My first knife in progress.

P

Parker M

Joined
Dec 24, 2012
Messages
2
I took a 1/2" thick scrap cutting edge off a motor grader blade and turned it into this. Right now I'm working on some burly scales I resawed from a piece of sandjack oak. I cut it from a stump in my yard and aged it several years out in the shed. I think I know just enough about the whole process to get myself in trouble.
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How the shape ended up after profile grinding it with a black and decker belt sander.
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Your design looks good, and you clearly have some aptitude for this. Everyone is about to chime in and tell you to use new, known steel (1084 or 154cm from njsteelbaron.com). But most of us did our first blade or two with scrap steel (and usually regretted it later), so you're in good company.
What type of knife are you going for here? It looks like a kitchen knife, but the steel is WAY too thick to make anything but a cleaver (or maybe a deba). I'd also bring the bevel back as far as you can take it to give it a better angle for cutting.

- Chris
 
I didn't have any plans for what the blade would turn itself into. I just wanted to experiment with building a knife and didn't want to sink much money into a hobby I might not enjoy. I had no idea how much work it would be and have a new respect for every knife I see now. Reducing 1/2" material to what you see was a pretty big task. I only have an oxy/acet rosebud to heat the steel with. An old anvil and a 10 lb sledge just about got the best of me. Like I said grinding the bevel with a Wal-Mart belt sander was less than optimal too. know very little about heat treating and tempering. I heated until it became non-magnetic and quenched in used motor oil. After removing the scale/carbon I tempered the edge with a torch and allowed it to air cool. I think I "normalized?" it by heating and air cooling before the oil quench. That was the only way I knew to soften the tang enough to drill it. I'm just tinkering with and learning about something that's interesting to me. Thanks for your advice. I haven't heard of a Deba until now. That is pretty much what it looks like.
 
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