Started a new knife (pics)

Bigfattyt

Bigfattyt

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Jun 23, 2007
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Started a new knife. 5160 1/4 inch steel. I have no power tools, except for a hand drill (which I need to get some bits for that will actually drill steel- the ones I have won't cut at all)

The only tools I have used so far are a tiny hack saw, and a bastard file, and round file. Still just getting started. Obviously have more to do on the handle and the choil (not to mention an eternity with the bevel grinds). I am leaving the blade rectangle, still trying to decide if I want to make it one edge, or sharpen the front edge too, or do the main edge, front edge and like 1+ inch of the top edge too. The blade will be right at about 3 inches long. The handle scales will be micarta (not sure which color I will choose yet). I will post more when I make progress. I will be doing all the blade profiling with the hand files also.

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tell me what you like and don't like so far.

new progress photo. I still need to grind a bit more on the front bevel (towards the front corner the line is not straight because I need to remove a touch more). The main bevel is not quite full height grind, but as it is not quite even I might go full height if I can do it without messing up the front bevel line.
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Shows that you do not need ten grand in tools to make a knife. I like the pics man, Keep us updated. How is that other knife/machete coming?
 
Keithcellini, I am still trying to come up with a source for heat treating in Spokane. I am not sure I trust my self to try it, by just tossing it in a hot bed of coals. I don't even have a fire pit here. I Still need to do some handle refinement on it to round out the handle corners more on the chopper.
 
Bigfattyt,

I would be happy to HT it for you. Once you get it done let me know and send it on down. I put it in with the next batch.
 
Looks great: I can see you got the bug as well. Thanks for the post. Small Meat Chopper is what it look like to me. :thumbup:
 
Great to see people willing to go out and just make something instead of talking up a storm and jonsing over power tools but never actually starting.

(I'm certainly not one to talk, I've made 5 knives and am partway through #6 and 7 currently, in a year since making my first)

I had many of my tools ahead of time, the only real exception being my belt grinder i got last spring after my income tax return. All they do is speed things up, they don't necessarily make anything 'better' than you can do by hand.

Now if only every person who wants to start knifemaking would look at this thread and look at what you started with, and realize the best thing to do is just DO IT =)
 
I saw another blade like yours and it was sharp on the cutting edge as well as th front.. Are you planning the same? I think the knife would work as a chisel as well! Cool stuff. Very nice that you were offered HT services but you may want to try on your own with scrap??
 
Expanding on what Keith said, I think it would be interesting to do a chisel grind on one side of the front.
 
Going along with what Keith said, I'd give heat treating a shot before you send the piece off to have it done. Before I had a forge I used a propane torch to heat for quench. Not really the ideal method I know, but I got some pretty good results with it.

Looks like a really good start by the way. looking forward to seeing the finished product :)

~Nate
 
Thanks for all the feedback. (I just have a grin on my face, because I have always wanted to do this............and I mean for like 20+ years and I am 30.................just sad I did not start this way earlier. I had plans to go visit my uncle's shop "some day" and learn from him, then he passed away when I was 18, before I did it).

A C Richards, I might have to take you up on that offer to heat treat it. I figured that while I am looking around for where to heat treat, I would just start another one (of course I decided to keep it smaller, as I don't have 100 years to do a full flat height grind like on the big 19 inch chopper).

I am checking with friends to see who has a large fire pit (not that this knife would need a huge fire pit, but the chopper would need a bigger one). I would like to learn how to do the heat treat my self, but of course would hate to ruin the steel by over heating it. I have been reading up on tutorials on how to do it on the cheap, checking for non magnetic, looking for the shadow to move along the blade etc.

I had been planning on grinding the front edge as well, we will see how straight I can keep the grinds by hand. I took more of the handle. I also ground the spine and the blade flat and will be taking the sub hilt down more so that it does not interfere with cutting flat with the blade on the cutting board etc.

Burton, Yes; it is your steel.

JT, I made it home on the plane with the steel ok. Although each of my checked luggage was getting toward the limit. Between the bar of steel, the big chopper you helped me with, and the new set of 15 files my in laws gave me for Christmas (they wanted to know what the heck I was planning on doing with them), I was worried about the weight of all my bags.

I have some micarta blanks on the way, they should be here some time this week. I am thinking either the White paper micarta for this one, or maybe the mint green G-10 for this one?

I will post more pictures when it starts looking more knife-ish.
 
BFT

When you are ready let me know. If you want you can come down or send it and I'll take care of it. If you come down you can do it yourself. If you get the chopper ready I can do that one too.

Chuck
 
Coming down and having a professional show me how to heat treat would be awesome! But, with a 6.5 hour drive, I don't think I will be making the drive anytime right now. I am in my final semester of law school (at Gonzaga Law), I know, yuck right. I would gladly spend the time, especially with the opportunity to learn to heat treat (as much as could be learned in a little while), but the gas money..........hmmm, maybe I could wait till the weather is warmer and ride my KLX 650c down there......it gets like 50 mpg.

What kills me is I worked at a place that made industrial diamond drill bits for the oil and natural gas drilling industry. I could have heat treated anything. I could have used one of their quartz vacuum ovens and set the computer to do the exact temp to the degree, the soak and cool down time exactly to the second. Giant machine shop, lathes, mills, band saws, belt anders, CNC machines, water jets, even EDM machines.........dang, I worked there for 5+ years. Did I mention in just about every flavor you can think of scrap steel (not to mention scrap diamond power in all kinds of micron sizes.......mmmh, I wonder if I could have made crucible steel impregnated with diamond crystals, there were even all kinds of machines to machine diamond), !.............I am kicking my self that I did not take advantage. I wish I had had this forum as a resource back then.
 
I cant wait to see it when its done. I actually have one of similar design I have been working on for a while I it out of aluminum a while back and shaped to see if I like it before using steel. The one I am working on is longer than yours and has a different handle but the blade looks very similar. I had it at Bruce Bumps a while back to get input on the idea (it was actually an idea of his son and mine for what we are doing it for). I will get pics of the one I am working on when it is actually in process.
 
BFT

There are a few makers closer to you but i do not want to volunteer them. When you are ready come on down and we'll have some fun. Don't kick yourself too hard. If you used all that fancy equipment you would have to learn it all over again to do it without. Learning with the minimum of equipment will only make it more rewarding. Keep up the good work.

Chuck

Chuck
 
Larry Hensley said:
I cant wait to see it when its done. I actually have one of similar design I have been working on for a while I it out of aluminum a while back and shaped to see if I like it before using steel. The one I am working on is longer than yours and has a different handle but the blade looks very similar. I had it at Bruce Bumps a while back to get input on the idea (it was actually an idea of his son and mine for what we are doing it for). I will get pics of the one I am working on when it is actually in process.
Click to expand...

be sure to post the pics when you get them. I have seen several variations on this style (square blade) in many styles. I was actually going to make an even smaller blade to be under the limit for "dangerous weapon" in the Washington statute (which is something like 2.5 inches or less I think). for pocket carry without any worry of problems. I am almost tempted to cut off the last 1 inch of this blade just to shorten it up, but I have already rough ground the front edge and primary bevel on one side, I would hate to waste all that work.

I added two progress pics to the first post.
 
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