Well let's start! Hand Tool Knife WIP Thingy

W

Will Leavitt

Joined
Jul 28, 2006
Messages
3,953
Dustin and Vern, since y'all are stuck with trying to learn with me let's get going! Anyone else can participate but I only have enough steel for us, I'm more than happy to cut blanks and HT 10XX steels if someone besides Dustin and Vern need it. I'd only ask for shipping costs because the wife ain't going to go for me paying for a bunch of stuff.

The peanut gallery is invited to participate with this rule

Be helpful, funny or shutup.

First you need to round up at least 4 ninja monkeys... never mind, I got them all and ain't selling them. :D

I'm open to whatever style you'd like to make but am suggesting something around the lines of my EDK listed in the link below.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=610225&highlight=edk

Here's your current homework:

List a short bio including work and hobbies and pictures of any knives you've made (this will help to judge where you're at and if you have experience that will play into learning)

List your tools to include expendables like sandpaper and adhesives

Where you're working at (to include lighting)

Your approximate budget for tooling and expendables

If you two can, please post 2 sketches of a 2 7/8" blade length 7"(ish, I usually make an EDK a bit UNDER 7" to keep the visual balance correct) overall length user knives. We'll discuss your knife philosophy and what you think goes into a using knife.


Over the weekend I'll get some tooling made up for you; one of my handy dandy hand sanding thingies (piece of mild with golf balls on the ends for handles) and a hand sanding fixture (piece of mild welded to some angle iron with a hold down using threaded 4-40 hex head bolts.) You'll need some sort of bench vise or a cheap drill press vise to hold the hand sanding fixture.

Well that's all I can think of at the moment and I really got to do my start of shift paperwork...... feel free to email me at will46r (at) yahoo (dot) com or PM on BF.
 
I'm excited to see how this plays out!

You guys are pretty lucky, I've been lurking around here for a while and have seen more generosity than I ever expected and this is a shining example of it.

As I have been trying to make my first couple knives I had great help with the steel and HT but never had the chance to have input along the way (didn't know how helpful these guys at BF are) so my knives are ... well, lacking ;) Put your heart into these guys, you won't regret it!
 
Will, this is flat out not going to work with out photos! You already mentioned two custom made tools and did not put up pictures of them. And what was that about sketches? What's that look like? Shame, shame, shame.... :p
 
I'll take #63 for the win! ;)

Seriously, this is super cool and I'm really looking forward to seeing it come to life.
 
Farmer Phil said:
Will, this is flat out not going to work with out photos! You already mentioned two custom made tools and did not put up pictures of them. And what was that about sketches? What's that look like? Shame, shame, shame.... :p
Click to expand...

Well Phil, they have to produce sketches :p

Here's some pictures of my 3 main fixtures and tools used in the shop. Remember all my blades are now made with hammer, anvil, fire, files and the junk pictured below.

HandSandingJigandSandingBlock.jpg


This hand sanding fixture is a piece of 2" mild square tubing with mild steel welded as a face and a piece of 1/4" mild that is tapped for 4-40 bolts to secure a blade in the fixture. It's held on my bench in a bench vise, this allows me to change the angle if I need to. There's always tape on the face to prevent scratches. I will use almost a full roll of electrician's tape making a knife. I've found that the HF cheap tape works best for me. I've used other tapes and had issues with adhesives or rusting.

My hand sanding block is also pictured. It's a piece of 1 1/2" x 1/4" mild steel with leather on one side and golf balls for handles. I had shaped wooden handles but I find the golf balls more comfortable. I use spray adhesive to hold sandpaper onto the sanding block.

HandSandingFixture.jpg


This is my other hand sanding/filing fixture. It's a piece of angle iron bolted onto a $4 drill press vice. There's leather on the face and a piece of wood is used to help clamp on tangs. Tape is normally on the leather to prevent scratches.

Tile.jpg


Well, I use this piece of thick marble tile from Lowes as a surface plate until I can buy a "real" plate. I use spray adhesive to secure sandpaper, clean up is with WD40 and rubbing alcohol.

Hope these tools give you an idea of what tools I use, they're not expensive at all and easy to make.

There's 2 blades in the pictures, the big fighter is pretty much out of the forge, just knocking scale off with a sen. The little drop point is cleaned up with a file and had the ricasso flattened and the filing/sanding on the primary flats is about to start.
 
Thanks Will. I'm looking forward to this. I will post all my info on Friday when I return from a road trip. That EDC looks really cool and will be fun.
 
Hey Will, I like your sanding thingy. :cool: I have a tap handle that looks like its cousin. I couldn't keep it tight on the tap and it was wearing on my hands I love the extra grip it gives me on the tap!

Looking forward to seeing more of this thread! Most of my homemade hand tools are part inspiration from to much aggravation! :D
 
I'm gonna jump in on this if you don't mind Will. :)
I have my own steel (Aldo's 1084) already.

Bio:
I'm 36 years old. Happily married with a 10 year old son. Living in Aurora, CO, a suburb of Denver. I work downtown at a boutique law firm as an office manager.
I have a lot of hobbies. Guns, coin and currency collecting, cars (used to build and race), airsoft, and I'm into self sufficient living/preparedness.
Interesting factoids: within the last 5 years I've had back surgery, gone deaf in one ear, had open heart surgery, and a pace maker. But I'm actually in pretty good health, oddly enough! :P I'm also writing a book (fiction), I hope to finish this year.

