My First Handmade Knife (Pic Heavy)

A

Almightyox

Joined
Jul 29, 2014
Messages
155
Hey everyone! I am very happy to say that in the last week I have spent a lot of time in the shop working diligently on my first knife. Well today I put an edge on it and I have to say that for my first attempt I am really proud. I took some pictures throughout my process. Have a look and tell me if you see anything that could be improved upon or anything that will make my next knife better. I hope you like it!

Tools used:
Files, Hacksaw, Coping saw, Sandpaper, Small air grinder for rough shaping.

Material: 1/8" thick 1084 Steel from Aldo
Handle Material: Oak with Linseed oil and Beeswax finish
Pins: .125" Brass rod
OAL: 7.5" Cutting edge: 3.5" Blade width: 1"
(Not sure if I'm forgetting anything. Any questions, just ask)

Pattern drawn on graph paper and transferred over
KzIphgr.jpg


Cut and drilled. Deburred and shaped.
sucbkRt.jpg


Beginning my grind. Big shout out to Aaron Gough! I used his grinding jig and a file as you can see.
1ynwS2c.jpg


Finished grind. Went for a full flat grind.
ok9fESh.jpg


Preliminary sanding to 220 grit. Ready for heat-treat. Thickness was about that of a dime on the edge and after spending a LONG time sharpening in the last 2 days I think I will go thinner next time.
Ywb9rGW.jpg


Homemade charcoal forge made from an old water tank I had laying around. I doubt my HT was perfect, but I think for what it is my forge worked really well. Heated my steel to nonmagnetic easily and quenched in vegetable oil. No warping occurred and my file skated right across the edge.
QmubhzN.jpg


Tempered to 400 degrees for an hour, cooled, and tempered again to 450 for 2 hours. Steel was light blue out of the oven.
Sanded to 320 grit.
xp0I0kw.jpg


Blade and ricasso sanded to 1000 grit and then 0000 3M synthetic steel wool. Not quite mirror finish but it's awful shiny.
k2qIUA2.jpg


Handle rough shaped and ready for assembly.
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Blade taped up and handle ready for shaping.
Ka0rbvV.jpg


Finished with Linseed oil and Beeswax and ready for an edge.
JJDqM9p.jpg


Everything came out flush and it fits nicely in the hand.
pmoo5P9.jpg

s4UuFdw.jpg


Final edge. Hair popping goodness.
q9eu5XD.jpg


As always, feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. Thanks for having a look. There should be many more to come!
 
Good job! The only thing I would do is make the point more acute. I'd start the belly lower and have it arc to the tip more gradually. I'd probably do the same to the spine if I was gonna retain the spear point or just clip the point. Very good job though. The finish looks real nice and it looks like a comfortable handle. Keep up the good work.
 
Same here....good job overall.

The tip is distracting because of the blunt angles. having the spine curve gradually down to the point, and the edge gradually curve up to it would look and work better.
 
Thanks a lot guys. I was kind of surprised by how nice it looks for my first attempt. I do agree that the point could be a little more gradual. I will definitely take that into account when I start work on my next project. My trouble spots I noticed after finishing were very minute scratches in the ricasso and on the spine. I need to pay a little more attention to the nooks and crannies. Not gonna make that same mistake twice.
 
Sweet knife ;0)


Ya know...... If you get a drill press, and a 2x72 grinder with all the attachments, and a heat treat oven, and a depth gauge, and a carbide file guide, and a can of layout fluid, and a full set of drill bits, and a wood bandsaw, and a metal bandsaw, and a surface grinder.............

Good luck with your new addiction ;0)
 
Good work. I would suggest altering the handle on your next one to make it more comfortable. The finger notch near the butt of the knife looks like it could cause a hot spot. Smooth and gradual curves look nice on a knife.
 
John Katt said:
Sweet knife ;0)


Ya know...... If you get a drill press, and a 2x72 grinder with all the attachments, and a heat treat oven, and a depth gauge, and a carbide file guide, and a can of layout fluid, and a full set of drill bits, and a wood bandsaw, and a metal bandsaw, and a surface grinder.............

Good luck with your new addiction ;0)
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shane_o_ca said:
Good work. I would suggest altering the handle on your next one to make it more comfortable. The finger notch near the butt of the knife looks like it could cause a hot spot. Smooth and gradual curves look nice on a knife.
Click to expand...

creature7 said:
You also might wanna look into using a different epoxy than that gorilla stuff. Maybe Acraglass or Trugrit 30min epoxy. The Trugrit has worked good for me: http://trugrit.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=29_142&products_id=3930
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I forgot to mention in my original post that a Drill press was used. A belt grinder would be great but I'm not sure I have the funds or the space to accomplish that yet.

I have already made a few new drawings that include more gradual and longer handles. The handle being only 4 inches long on this knife has left me wanting more room.

I will definitely look into some different epoxy. This was just what I had laying around and Gorilla products haven't let me down yet. Maybe there is a first time for everything though.
 
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