Steps to First Knife

R

Ricky-O

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Oct 30, 2021
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About 45 years ago I became interested in knives and bought a book on knife making. But I was busy until recently, and for the past few months I’ve been reading this forum and now hope to make a knife. My goal is not to sell knives but to once in a while make a kitchen knife for family members. Although I don’t have a 2x72 grinder yet, I do have a 1x30 HF grinder, various angle grinders, drill press, buffer, clamps, etc. I thought about waiting a few months until I get a 2x72 grinder, but thought it wouldn’t hurt to start without one.

I wanted to list what I think the steps in building a first knife would be, so that people could give advice and correct any errors before I actually get started.

I wanted to make a simple knife for my first one, and I’m thinking of something like this:

IMG_3269.jpg

drive.google.com drive.google.com
(I couldn't figure out how to post an image directly to this post)

I thought it best to start with something small (the blade is 3.5” long). But I picked this somewhat randomly and am open to suggestions.

For steel, I will use AEB-L. in .060 or .08 thickness. For scales I will use some hardwood, such as walnut.

I think the steps are:
  1. Cut out blade shape from steel
  2. Grind to finished blade outline
  3. Drill holes for scales
  4. Scribe centerline or 2 lines
  5. Grind bevel to XXX from center line (how much do I want left; what should XXX be?)
  6. Sand to at least to 400 grit, get out all deep scratches
  7. Send out for heat treating (not sure where to do this—I haven’t investigated this yet)
  8. Sand again, do final polishing
  9. Make scales; pin and glue on scales. It seems to me that Corby rivets are a good way to go (correct me if wrong).
  10. Polish scales
  11. Final sharpening and polishing
I know there is a lot of controversy on this forum about how much bevel to grind before heat treating. It seems to me people suggest grinding post-heat treatment if using thinner steel and if you have a good grinder. Given that I don’t have a good grinder, I was wondering if grinding the bevel pre-heat treatment (as listed above) is ok or if I should do all or most of the bevel post-heat treatment with my cheap grinder (given the thinness of the blade)?

I intend to buy
some good sandpaper (I’ve seen Rhynowet red sheets recommended)
a better mill bastard file (open to suggestions)
center scribe of some sort
Should I try to make a jig for the bevels, or try free-hand in the beginning?
Cobalt drill bits

Any suggestions are appreciated!
 
Our stories are similar. I made a couple of knives back in the early nineties and then nothing until a year or so ago. I started thinking about it, had the money, and decided to purchase of a 2x72. The knives from the nineties were made on a 1x30. It's all about what you want to do, some here make knives with hand tools.
I wanted the 2x72. No regrets. I like the options it provides.
This forum is a great well of ideas, with a wealth of knowledge and experience.
My first current blade was a 3.5" hunter skinner for a friend. It's his favorite knife.

As for your questions I'd suggest just do it. Get started. Pick a style, size ect, and get busy. The steps you listed will work.. Dont get in a hurry, think about it as you go.
Try to make the best knife you can. Then look at some of the work by people here and be humbled.
 
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If you are using AEB-L or anything 1/8" thick or thinner.

Send out for HT before grinding bevels

If you can handle working with very hard steel check out power hacksaw blades. They are already hardened. Only buy the hss ones, Not bimetal.


That's not how I started, but morphed into doing them, now I do both....knife steels, and PHSB

I suggest cutting knife shaped out of cardboard or thin wood first, to find the size and comfortable handle shapes you want First.
 
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I like D2 so that's what I started again with. There are some less expensive carbon steels like 5160 that work really well and generate less regret when tossed into the experience bucket.
 
That's a nice, simple design.
I'd definitely send it out for HT, before you grind the bevels. I'd say send it to JTknives JTknives (one of the resident experts on AEB-L heat treating). Here's a link to his page. https://www.jarodtodd.com/

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything negative about his service, other than he's busy sometimes...
 
With your aebl I would just go for nice thin stock and keep it full thickness before heat treat, then grind a fairly short convex bevel afterwards should cut down on post ht grinding time and still produce something that cuts well.

As for the rest, you seem to have a good handle on the steps, so get into it!

Only other piece of advice would be to keep your first knife simple in design and execution and focus your energy on finishing quality. Once you can get a nice finish, then you can expand into more complex designs and fitups.
 
