Question about tools

D

DCKs

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Feb 23, 2015
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Hey, I'm almost ready to try making my first knife. I've got a gough filing rig for the bevel, diamond stones and whetstones to get a nice edge, and even materials to try making micarta. Where I've hit a bit of a roadblock though is how to get the blade profile cut from my blade stock. I have 2 pieces of 154CM steel(1/8in and 3/32in thicknesses) and so far, using a hacksaw has been very slow and difficult.

I don't have access to a bandsaw or a drill press, and I'm a student with not a whole lot of money to throw around. Since the holidays are approaching though, I may be able to spend some money on a new tool to get me started and I need some advice.

I've been reading around and my options seem to be either an 8inch bench grinder or an angle grinder. (if a 6in bench grinder would be sufficient that would be awesome because its half the price of the 8in) I know they're both loud and messy but that's ok. I just need to know which would be better for profiling my knives. The details I can do with files, but I need something to remove the bulk of the excess metal. None of the knives I'm planning on making are big at all. The biggest is about 8.5in overall(handle+blade).

Hopefully if this all works out well I'll be able to invest in a belt grinder one day but that's not happening anytime soon. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
 
an angle grinder would be a versatile tool considering the available disks and wirewheels. also probably easier on your budget. not sure how much you have to remove but a good aggressive cut file can make quick work of 1/8" steel.
 
I've been able to remove some of the metal with a hacksaw for one potential knife, but for my other ones I was hoping to avoid using the hacksaw all together. I'll definitely give it a try just using a file though. Thanks!
 
I agree with Lieblad, get yourself a 4-1/2" angle grinder a cutoff wheel and go to town. Then fine tune your profiling with a file.
 
Don't know if the have harbor freight stores in Can. But they sell a small hand held portaband for cutting metal and it can be easily converted to a bench top bandsaw. I gave around $80 US for mine around 2 years ago. It uses standard port-a-band blades that sell for around $15 ea. Faster than a cutoff wheel and you're not breathing in all that nasty dust.

They also have a small benchtop drillpress for $60.
 
I feel your pain. I am on a very tight budget as I moved for work and my old house has not sold in over a year. I use my angle grinder as much as I can for profiling and it seems to work fairly well. I am hoping to make a 2x72 out of some scraps I have laying around but it will be a while.
 
You're definitely better off with an angle grinder, if you have to choose that or a bench grinder. Like grumpy_grinder said, make sure you've got protective equipment.

You might also want to consider setting aside the stainless until you've got more powerful tools. I started out on basically the same steel and setup, and quickly got frustrated at the slow progress. Then I started working with 1084, and never looked back. Keep it at 1/8" unless you really need to build something beefy.
 
I'll also agree with an angle grinder. Although my shop is loaded with Harbor Freight equipment, I strongly recommend not buying the HF angle grinder. Go to a local hardware store, Lowes, Menards, Home Depot, and check out what they have. I bought Harbor Freights angle grinder and it lasted maybe 3 months. (At the time I was maybe building 2 knives a week). I replaced the brushes in it, and it fried again within less than a month. I went to Menards, paid $25 for a Performax brand grinder, and its been amazing ever since. Doesn't get as hot as the HF one did even when running it for longer periods of time. The 4.5" angle grinder is a very important tool in my shop. I spent $120 on a portable bandsaw and barely use it now.
 
Not sure if you're aware of this, but a really common beginner mistake is to attempt to cut un-annealed steel. If you bought your stock from a knife making supply, then it is almost certainly fully annealed, but if you buy bar stock at a normal industrial supply, or a blacksmith supply, you have to be aware that the stock steel is processed in various ways, like hot-rolling, cold-rolling, and annealed, and they all have different levels of hardness. Most stock will have an abbreviated suffix, like HRA (hot rolled annealed), HR, CR, etc. Hot rolled (HR) is very common but not the best for blade makers, since it is only normalized, not fully annealed. If you buy un-annealed steel, you can ruin your saw blades and drill bits and tire yourself out pretty fast in the process. To fully soften 154CM you have to heat it to 1650F, hold that temp for six hours, cool it very slowly at a rate of 25F/hour to 1200F, then let it air cool. It helps to have a heat treating oven. You can soften most simple steels by heating them up to critical temp and then sticking them into a bucket of ashes to cool overnight.
 
colu41, I couldn't agree more. I had two HF angle grinders and gave them away and bought a Dewalt 4 1/2 inch angle grinder. It is a first class tool. Buy it once and be happy. Everyone be sure to wear eye and ear protection and a leather apron. Larry
 
An angle grinder for most of the cutting. Then a good flat file, and half-round file for cleanup and intricacies. I also highly recommend a vise and/or some clamps to secure your work, especially when using the angle grinder. All could be had for under around $100.
 
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