Minimum shop requirements?

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Houlahound

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Aug 2, 2017
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I have a bunch of mainly cheaper kitchen knives with snapped blades. Some I have obtained and others I broke myself.

A great kitchen slicer does not a grand multi-tool make.......apparently.

Some are not so cheap and have great handles and steel.

I plan to draw various blade shapes on them and make new, old knives just for fun. I also want to use fallen trees from a nearby forest to make new local timber handles.

This is just a fun project, I know it would be cheaper to buy new knives, that's not the point. This is the only place that understands such stupidity.

What are the basic low tech tech tools needed to reshape commercial blades and do you have to worry about destroying the original heat treatment etc.
 
Wild Willie said:
Pick up a new Mill bastard file and a roll of emery cloth. Should do the trick.
Click to expand...
This^^^ and a can of elbow grease and you’ll be fine.... Also a brass wire brush to keep the file clean of grit.. a small band saw to book match your wood to scale cuts and a small simple drill press, one from Harbor Freight, some blue painters tape to cover your blade while epoxying your blades and some two part G-Flex Epoxy. Enjoy!
 
Houlahound said:
I have a bunch of mainly cheaper kitchen knives with snapped blades. Some I have obtained and others I broke myself.

A great kitchen slicer does not a grand multi-tool make.......apparently.

Some are not so cheap and have great handles and steel.

I plan to draw various blade shapes on them and make new, old knives just for fun. I also want to use fallen trees from a nearby forest to make new local timber handles.

This is just a fun project, I know it would be cheaper to buy new knives, that's not the point. This is the only place that understands such stupidity.

What are the basic low tech tech tools needed to reshape commercial blades and do you have to worry about destroying the original heat treatment etc.
Click to expand...
I've made quite a few knives with just a bench grinder, belt sander, and hand sanding.
You always risk altering heat treatments when using powered tools without care.
 
Good point by JPM2 , If you're using a belt sander etc. have a small bucket of water! Grind for 20-30 seconds , Dip repeat the process..
 
An HF 1x30 and a cup of water is all you need, but you can get the job done with a belt good single cut mill bastard and some elbow grease.
Just remember a file is only meant to cut one way, going back and forth will only waste effort and wear it out faster, even worse when filing hardened blade steel.
 
I have never used a belt sander for metal, can someone provide a link for one used by small scale knife makers.

Is a belt sander suitable for removing large amounts of metal or just putting an edge on?

if you were cutting a knife blade in half what tool would you use?
 
Houlahound said:
What is that?
Click to expand...
Oh sorry.
A 1x30 belt grinder from Harbor freight.
They're a pretty good $50 tool for a Diy'er, most of their hand tools such as pliers and hammers...ect I won't touch with a 10ft pole but their 1x30 belt grinder and their small drill press are worth owning.

Oh and to cut a knife blade you want an angle grinder and cutoff disks, I'd stay away from the super cheap Central Machinery angle grinder from Harbor freight but their more expensive Bauer or Hercules offering I've heard is decent.
 
Depending on how deep you want to get into it, the best tool I have found for cutting bits off of existing knives is a corded Dremel tool with fiberglass reinforced cutoff disks. There are a ton of different bits you can use, and the small sanding drums are awesome for mid-game shaping of metal and wood. Other tools have more power, but that power can get move you too far too fast. The Dremel makes me move slower and more deliberately, and I have yet to bugger up a heat treat with it.
 
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