3mm / 1/8th ish would be a good thickness for that knife.
You're planning a full tang handle right? I would do pins rather than bother with corby rivets, they're good enough. Get pin stock in the same material as the bolster so you can use them for the bolster too. that saves buying more stuff
Or ditch the bolster and just do wooden slabs. that is simpler

On jigs: I never bothered with a jig, but there are plenty of better makers who only use jigs. I think the question is more about your aesthetic values in making the knife.
A jig is more complexity, which is not always a good thing when you're starting something
 
A.McPherson said:
That's a nice, simple design.
I'd definitely send it out for HT, before you grind the bevels. I'd say send it to JTknives JTknives (one of the resident experts on AEB-L heat treating). Here's a link to his page. https://www.jarodtodd.com/

I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything negative about his service, other than he's busy sometimes...
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I looked at his website last week and he posted an update that says he won’t be doing small batches anymore. It is the link under “Changes moving forward”. I was kind of happy when I heard about him and then read the update that went into affect 7/8/2023. Just thought I’d pass the info.
 
Couple of advises to make your journey to first knife easier:

1. Install an additional flat platen to your grinder, this might be a piece of fire glass, a piece of ceramic tile or a piece of hardened steel. You can glue it with epoxy or bolt it to the existing platen. Plenty of topics on this on the forum.

2. Quality ceramic belts.

3. I was not so convinced by rhino wet in 220+, prefer Klingospor wet sanding paper to it. But there is many nuances and you will find what works for you as you go.

4. Stick with simple designs. Your first design is a good place to start. Maybe try to do the same design in a row. Say, you do three of the same pattern each. This will make your progress visible as the third knife of the same pattern is likely to have a better grind, fit and finish then the first two.
 
All good advice.
If you haven't read this, it may have a few pointers that will help you.

How to instructions for making a knife

These are the instructions I use to get someone started with a profiled stainless steel knife blank. I thought there might be those who could use the tutorial and pointers. Some details are specific to a particular knife project, but the info is universal. You can start with a bar of any type of...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com

In thin stock like your planned .06-.08: AEB-L it is simpler to profile, drill all holes (deburr them!) and send out for HT. Do the final grinding and sanding hardened.

Corby bolts are a very good choice but make sure you get the counterbore bit that matches the bolts you buy. I think the .250" size is best for starting and general use. Get brass Corbys, as stainless steel can get overheated easily with a fast grinder.

As far as HT, there are lots of folks here who will do it for you. CA has many makers and a couple of knife societies. I suspect someone will volunteer help to you with HT.

A very good file for knife work is a 10" or 12" Magicut file. The knife suppliers sell them.
 
Arkansasawyer said:
I looked at his website last week and he posted an update that says he won’t be doing small batches anymore. It is the link under “Changes moving forward”. I was kind of happy when I heard about him and then read the update that went into affect 7/8/2023. Just thought I’d pass the info.
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Grrrrr.... I have a mixed lot I was saving for him.

*Anybody know where his limits are, what's not considered a small batch?
 
Hi ricky. Myexperience was very similar to yours, including starting with a 1x30 sander. If you are serious about wanting to do this, i would strongly recommend going with a 2x70 grinder with variable speed from the very beginning. First, they do a much better job, and second, whether you use a jig or not (i dont),, you will eventually need to develop the “feel” for grinding your bevels … which takes a little while. Along those lines, you might consider doing some practice grinding runs on cheap mild steel to develop that feel (you will know when you get there … its kind of an “Aha” moment.

Sorry to hear JT is moving away from small batches … though i understand his reasons. His experience is great, and he has been most helpful for this one-at-a-time hobby maker..
 
Arkansasawyer said:
I looked at his website last week and he posted an update that says he won’t be doing small batches anymore. It is the link under “Changes moving forward”. I was kind of happy when I heard about him and then read the update that went into affect 7/8/2023. Just thought I’d pass the info.
Click to expand...
Well that's a bummer!
 
Try a bubble jig!

Really, I think the name "Bubble Jig" has probably misdirected a lot of people over the years, and sometimes I kinda wish I had picked a different name, because "jig" usually does mean more complexity. But that's not really what our tool is. It is really just a "sight reference" so that you can see clearly whether you are holding a steady angle (and which angle specifically, also) while grinding, instead of just "eyeballing it." If you'll forgive the shameless plug, I think it is a very valuable tool while learning on your first blades especially. Getting frustrated by failure is probably one of the main reasons people don't stick with this art, and the bubble jig really does limit that frustration, IMO. =)
 
These are all great suggestions and I really appreciate them; I've learned a lot just by reading them (makes me really glad I put up the original post). It's great to be able to rely on all the experience everyone else has.
 
With the 1x30, you can clamp the blade to a piece of angle iron and adjust the work rest on the grinder to set the bevel angle. You may need to take a little material off the back of the rest to tilt it in that direction.
 
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