My new knifemaking series...

[RyanW]

haha i need to grow a set!!

I still dread the swedges too, If I could get it right in one pass like that I would do a little jig (season and all)

 

[psycho78]

I love that little wood jig. They're pretty popular with the british knifemakers for scandi grinds. They're cut at various angles on the front part to make the bevel very straight and even.

I love my jig. It's an angle iron sled type with a screw on the back. Takes some math, some trial and error, but I can knock out 20 blades and prep them for heat treat in an afternoon with it. It's all about production, accuracy and efficiency for me too.

 

[james terrio]

Outstanding videos! They should be required viewing for new makers, especially for folks who want to make a file knife. That grinder is a thing of beauty

 

[subysti5486]

great video! hi, im new here. Im currently working on my first knife made from a nicholson file and i did alot of research and thought that it had to be normalized, heat treated and tempered after i got done with the profiling and shaping. can someone please clear that up for me why i should or shouldnt heat treat.( pros and cons) thanks

 

[psycho78]

I'm not entirely sure how he does it in the video. Maybe tempers the file for a couple of cycles in a 400-500 degree oven to draw out the hardness?

Nearly impossible to grind a file that is hard and sharp in any way. I'm assuming you can take the hardened file, and temper it right from the package.

I don't like to, but you certainly can start your profiling and grinding with a heat treated blade, just be careful and keep a bucket of water handy.

 

[james terrio]

Maybe tempers the file for a couple of cycles in a 400-500 degree oven to draw out the hardness?
...I'm assuming you can take the hardened file, and temper it right from the package.

Yup, that's how I do it. 2 cycles of 2 hours each in a 400F oven. Kitchen oven works fine for tempering.
You certainly could re-temper a file straight from the package, but new files are more expensive than fresh barstock; I use worn/dull ones for knives.

Stick with USA-made Nicholson or Simmonds files! Cheap Chinese and Indian ones are just case-hardened crap and won't make a good knife.

 

[melsdad]

Great videos!! I would love to get some more details on how you make the wooden wheels.

 

[subysti5486]

Ok thanks. Ill heat treat the first one since its annealed already and ill try to just temper the next one and see how that works out

 

[jawilder]

Great videos!! I would love to get some more details on how you make the wooden wheels.

:thumbup:

 

[type00rev]

Very informational and fun to watch, Michael.....thanks much for doing them.

 

[psycho78]

Man this needs to be a sticky so bad....

 

[Railrider1920]

Great videos!! I would love to get some more details on how you make the wooden wheels.

+1:thumbup:

While you were working the pins, you would bump the edge of the handle on the edge of the work bench a few times. What are you doing it for?

 

[mykulmorris]

+1:thumbup:

While you were working the pins, you would bump the edge of the handle on the edge of the work bench a few times. What are you doing it for?

To make sure the hollow pin is 'centered' in the handle. Sometimes it 'flares' too much on one side, and you have to scrunch it over (is scrunch a word?). Also, if it's not tight, you'll also feel a very slight movement when you bump it, letting you know you need to 'snug' it up a bit more.

Also Gents, this was my first attempt, so of course theres a few things I forgot to mention, like tempering and epoxy and such... But it was a blast to make... And after all, I can't tell you EVERYTHING can I???...
-M

 

[Mungo Park]

Michael, great video, you are one skilled guy, me thinks you have done this before.
When you did the hollow grind what was on the block of wood you used to hold the knife with. I could not really see anything on it, and what does it do for you.
Cheers Ron.

 

[psycho78]

Looked to me like two little pins or nails.

 

[Mungo Park]

I think you are right, he went so fast I could not really get a good look at it. Cheers Ron.

 

[wfpack14]

Anybody have a picture of the block of wood used to grind the bevels? Looked really simple and seemed to create a very nice bevel.

 

[Sticky]

Anybody have a picture of the block of wood used to grind the bevels? Looked really simple and seemed to create a very nice bevel.

I whipped one up at work last night out of aluminum after seeing how fast he made his grinds on this video. I ordered my magnets on amazon and just need to epoxy a .75" x1" cylinder magnet into that big center hole. the spine rests on those stainless spring pins that stick out on the bottom.