Tools for the beginner?

R

Rminton

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Feb 4, 2017
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I got into knife making a few months back. Since then I've made 4 kit knives and have 2 knives ready to heat treat from stock removal. I live in the inner city in a studio apartment. While I have a nice sized work bench, I don't have room for full sized power tools.

I have done most of my stock removal with a hacksaw and dremel, with the help of some files as well. I love the hobby and plan on continuing, but I'm weary of buying table top power tools. I am happy with my craftsman 8" drill press, but I'm weary on my next purchases. I've found table top belt sanders, buffers, and band saws. Has anyone used any of these smaller table top versions while making knives and how have they faired?

I understand saving money to buy a larger tool would make the job easier but with my current living arrangements it's not currently possible. Thanks in advance for any help.
 
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These are the knives I have done so far with stock removal
 
I dont make from scratch but i do a lot of mods. Ive used mostly junk tools. Imho a talented craftsmen can make due with whatever they have available. A cheap tool in the right hands will yield better results than a poor craftsman with the best tools. With that said i have had really good luck with cheap crap from harbor freight. You just cant buy anything that requires very close tolerances. In other words. Small grinder for sharpening = awesome. Just buy a good belt. But i would never buy a reamer or surface grinder on the cheap.
 
One tool that could be useful for you is a handheld angle grinder. Will save you hours when cutting metal and shaping rough bevels. Cheap enough at Harbor Freight. But also a very loud tool (may not work for an apartment dweller).
 
One tool that could be useful for you is a handheld angle grinder.

Be wary . . . I love these things but they are LOUD ! And throw enough sparks that you could cause a fire in an apartment setting. Best used on a concrete floor etc. so if a fire starts you can put it out no big deal.

Maybe if you talk nice to Charlie Mike he will show you a YouTube of his nice table top belt sander.
Runs slower so not so much spark showers and a lot quieter because of the motor to belt drive (the angle grinder has differential gears and there is a lot of gear noise as well as motor noise). Just two different animals.
 
Another thing to check into is community work shops. I know they have them for cabinet makers / woodworkers. Maybe there is a metal working / sculpture studio that people share.

Another option is night courses at a community college. Welding or machining would get you close to some nice tools. Nicer than you can dream of. While I was in high school I was taking adult ed at the local community college so I could play with the high tech TIG welders and I taught myself silver brazing with their stuff and got an idea from that what to buy for my self.
 
Thanks for all the info. I was worried about the sparks and noise of an angle grinder. That's why I was looking into a small bandsaw but I worry none of the small ones I've seen have a low enough speed. My problem with classes is I work for a city fire department and wouldn't be able to make classes due to my work schedule. I appreciate all of this!
 
small bandsaw but I worry none of the small ones I've seen have a low enough speed.

I have changed the pulley(s) on wood / hobby band saws to slow them down for metal sawing. I'm not sure of what is out there now (this was thirty years ago Sears Craftsman and second hand at that).

Larger pulley on the saw blade drive wheel and or smaller pulley on the motor. If they are basic old vee belt pulleys you can get them at Home Depot or hardware stores. Going too small on the motor tends to slip on the belt if it is a thick belt and make the bearing on the motor hot. I have that problem on one of my small table top belt sanders that is designed for metal and came with that pulley from the factory. Better to go with the former and use a longer belt if you need to / have room for the pulley.
 
Has anyone used cutting wheels on a dremel? I was interested to see if they would cut 1095 steel plate in place of a hacksaw.
 
Yes I've used a dremel with the quick change cut off wheel and still do occasionally. But they take a long time to cut through 1/8" steel and use a lot of blades AND dremel tools. IF you deicide to this buy the extended warranty as you will for only this once benefit from a extended warranty!
 
I'll also recommend a portaband. I've got a horizontal cutoff bandsaw, and a 14" vertical metal bandsaw, and I still use my portaband frequently. In handheld configuration it is great for things such as cutting a chunk off a long bar of 1" square brass you don't want to deal with on the cutoff bandsaw. In the stand I like having a much finer blade (24 tpi or so) to use for cutting thin materials. A 10tpi blade isn't too happy with 1/16" stock

A couple GOOD files would be worth your money too. Order one pferd or grobet, and compare it to whatever you're currently using (including new production Nicholson) and you'll never buy anything but Swiss or German again.
 
I forget to mention, eBay can be a good source for a portaband. I picked up an old porter cable (the original porta band, and basically impossible to kill) for $150. I own plenty of DeWalt and Milwaukee, and I'd pick old porter cable over it anyday
 
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