I've not completed a knife yet, but have a rough profile cut out that I've started draw filing. I've done a couple handles on some pre-mades. 4 total I think.

Tools:
Drill press.
Files including bastard, 2nd and smooth, as well as various triangle files, rounds and a couple chainsaw files.
4x36 belt grinder/sander with 5" disc on the side, a variety of belts from 40 to about 180 grit.
I have a propane forge on the way, and was planning to use it for my first HT.
A bench vise. A buffer. Dremel. 4.5" angle grinder. Chop saw. Hack saw. Coping saw. Lot's of sand paper. I can solder. Some other stuff I'm probably forgetting, a lot of it car related.

Work space is in the garage, using a folding bench (folds up against the wall so the wife can park her car) I built a few years ago. I'm sitting at it in my avatar pic. I have some good shop lights from car building days, and try to work with the door open for natural light as much as possible.

Budget: Fairly open.

Here's a couple sketches I drew up for this project.
The first one came pretty natural to me, that 2nd design felt kind of forced.
wlk1.0.jpg

wlk2.0.jpg


I look forward to everyone's input and appreciate the opportunity to work with you!
-Wade
 
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Will, your generousity is incredible and very inspiring. It's funny, I bought the same exact tile from Lowes, it's sitting on my bench right now. :)
 
Wade of the 2 I think the second looks better. If you didn't want to make is as much of a wharnie you can maybe curve it up a bit more near the top and bring the point up a bit more. The first one seems like it would be more tricky to get a good bevel on. One thing that was told to me is keeping the edge and spine relatively parallel will make life easier on yourself. I would also suggest making the handle a bit longer as well. You're going to want the handle to be somewhere around a half inch or so longer than the width of an average sized hand. I'm not a big guy but a less that 4" handle would even feel small for me.
 
Welcome aboard the crazy train Wade :D

I'm assuming you're using a 1x1/4 bar of 1084? Great steel, just not the best size for a stock removal blade :p

The main issue with this size of bar stock is the limitations it places on the handle. Wade, if you have any playdough or clay make a cardboard cutout of the baldes with a little hidden tang and cover the tang with clay. Then hold the clay handle as you would a knife and go through knife using motions for a bit. When you remove your hand from the handle see the shape? It'll be more curvy and less of the straight cylinder look.

I like the complete curve across the spine and into the handle. Since you're somewhat limited on stock size try moving the top of the butt to about a 1/8" drop from the top of the bar stock then redraw that curve. That'll (in my design philosophy) make the handle more comfortable.

I don't like the curve at the finger choil on blade one.... it'll allow the finger to slide forward easier, the choil on 2 is done very well I think.

Overall I like the ideas behind your sketches but we'll need to tweak the handle a bit.


I really don't know how I'd get a lot done without that piece of tile. It's a very versatile tool that's chunk of rock simple :p
 
Maybe more like this?
Modified version of the 1st one:
wlk3.0.jpg

I'll try and see if I can find some clay in my son's room when I get home tonight.
 
I added some more pics to that link you posted, Sir Leavitt.
 
Wade Jones said:
Maybe more like this?
Modified version of the 1st one:
wlk3.0.jpg

I'll try and see if I can find some clay in my son's room when I get home tonight.
Click to expand...


I think that looks better.... less of a "Pregnant goldfish" look than the original :p I think you can even extend what is going to be the finger guard down more to it meets the line you drew in at the bottom and kind of square it off a bit with the edge like in your second pic. But again it's my opinion, I'm still very new at this and it's your knife anyway I just think the first pic seemed a bit awkward looking.
 
Will Leavitt said:
I'm assuming you're using a 1x1/4 bar of 1084? Great steel, just not the best size for a stock removal blade :p
:p
Click to expand...

I am very curious as to what size steel to order/use? I was going to go with 1084, but was not sure how thick to order. Is 1095 better for my first attempt?

Looking to do my first knife using the basics for tools and appreciate your generosity.
 
1/8" or 3/16" thickness in 1080/1084/1095 would be fine.

Some of this is hard to explain via words.... so I modified your drawing. When you get some clay try this handle style. Try your handle design..... just glob some clay on there and see what fits right. Now please don't include the finger grooves and stuff when you see what's comfortable. Mentally remove them from the design.

Edited to add: If you mock up your design in cardboard or something you'll see that the point of the blade indexes very high and in a less "intuitive" position in relation to your hand (at least to my way of thinking.) I kind of like to keep the blade point near the middle of my hand unless it's a wharnie or semi-wharnie. I'm not saying you have to design it like this, I'm just asking you the thoughts behind the design. You work with lawyers :p you should be familiar with the Socratic method :D

wlk3_0.jpg
 
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Hi all. My name is Michael and I live in Central Maine. I'm 45, one 16 y/o daughter and work for a school district in the IT department.

Here is me enjoying my hobby up in the Rangely Lakes area--off-roading with our Jeep club.

OutofStream.jpg


Anyway, this will be my first knife. I will post a sketch soon. For equipment I have an angle grinder, Harbor Freight 1x30 belt sander w/good asst. of belts, bench grinder, bench vise, cheap drill press, Dremel tool and some files.

This should be fun and I look forward to seeing everyone's results.

Thanks again for letting us all participate!
 
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