What is everyone using to cut out their profiles?

[terbtrebis03]

I am new to knife making and I started on my first knife last night. It is 3/32" thick D2 steel and I tried a ton of different options: dremel cutting tool, jig saw, skil saw, and hack saw. I finally got it cut out of the bigger piece of metal but its no where near the shape it needs to be i just wanted to make it smaller and easier to work with. I then took it to the grinder to try to get some shape out of it and the grinder wouldn't cut much, it would just heat it up and change the color which i know can ruin the blade if it gets hot enough... Any suggestions?

Ive also read alot online that not too many people suggest using D2 tool steel for knives...what is everyone else using and why?

Thanks
terbtrebis03

 

[carbonsteel928]

High tension hacksaw or bandsaw work great. As for issues with the grinder, what type of grinder are you using and what grit belt?

 

[tryppyr]

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/452465-***Newbies-Good-info-Here***

 

[tryppyr]

I (and a lot of other folks) use a variable speed portable bandsaw with bimetallic blades running VERY slow. You will be tempted to run the bandsaw faster. Resist that temptation. Slow is the way to go.

 

[Omega Leather Works]

As a beginner you chose a difficult steel to heat treat if you are doing it yourself. 1084/1080 are typically recommended if you have limited equipment for HT.

Is the steel already heat treated? If not, I wouldn't worry too much about overheating it with whatever you are cutting it with. This is just going by what I was told when I had the same concern.

D2 is a good steel. What qualities are you looking for?

 

[terbtrebis03]

Thank you for all of the replies, I am making this knife for a friend when he goes overseas. So it needs to be thick and durable. He asked that the blade be skinny in height so he doesnt want a really thick like bushcraft knife. ill try to post a picture when i can. I do plan on sending it off to get heat treated. I dont think d2 was a very good steel to start with but hey you live and you learn. After heat treat do you think that the 1080+ steels will hold up in the elements overseas?

Thanks

 

[Josh Mason]

I get steel that is close to the dimensions of my overall knife to begin with, and cut it with a metal cutoff wheel mounted in an angle grinder. I scribe all of the profiles that will fit on the stock, and chop all of them off square. Then I roughly knock off any corners relatively close to the scribe lines, and grind to those lines with a somewhat dull coarse belt on my 2x72 grinder. Finger grooves and curves are roughly done on the edge of the platen with a belt running off the edge a bit. I then clean those up with a drum sander. You can find those for your drill press for rounding of finger grooves etc.

Get a known steel in an annealed state from a good supplier. The cutoff in the angle grinder makes short work of it. The trick with an angle grinder is getting the steel close to your dimensions in the first place, and just cutting the bar off/knocking off rough corners. Cutting blades out of the middle of a big wide plate of steel is dangerous with a cutoff wheel. The wheel is more likely to grab, twist, grenade, kick back etc.

Wear a respirator, and watch your sparks. Your shirt will be on fire before you know it.

 

[Josh Mason]

If you're sending the blade off for HT, check out any steel that you want. D2 is a great steel, and don't feel bad for choosing it. It's better suited to take a nice satin finish. It's difficult to get any kind of mirror or fine finish with this one. Keep us updated.

The simple carbon steels will rust easily in a saltwater environment. D2 is not truly a stainless steel, but it has better corrosion resistance. A2 will rust if you breathe on it.

Check out ATS-34/CPM-154. It's a very nice steel to work with. Classic stainless knifemaking steel.

 

[flatblackcapo]

If you plan on making more blades I would suggest getting a portaband. There are a few threads about making a table for the portaband that will turn it into a bench top bandsaw. If you do not want to spend that much money right now then a hi tension hacksaw would work.The difference in cutting power of the hi tension hacksaw and a regular cheap-o hack saw is like night and day. Also no matter what cutting device you choose, high quality blades are a must.Best of luck with your knife and like Josh said, keep us posted.

 

[Karl B. Andersen]

They hold up here.
Are the "elements overseas" different?

After heat treat do you think that the 1080+ steels will hold up in the elements overseas?
Thanks

 

[Karl B. Andersen]

Interesting double post. Not the first one Ive seen.

