UPDATED WIP - My 1st knife (and now 2nd) with no workshop

Marin, that is great, your enthusiasm is infectious. I have a few tools ahead of you, but my first knife was made with similar tools, and apparently less natural skill, it didn't look as good as yours! I will try and see if my Pops still has it and post a pick someday. Best wishes for your knifemaking, and keep on with your shop, it is truly one's own as it develops. And a class act from Patrice, and Eric, use what resources are willing to help you!

Cheers--Don
 
UPDATE

(I had to do this in multiple posts as it didn't let me post one big text)

Hi guys,

Sorry about the delay, this is a long overdue update (ok just a week but still :) )

So, first of all, as I told yo before, I just acquired a very small workbench, a 42" wide Jobmate one.
I managed to fit it in a small closet that I am using to store ski, golf, camping equipment. Fits perfectly ! Here it is :

IMG_0003_zps49ac44d7.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

IMG_0004_zps62f6275b.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

I also purchased a $20 vise which works perfectly !

So I already started working with the material that Pat Lemee was kind enough to provide me with (1084 steel along with some Mahogany and Arariba Rose wood for the handle)

IMG_0002_zps69b034d5.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
I wanted to make the most of what Pat gave me so I am making a 9,75"long kitchen knife (utility/paring knife i guess) with a 5,5" blade.
I decided to go for a much more straight handle to give it a very minimalist look.
I initially wanted to work with the mahogany but as you'll see in the next few days, I had another idea.

So as for the first one, I started by shaping the blade. Sooooo nice to work with an actual vise an not a balcony and a clamp!! :D

IMG_2733_zpsd3cdb60b.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

IMG_2734_zps2fdfe922.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

IMG_2737_zps8b0bdecb.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]

IMG_2738_zps9bc8789b.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
Last edited:
So here it is, all shaped.

Then I started working on grinding the blade itself, still with my loyal Nicholson file. Halfway through the first side I got tired of working on metal and decided I wanted to work on wood a little.

When looking at the pieces that Pat had given me I realized that the Arariba was wide enough in itself to be the size of the actual handle... BINGO.

I wanted to have a new knife making experience and decided to go for a "half-hidden tang" (is that even a word ?). What I mean by that is that I want to insert the steel part of the handle by the top of the wooden part so the steel at the bottom is hidden but is visible on top (ok maybe that doesn't make sense). It'll be clearer with the following pictures.

The problem was, I had no clue how to make that...notch in the wood to insert the handle. I remembered there was a pawn shop a couple blocks from my place and headed there. Turns out they were selling a brand new Dremel rotary tool (the cheap one with the single speed) for only $30. I had been working with inappropriate tools from the start so why not continue ? :) Funny part is, I had no clue what a Dremel was up until my first visit here about 3 weeks ago...

So that Dremel was coming with a cut-out wheel (also probably the cheap ones). So I started cutting a "line" in the middle of the wood to allow the steel part of the blade to get in there.

Lucky for me, you guys taught me enough about safety by now, that I also bought a pair of safety googles from the dollar store and I used a scarf to protect my mouth and nose (not really the best I know but it worked great).

After about 5 minutes working on that "line" the cut-out wheel just flew all over the place.

So that's where I stand now. I'll buy another wheel tomorrow and continue working on it.

I'll leave you on these last few pictures for today.

Please give me your feedback guys. Thanks again for introducing me to knife making, I'm having a blast !

Marin
 
Hi Marin, looking good so far. As a fellow rookie to knife making I really enjoy following your progress. When you first described it I thought you were referring to a stub tang style handle but this is definitely different. It will be the first knife I've seen with a handle like this so I'm looking forward to what you come up with.

I have a couple suggestions for you that I have found helped me starting out. One is look into buying a rasp or two. You can get them with 4 different sides on one rasp and save money though they usually have half rounded sides and may not help with this particular handle. If you've never seen them a rasp is like a wood workers file with barbs as opposed to straight grooves a metal file has. They aren't too expensive at the big stores either and they chew away a lot of wood deceptively quick and would make short work on that groove you're working on.

My other recommendation is look into getting a start to finish knife making book. The forums and youtube videos are invaluable but a book serves as a complete reference, even if you use different techniques it helps to have it just to remind you the order you should do things in. I find myself getting the most up to date info at sites like this but constantly going to the books for process documentation. I've read a couple but really liked David Boye's Step By Step Knifemaking. He has a kind of zen approach to making knives and is pretty detailed without making it feel like a technical read.

Good luck and I look forward to your updates!
 
Your workplace has a good vibe!
Be carefull with your vice, the jaws can damage steel.
Always protect your steel when clamping it. (rubber, wood leather, Aluminum, textile, etc)
 
Thanks for the advice Augus7us ! I'll try to grab a couple of rasps, that's a great idea ! Can rasps also remove metal or is it not recommended?
As far as the order is concerned, I understand that I should shape/grind/drill/HT the blade before starting on the handle but I just had enough with steel for that day so I'd give it a try :)

Be carefull with your vice, the jaws can damage steel.
Always protect your steel when clamping it. (rubber, wood leather, Aluminum, textile, etc)
Click to expand...

Thanks Hengelo ! For whatever reason I made sure to protect the blade when using my balcony but haven't done it with my vise, that won't happen again sir ;)

More pictures coming tonight.

Marin
 
Hey there Marin, you might look at going with a small chisel to make your slot. You could also use a regular old woods saw, to make two parallel slots, then use a chisel or something to carefully break out the material between the the two slots... I'm sure you're handy enough to get whatever method you go with to work!
 
Can rasps also remove metal or is it not recommended?
Click to expand...

Hey Marin, I've responded to this and must have got an error as its not showing up. I would definitely not use a rasp on metal :) Once you see one you will see why they wouldn't be very good even if you could use it, they are mostly for rough shaping wood and have an aggressive bite.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top