New to Knifemaking woes

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DantheMan

Joined
Oct 16, 2003
Messages
31
Hi Guys
I am having a hard time making a choice, I am hooked on knife making. I am on my second knife ( All hand tools ) and am thinking about taking the plunge and buying a KMG1 grinder. I have a about $1000 saved and am really giving this a lot of thought. My first one came out OK (better than ok to me because it kinda looks like a knife and not a spoon or something) and my second one is coming right along. I just dont know when to take the plunge.
Part of me asks : What if I buy a bunch of tool and my knives suck??
Any of you guys ever have these thoughts?
I should say that $1000 is a lot of money to me
Thanks for any advice you can give me
Dan
 
Welcome to ShopTalk, Dan. So you're having reservations about your abilities, then? Well all I can say is that perhaps the best course of action is to go slowll with your spending. If you are satisfied with the results of your first knife without the aid of an expensive grinder, then that means you do have some talent, does it not? Why not get a cheaper grinder to start out with... say... a Coote or a Grizzly. Some of the best knives I have ever seen were made on these machines. Right now, the Grizz's are on sale for the summer!

Take that $1000 and get a grizzly and a small bench drill and some supplies. Just my advice, for what its worth. :D
 
DantheMan said:
Part of me asks : What if I buy a bunch of tool and my knives suck??
Click to expand...

Yeah I guess I should add here that if you have the means of posting pics here, its an easy way to get feedback on your creations. Let's see 'em! :)
 
Dantheman,
I can certainly relate to your position. One lesson I keep learning in life the hard way is to buy the best tool that you can afford to. You will actually save money by getting one good grinder ONCE instead of trying to save a buck on stuff that is inexpensive but may not suit your needs.
If you don't like knifemaking after I while you can post your grinder for sale on the board, it won't take long to sell (gaurantee it) and you'll probably get most of your dough back. Good luck,
Rick :cool:
 
Rick is right....But if you are concerned, you may want to go a little slower. It's not something most of us jumped into anyway. Right now you have a real passion for it. That may go away soon and while you can sell your stuff, why put yourself through it if you can avoid it.

Over the years I have accumulated a ton of tools. Some good, some not so good, some laughable.

There are several types of true custom knife makers. There are the ones that want to crank out as many knives as possible. There's nothing wrong with that but for that you need a super grinder. This is the only type of knife maker that I would recommend the high dollar (several thousand dollar) grinders to.

There are the true Artists and you could give them a handful of sandpaper and a nail file and they would still turn out first rate stuff.

There are the talented makers that can use the average grinders like the Coote or Grizzly and make top notch knives.

Where do the beginners fit in. I would suggest getting a good but medium range grinder like the Coote. You can sell it if you want but if you get a Delta 1X24 or something like that, learn to love it because it's yours until the end :barf:

Someone said recently, get advice from a knife maker. I agree, get advice from a knife maker. A manufacturer will only try to sell you on his stuff!
 
I started with hand tools, then went to a 1x42. I did decent work, but there was a huge leap in what I could do once I got the KMG. I still use the 1x42 for shaping handles and for sharpening. ;)

I don't mind starting with "less-than-the-best" tools...gives me something to work toward. In a month or two, I'll finally be getting a much-needed metal bandsaw and when I do, I'll probably cry tears of joy. Same with the forge I'm getting soon, and a Bench Mill later this fall.

But I've earned those tears. ;)

And I have a much deeper appreciation for my "fancy tools". Grinding is a pleasure, especially when I remember making 'em by hand....

At least, that's my idyllic world I live in...:D
 
My advice:

Go slow,,,look at every grinder that is in that $1000 range...

I Have heard very few comments that this or that grinder is sucky,,,so no matter what you get I bet it will work fine,,,

Make sure you understand if the $1000 belt grinder you want comes with, or without a motor. If it needs a motor added, then do a search on a good one.

The motor is the most important part I believe, for thats what spins the belts around. a Good motor thats strong, and does not slow down what you are grinding is always a good thing to make sure you have.

Also make sure your shop has the right type of power so that you will not spend all this money for the best grinder in the world and then face a future of always haveing to trip the breakers back to "ON"

Oh, and one last thing,,,once you spend your $1000 on a good grinder,,,stop looking at other grinders...
 
Dan,

there has been some very good advice given here. Buy the best you can afford. You will not regret buying good tools but you always seem to regret buying ceap tools. As for you being apprehensive about the quality of your work, practice makes perfect. And if you quit making knives remember a man never has enough guns, knives, tools or vehicles.
 
...and...despite what Daqota says....a man never "stops looking"....:eek:


:p



:footinmou
 
Well
I should say that I have a few tools, I bought a metal cutting bandsaw from harbor freight, and a 1HP sealed motor to go with whatever grinder I buy. I was really set on the Coote but I keep looking at the KMG1..... seems like a better buy in the long run. Oh well " Tinkel or get off the pot as they say"
I just ordered some O1 and 1095 and I keep thinking what I could do if I had a grinder.
Thanks for the advice,
Dan

ps- This all started when I met a knife maker at a gun show and after talking to him for about an hour he invited me out to his house , let me watch him work and ask all the stupid questions I wanted.(His wife even fed me dinner)
Got a lot more from the gun show than the 1911 I bought.
 
pendentive said:
...and...despite what Daqota says....a man never "stops looking"...
Click to expand...

This is what makes us human. Always seeking the best can elevate us to higher forms of art. Heck, I have a nice shop and tools but I'm never satisfied. As long as there is always something better out there, I want it. When I've got the best its time to move on and try something new. Some people need self-actualization, I need the struggle to get there.
 
DantheMan, you will never be happy until you buy a grinder, because you are already hooked. No, you won't part with it, unless you want to upgrade. Actually,by then, you will already be making knives folks want to buy, so you will keep the original machine as a backup and secondary work. Then comes the rest of the story, You need another machine, that one George was talking about,.............................. . Yep, you might as well go with the flow, fella. One other important fact, you will be making knives much more safely. Your odds are that you will get hurt trying to do work with equipment that flat wasn't designed to do the type of work you are doing. Trust me, you will get hurt using a machine the wrong way. We want to see your knives, not read about you being injured.
 
yeah, i know you're all talking about expensive grinders and every other tool that a man could want, but if you're just starting out and don't have a huge wad of cash, why not make some of the tools you need. I mean all you need is an AutoCad program and a mental design. Heck I already have a mental design of a homemade grinder that will probably work well enough to grind blades. If anyone is interested in the idea, email me: mikey828@optonline.com
 
Yes, I go with what Jeff says. If you are not positive about whether you have a true passion for this it is no time yet to spend $1000 or more. Believe me true, the $1000 is only a start. You will know when you know. Patience.

RL
 
Dan,
There are a lot of makers in Virginia, perhaps you can visit some of them and try your hand on their grinder? That way you'll have a good idea of what you really want. No one make of grinder will make every maker happy (although the KMG is probaby my idea of a perfect company to buy from because of accessories.)

I have a Burr King 960, previous to that I used a Craftsman 4x36 to make 20 knives. I then got a 2x36 attachment for a bench grinder (got it from RDT, Thanks) made 10 knives on it, got the Burr King and haven't looked back. But the quality of the knives weren't improved by the equipment, just the time to make a knife.

Visit other makers, see what seems to work for you. Make 5 more knives by hand to see if you really want to be a maker. Remember that most of us were pretty crappy knifemakers when we started.
 
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