To What Degree Are You Directly Involved In Your Knifemaking ?

[tryppyr]

I agree, but apparently 10% don't.

 

[Hengelo_77]

but a blade worthy of being made should be worthy of being protected.

I use a self made kitchenknife without a sheeth. And I have a self made shop knife without a sheet.
I lay it on top af the radio when not in use. No need for a sheeth

 

[Horsewright]

I too have done all the above except the smelting, pattern welding and sending sheaths out. I've also sourced some of my own handle materials including cutting oak burl on the ranch, collecting ram horn and goat horn from dead critters in an animal traders pens. I'm currently looking for a wild boar at the ranch with just the right tusks. He i will assist in his donations.

 

[Rick Marchand]

I use a self made kitchenknife without a sheeth. And I have a self made shop knife without a sheet.
I lay it on top af the radio when not in use. No need for a sheeth

So do I... i was just bustin' Greg's chops. That radio provides a safe haven for the shop blade so technically... (yeah, I'm reaching). My kitchen knife sits on the window ledge above the sink... call it a proximity sheath.

 

[theHobbyist]

Cutting out blanks is the easy part. I can cut and grind to profile almost in my sleep... and in fact anyone with reasonable hand-eye coordination could. It's just not a high-skill operation.
In my opinion, if you're designing it, grinding/filing the bevels (the most important part), and finishing/assembling/sharpening it, you're a knifemaker.

Actually what makes cutting the blanks difficult for me is my location... I'd be doing it on the balcony of my condo... a very conservative condo lol
I've tried firing up a little craftsman beltsander and got many complaints, noise wise, drill presses are much quieter I'm not sure about bench top band saws though. I'm gonna have to see how I can get one up to my place with out security seeing or nosing around too much and give it a try =)

 

[parbajtor]

I have done all of those except outsourcing sheaths. Forging, pattern welding , smelting and my own HT have been done at Hammer-ins and I have a stock removal set up in the shed. I outsource my stainless HT. Only a couple of completed sole authorship knives, although a few sole authored blades "waiting in the wings". I only use smith made blades or my own.

 

[JCaswell]

No excuses!
---I started with the forge in a condo garage--built an air hammer in there and went to work.
---Made a lot of steel there including one of my first (and most challenging) projects, a copy of the PW sword from Sutton Hoo. (below).
You can do it. Just try not to do things that make a lot of noise when people are home at night trying to relax.

 

[jonnymac44]

No excuses!
---I started with the forge in a condo garage--built an air hammer in there and went to work.
---Made a lot of steel there including one of my first (and most challenging) projects, a copy of the PW sword from Sutton Hoo. (below).
You can do it. Just try not to do things that make a lot of noise when people are home at night trying to relax.

Awesome pattern in that sword blade, J!!:thumbup: Beautiful.

 

[JCaswell]

Awesome pattern in that sword blade, J!!:thumbup: Beautiful.

Thanks!
That's the classic Sutton Hoo sword constructed after the one done by Scott Lankton.

It's an 8-bar core --4 visible on each side--with the pattern arranged so that the twisted sections on one side are juxtaposed non-twisted (straight lines) sections on the opposite side of the blade. Then there's the separate edge welded around the outside. The bars each taper toward the point so the character of the pattern is preserved despite the profile taper of the sword. (The profile taper is set because the individual bars inside are tapered, rather than welding it all together and forging the taper after.)

It's a challenging project and ENTIRELY FORGED IN A CONDO GARAGE!---so get to work, Hobbyist!:thumbup:

 

[Bruce Culberson]

.......and have someone rough cut the blank for me and all I do is file it then send it out to heat treating etc...

If you want a profiled blank I'll make one and sent it to you. Hey I'm in the Christmas spirit! Just shoot me a sketch that will fit onto a 1/8" thick x 1.25" wide and ~9" long and I'll cut one out for you in 1084 steel.

Bruce

 

[james terrio]

If you want a profiled blank I'll make one and send it to you.

Good on you sir, that's what makes our craft so much fun. :thumbup:

 

[Dwane Oliver]

I do everything I can myself , except making pattern welded steel. All steel types are HT'ed in house.
But soon I will be able to do that too.
I am gathering the parts to build a press, and a powerhammer, and a rolling mill as we speak. I'm about $5,000 in and have about another $1,000 to spend.
There are a few "production" runs that I have water-jet cut.

Dwane

 

[Matt Markell]

I do stock removal though I want to build a forge soon and start forging.

I send all my knives off to be HT'ed because the alternative is HT'ing them in a firepit I certainly wouldn't mind getting a kiln and HT'ing my own blades but with no 220v power anywhere it's a much better deal for me to have a pro do them.

I make my own sheaths. That's all I say about that. :grumpy: Stupid sheaths, takes forever, damn my stitching is ugly...

I've only been doing this for about 5 months now and still have so much to learn and do but I finally have a decent list of shop equipment and I've been making pretty good progress lately.

 

[DanCo]

OK, well ..... Wait , wut? huh

 

[Kentucky]

We make our own damascus and do our own heat treating. Make sheaths too..Also do stock removal...
.......
My next personal project is a SMELT..Im looking forward to it..I plan on making the bloom into a Axe and if I have enough left a seax..
..
Well that a multi bar migration era sword..That Im really looking forward too..This stupid house remodel has gotten in the way. I was planning on starting it before christmas but oh well..Probably 6 bars..Two low layer twists surrounding two "Wolf Tooth" interlocking bars in the center and two mono steel bars on the edge.

 

[JCaswell]

Sounds great.
If you're going to do the separate edge, I'd suggest getting used to doing it in one long bar that goes all the way around the point and up the sides. I've noticed guys are doing it as separate bars now, and maybe there were some in antiquity that way (can't say I've seen examples of it, but that's not to say it was never done), but traditionally, it's one continuous bar. It's more challenging, but if you're gonna go 90% on a project like that, why bother, right?
Good luck on the house and future projects!:thumbup:

 

[Kentucky]

Thanks and your right..I didnt mean to really say six bars.Dont know what I was thinking.I was planning on a continuous wrap on the cutting edge..I have seen guys lately doing what they call a "birds beak?" weld where they cut a "V" section out of the point then weld that together. All bars are welded together in a flat bar first then the beak is cut out and welded up..Not sure if I would like doing that or not but it dosnt look bad at all..Ive seen acouple swords done that way.It does change the pattern though.
Im pretty sure Im going to weld up the two wolfs teeth bars first before I bundle them..Ive seen a lot of teeth pattern bars with inclusions..Im not taking any chances.