 

[beaster456]

I use a Harbor Freight portoband, works pretty well for me. Be sure to pick up some better blades from Lowes or Home Depot, the blades sold at Harbor Freight aren't worth it. D2 is a tough steel, and has pretty good wear resistance. It's not fully stainless but much better than 10XX steels which can rust pretty fast if it's humid or they get wet. I will say that you'll have a much easier time sharpening 10XX steels

 

[Overmountain]

+1 on the porta-band. I used a Dewalt 238 clamped in a Craftsman work table till it blew smoke. Then picked up one of the HF porta-bands to replace it. Having it mounted firmly, adding a decent work surface and good blades will get you through anything you ever needed to cut. I used to be a 4.5" grinder/cut-off wheel guy because I swore it was faster... Yeah, but it wastes too much material and has safety issues. This is one of the best sub-$100 purchases I have ever made... As you can see, I am using it to cut some 1.5" thick 304 stainless guard material here with ease... Good blades make all the difference in the world, but to get started the three-packs at HF ain't half bad...

I mounted mine by the forward handle bolts, and keep the handle handy as I cut a lot of pipe as well so I take it off the stand often. Bottom is tight against the base and the front cover serves to index the bottom so to speak...

-Eric

 

[cjwb2012]

They hold up here.
Are the "elements overseas" different?

Id say the elements overseas are different. Ive been to Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Republic Of Georiga, South Korea, Japan, Kuwait, Djibouti Africa, Pakistan, Turkey and a handful of other places. And yes the elements were all different! Africa is hottt!! Anyhow, as long as the knife is taken care of it should be just fine wherever your friend is going! I had a little blade I made out of 1080 and I carried that thing to all the places I just mentioned and it was fine. Of course I didn't leave it in a puddle of mud or wash it in a dishwasher(not that we had any over there). I think its awesome your making a blade for a buddy heading over seas. I'm sure it will last him a good while. Good luck and post pics for sure!

 

[JG Custom Metal Works]

+1 on the porta-band. I used a Dewalt 238 clamped in a Craftsman work table till it blew smoke. Then picked up one of the HF porta-bands to replace it. Having it mounted firmly, adding a decent work surface and good blades will get you through anything you ever needed to cut. I used to be a 4.5" grinder/cut-off wheel guy because I swore it was faster... Yeah, but it wastes too much material and has safety issues. This is one of the best sub-$100 purchases I have ever made... As you can see, I am using it to cut some 1.5" thick 304 stainless guard material here with ease... Good blades make all the difference in the world, but to get started the three-packs at HF ain't half bad...

I mounted mine by the forward handle bolts, and keep the handle handy as I cut a lot of pipe as well so I take it off the stand often. Bottom is tight against the base and the front cover serves to index the bottom so to speak...

-Eric

Bingo! This is what I use. My mount is a lot more low tech. I took the top handle off and put a piece of angle iron in between it and the body of the saw, put the screws back in through it, and mounted it to my bench. Works great. I've done probably 15 blades with it so far and am still using the first blade. It still cuts great but I oil the cuts.

 

[jobasha11]

I get steel that is close to the dimensions of my overall knife to begin with, and cut it with a metal cutoff wheel mounted in an angle grinder. I scribe all of the profiles that will fit on the stock, and chop all of them off square. Then I roughly knock off any corners relatively close to the scribe lines, and grind to those lines with a somewhat dull coarse belt on my 2x72 grinder. Finger grooves and curves are roughly done on the edge of the platen with a belt running off the edge a bit. I then clean those up with a drum sander. You can find those for your drill press for rounding of finger grooves etc.

Get a known steel in an annealed state from a good supplier. The cutoff in the angle grinder makes short work of it. The trick with an angle grinder is getting the steel close to your dimensions in the first place, and just cutting the bar off/knocking off rough corners. Cutting blades out of the middle of a big wide plate of steel is dangerous with a cutoff wheel. The wheel is more likely to grab, twist, grenade, kick back etc.

Wear a respirator, and watch your sparks. Your shirt will be on fire before you know it.

This is about what I do. And yes make sure your manipulating the guard to keep the sparks away from you if you take up the "angle grinder method". I caught my shirt on fire once and I make sure to be careful now.