Tools you wish you would have bought starting out

Another item to add to the list of things that should be bought sooner rather than later is a Nicholson #49 or #50 cabinet makers rasp if you intend to make anything from wood. Thanks to fellow formumite Karl Andersen for turning some of us onto that piece of gear. I would also recommend finding a handle broach if you are doing hidden tang knives and the little Dremel micro router setup for stuff like mortised handles.
 
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Bubble Jig even if I didn't make them.

Happy grinding, Fred
 
I just added a vfd to my grinder this week. Loving it. Should have just done it from the start. I feel like I have a lot more control of my grinds with it. Changing the speed of the belt rather than the pressure I'm applying just feels more manageably.
 
2x72 grinder with small wheel attachment

Carbide faced file guide

Bubble jig

Rise fall indicator

Bandsaw

Drill press
 
blsdmf said:
Hey All,

First and foremost, this forum has been a WEALTH of information, so thank you to you all for contributing to such a great community. This is my first post here so the short of it is, long time knife collector who has decided to start learning how to make my own. I am in the process of buying equipment and would like to hear any insight on things you wish you would have bought when starting out? I have decided on a belt grinder, own a band saw and drill press and am deciding on which hand files to buy next. So, what do you wish you would have invested in from the beginning? Any insight is appreciated here, I will ultimately be taking a class with an accomplished knife maker and can't wait to get going! Thanks all!
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I bought stuff as I needed it, so always had what was needed...
 
Dial calipers....Used by some of us for reloading needs....Once in the shop will
QUICKLY become indispensable.
 
got a kiln as my first big buy when i started. had a 1X42 grinder and used my dads drill press at the time. got a 4x6 saw and next was mini mill (you can drill with a mill but you cant mill with a drill )
if i sent stuff out for HT a KMG mini mill and a bandsaw that coudl cut both wood and metal woudl cover 99%knife work
 
You must have good eyesight, Russ. I switched to a digital model pretty quickly. :D
Russ Andrews said:
Dial calipers....Used by some of us for reloading needs....Once in the shop will
QUICKLY become indispensable.
Click to expand...
 
jdm61 said:
You must have good eyesight, Russ. I switched to a digital model pretty quickly. :D
Click to expand...

Joe....I considered a digital....but passed (for now) as replacing batteries (always at inconvenient times) can
be irritating...LOL
 
What I have determined was that the cheap versions of either type are, well, cheap. With the number of digital calipers I have bought in the last 8 years or so at Home Depot, I could have spent serious money on a set from Sterrett or one of the good Japanese models and still had them and some change.
Russ Andrews said:
Joe....I considered a digital....but passed (for now) as replacing batteries (always at inconvenient times) can
be irritating...LOL
Click to expand...
 
Blacknboostn said:
also, back on topic for me, the clamps are a needed as well... sounds like I need to make a home depot run for a few things.

Harbor Freight has a benchtop mini mill for around 360... just opened up a location in Lake Forest too, need to visit there ASAP

A milling machine is high on my list for when I begin to make folders.
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The cheapest milling machine I could find at Harbor Freight is $600.
You really don't need a mill to make folders.
 
Speaking as a 6 month old beginner, not necessarily in any order:

A good variable 2x72 grinder is the core of the shop. Having a grinder that will do everything you need it to do is just beyond words. I picked up an Esteem from Brett M and never looked back. I love it. I picked up a 14 inch wheel and am please with it, although I've not been interested in hollow grinding to a great extent yet. I may have jumped the gun on that one but an waiting to see if I get more interested in it. Think through upgrades. It is probably best to just get the basic flat grind down before you venture off.
Quality dial calipers. I love the convenience of digital calipers for quick and easy conversion from mm/inches/fractions, but I have both types.
A good quality drill press. I picked up an old Craftsman 100 and 150 and put in new bearings (quality) and belts, and got them pretty much free except for my labor by parting out things I didn't need on them.(Craigslist). Figure out how you want to clamp your work down for drilling. This is a must for safety. Could be a cross-slide vise which is what I use, or 123 blocks or both.
Carbide file guides. These will save you a ton of frustration on the grinder. I have a pile of scrap blades because I overshot the plunge learning to grind. Having the guides helps you focus on other issues while learning to grind. When mine wear out I will be getting another set, no question about it.
Some kind of machinist blocks for getting a work rest square. I don't use a rest for grinding bevels, but I do use it to profile the shape initially. Having it square is important.
A good carbide scribe with height adjustment. I went with the cheap block scribe to start with and while it is usable and helpful, the height adjustable scribe is quicker to use and easier to be precise with. (eBay).
A portable band saw with a table to mount it to. You can get a Swag table, but I just built my own from oak and metal. I started with an angle grinder, and it's just not a pleasure to use to cut out a blade. One skip across the surface in the wrong place and you trashed the blade. I have a porter cable porta-band and it works great. It's old, but American made and will probably last me through my knife making career. They can be had for 150 to 200 off Craigslist.
A good magnet to hold the blade against to grinder helps when surface grinding. I used to also use it for bevel grinding to give more to hold onto, but have since learned you can just hold it by hand and do very well. It's just a matter of finesse and it will come with practice.
A surface plate (which I have yet to get) can help with scribing, and some types of sanding.
Build a good knife sanding vise or clamp. Nick Wheelers hand sanding videos show this contraption which is just angle iron bolted or welded together. I built one and love it.
A wood band saw for cutting handle scales. You can get away maybe using the portable band saw for a while, but having a dedicated wood saw is nice.
Good lighting. This can make a huge difference at the grinder and for hand sanding. Very important.
Dust collection and respirator.

Craigslist and ebay have been great for providing good deals on these items for me. I buy and sell a lot so it was easy for me to get my stuff. I've also picked up quite a bit of stuff at garage sales for next to nothing compared to retail.
I hope this info is helpful.
 
Iwasaki carving files. They are magic on wood, and take the place of a half dozen other tools. Wish I'd discovered them 20 years ago.
 
NC Biker said:
I use mine daily on the drill press as fixtures for holding blades or anything else. They have threaded holes so that they can be bolted to my drill press table.

Also, at the grinder for setting the work rest 90° to the paten. If they are off, a slight tap on the rest with the 123 block will nudge the rest into place.

I will at times clamp a block perpendicular to my platen and use it as a guide and hold a blade up against the block as I'm grinding the spine so that I get a perfect 90° angle. They come in real handy anytime you want to square something.

Check out the photos below for examples.

123block.png
Click to expand...

Great examples, thanks!
 
butcher_block said:
got a kiln as my first big buy when i started. had a 1X42 grinder and used my dads drill press at the time. got a 4x6 saw and next was mini mill (you can drill with a mill but you cant mill with a drill )
if i sent stuff out for HT a KMG mini mill and a bandsaw that coudl cut both wood and metal woudl cover 99%knife work
Click to expand...

Do a lot of people just go the mini mill route? To me it seems like the more logical choice to start with, based on exactly what you said, it's multipurpose. I have an old drill press but feel that I will want a mill once I start doing folders.
 
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