Questions?

C

canemaker

Joined
Apr 2, 2005
Messages
11
Hello all,

I am new to BladeForums; please excuse my inexperience and ignorance...

I have been making knives the hard way for several years now, (natural vine twisted canes and walking sticks for over 20 years). I use old crosscut saw blades and leaf springs. I use files and an old crude sander to shape and grind them. I use deer antlers for handles. (Getting ready to retire this July from the Ky. Dept of F&W as a Game Warden). I have several buffers and get a decent finish on the final product. I have never sold any of these knives; I always end up giving them to friends and co-workers.
But, with the upcoming retirement, I plan on having lots more time on my hands….
I am purely a “hobby” knife maker, I no plans of becoming a professional knife maker, I would just like to step up the ease and quality of my knives.

My questions are:

I would like to buy a “real” electric knife grinder, but I don’t know a thing about them, or even where to start. Also, what is the best place to purchase steel from? And who does heat-treating?


Thank you,
Jim Evans
 
Jim

If you do a search for "grinder" you'll find a wealth of information on this site. Lots of comments on various grinders and you'll also find some homemade grinders.

The best place to purchase steel? I would check out http://www.kovalknives.com , http://www.texasknife.com , and http://alphaknifesupply.com/ . That should get you started in the right direction.

As for the heat treating, I might be able to help you out. I live in Lexington and might be able to do it for you depending on the size of the blade.

Chris J. Smith
 
Jim,
As Chris says, a search of the older shop talk threads will reveal a wealth of information on grinders.
I also have some links to info on grinders on this page: http://gbrannon.741.com/. It's about 2/3 rds of the way down the page.
Regards,
Greg
 
Canemaker, welcome to our favorite forum! About just wanting to step up, don't worry a bit about that. You are hooked, so just go with the flow. It's totally out of your hands now, you have only one direction to go. My main grinder is a single speed Wilton. The other folks here have those real fancy machines I can't afford, or I would have one.
 
Welcome, Canemaker! You will find the answers to everything by using the search function. More reading than you can shake a stick at! Grinder choices are pretty much Bader BIII, KMG and Coote. Coote is the least expensive and the least expansive, while KMG is the crowd favorite and can do everything you could ever dream of. I have a Coote and I love it, and it's affordable, simple, well-built and made in the USA (so, the KMG). Depending on the type of steel, too, sometimes ordering from non-knife supplies is a good way to go (like for precision ground O1), but just use that search function and be sure to check the current Shop Talk and the archived Shop Talk and you'll have PLENTY to start with! Look forward to seeing some of your work!
 
I would like to thank everyone that replied. I will attempt to post a picture as soon as possible.

Thank you again...

Jim Evans :)
 
Go big right off the bat, buy a KMG. a bit expensive, but worth the money and if you plan on sticking with it, It will last forever. I started with a 4x36 ryobi sander and now that I have a KMG wish I had spent the hundred dollars on the ryobi on something else. Also, you may want to look into making your own forge and doing your own heat treating. Forge design is pretty easy and some steels are not too difficult to heat treat at home with a homemade forge and a kitchen oven.
 
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