 
For a necker, a thin stainless steel is best. I would recommend either CPM-S35VN or AEB-L. AEB-L is super easy to file and sand, and makes a screaming sharp knife.

If you post your drawings and get them refined ( if needed), I will be glad to cut your profile in either of these steels and send it to you to help get you started.

The place many of us get our blade steel is in your back yard....Aldo's business is New Jersey Steel Baron. He only sells knife steel.
 
having a hard time getting my designs uploaded. but if you can see them, feel free to let me know if they suck lol.
8

http://tinypic.com/r/10whzxf/8

for my actual knife, my design is still up in the air. i like the feel of what i have drawn but i cant figure out the handle. all i know is that id like it to be one solid piece
8

http://tinypic.com/r/209pxtt/8
 
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