what main tools are you guys using?

G

grumpy_grinder

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Oct 2, 2015
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i know i shouldn't be doing this but I can't help myself. I start one before the first is done. i'm not anywhere near where I want to be and i guess i just tell myself to start the next one to see if it will be any better. I have 3 knives here and not 1 is finished. it's frustrating! And i know i just started ... looking at some nice knives out there will inspire me one day and get me depressed the next. I feel like im lacking some tools ... i feel like without a milling machine ,surface mill or belt grinder i can't make anything nice or even but I want everything to be hand made. for my main tools i use an oxy-acythelene torch for annealing and heat treat , a hack saw , a hand grinder ,a digital micrometer, a file and jig for making the edge. for handles i dont have much besides a table saw , files and sand paper.

Just curious to see who else is making knives with the bare minimum out there and what kind of work are you guys doing.

this is what i got so far

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You have some nice starts it looks like. Just keep going on the first one. I'll quote Walter Sorrels(do yourself a favor and check out his tips for the beginning knife maker vids on YouTube). " you can't polish a turd" you saw my first knife, I'm pretty happy with it, but its rough. Point is I stuck with it even though some of the mistakes I made were irreversible. At each stage i came to a point were I had to say, "that's as good as It's going to get" and moved on. I used it as a learning experience for the next one, as the second will be for my third. I think if I had 3 knives going at the same time, I would have three equally bad turds. I think patience, learning from others, and from your own mistakes are the way to go. It may be painful, but you just need to stick with it. You have commented on my posts, so you may know this already, but the only tool I have purchased for this is a $34 harbor freight belt grinder. You make the knife, not the tools. Hope that helps.
 
good advice , im just curious to see what kind of knives people are making with what tools. I'm just wondering if an investment on my part will be worth it. I was thinking about purchasing a grizzly 2x72 grinder but i think i might be able to but a better and straighter bevel with a file and jig. maybe just a small belt sander for handle work.
 
I have lots of tools including 2 mills and 2 kilns.... but do 95% of my work time wise for fixed blades on my KMG grinder and a simple drill press.

I'd spend my money on a good grinder if you plan on using it a lot, on a hobby level you really can't beat files and an inexpensive grinder to hog metal.

My chop saw really comes in handy along with the hack saw... I also find a small vise and surface plate to be indispensable. Get a bunch of clamps, some files and you will be pretty good to go.
 
grumpy_grinder said:
good advice , im just curious to see what kind of knives people are making with what tools. I'm just wondering if an investment on my part will be worth it. I was thinking about purchasing a grizzly 2x72 grinder but i think i might be able to but a better and straighter bevel with a file and jig. maybe just a small belt sander for handle work.
Click to expand...

I had been wanting to make a youtube video for a couple of friends who have asked me how one can make a knife from scratch, with simple tools. I will post it up once I'm finished. It should give you a good idea of what is working for me. I also want to make as much myself as possible, cutting wood scales from trees I cut myself, heat treat, micarta, sheaths, etc.

here's my $02- I have jumped head first into other hobbies and such, putting out a lot of money up front and not enough research, only to decide later that it was not something that I wanted to do long term. I can only speak for myself, but I would never put out the kind of money required for a 2x72 belt grinder if I wasn't sure I was going to make this a long term interest. I plan on making sure, by making quite a few more knives the hard way. If after trudging along, taking my time, i have completed a good number of knives, each one improving on the one before, I am still interested in making knives, I'll invest in a top of the line machine. I can only imagine how much more I will appreciate it then. If you haven't already, check out Aaron Gough's youtube vid where he makes a knife from simple tools. It is a VERY nice knife, precisely made, and LOW TECH. Tools don't make good knives, people do.
 
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kdogmcg said:
I have jumped head first into other hobbies and such, putting out a lot of money up front and not enough research, only to decide later that it was not something that I wanted to do long term. I can only speak for myself, but I would never put out the kind of money required for a 2x72 belt grinder if I wasn't sure I was going to make this a long term interest. I plan on making sure, by making quite a few more knives the hard way. If after trudging along, taking my time, i have completed a good number of knives, each one improving on the one before, I am still interested in making knives, I'll invest in a top of the line machine. I can only imagine how much more I will appreciate it then.
Click to expand...

i dont think the grizzly is much , around 500 doll hairs i think. but dan is right , you an't beat a file on a hobby level!
 
I just posted this in the "what's going on in your shop" thread. It's a bit long but good for a laugh. I think i have the smallest/ oldest shop around. Check it out if you want, and thanks for the inspiration to get this done. I've been meaning to put this out for a while.

[video=youtube;dhfwh8KI9rc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhfwh8KI9rc[/video]
 
I didn't really start to make good knives until I bought a KMG belt grinder. I now have wheels from 1/4 inch to 14 inches but I do 90% of my knife making with an 8 inch wheel and a 3/4 inch small wheel. Larry Lehman

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You can make things pretty even and flat by using a surface plate or piece of granite. Draw filing is also a good way to remove things in a faster/even way. You can make great knives with minimal tools, it just takes longer.

Don't cut corners. Don't be lazy and leave things wrong. Try and be as disciplined and diligent as possible and your knives will improve at a much faster rate.
 
I made my first 3 knives with a hacksaw, files and a lot of sand paper.
I told my self I wasn't going to spend any money on knife making until I knew I liked it, after the 1st one I was hooked. After I made my first 3 I found out dad had a craftsman 1x42 and made about 10 more knives with it before I bought a 2x72.
Its not all about the equipment, you have to want to do it and it ain't always fun.

Here are the first 3 I made with hand tools.





Your on your way from the looks of it...keep going.

JP
 
Great knives there Justin!



I haven't made a lot of knives but I would like to think they are coming along pretty well. Examples are linked below. I started with the Grizzly grinder and still have it but I graduated to the TW-90 a couple of years ago. The Grizzly has some faults but it is a good machine with decent power. Some minor mods will improve the machine's effectiveness. On a budget it's not a bad way to go. My major pieces of equipment are the TW-90, Evenheat oven and an older Craftsman drill press. I have a lot of other stuff like files, clamps, calipers and other odds and ends that help. I do not have a mill or lathe. Excellent work can be done with very basic tools. Some of the best tools are those you make yourself like sanding sticks, hand sanding fixtures, broaches and other things that make life a little easier for a knifemaker. Even with big ticket items in your shop, knifemaking is still a lot of work. Any way you slice it your greatest tool will be your determination. You just have to give in to the fact that you will be busting your butt. So whether you have lots of equipment or just a few hand tools it comes down to you. As others have said, tools don't make the knife, you do. You know what the thing is supposed to look like. Just don't move from one step to the next until that stage is right. And don't quit. Every one you finish, and finish well, will give you that much more drive to build the next one.



http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1238040-Backtracking-a-bit?p=14171198#post14171198

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Heading-to-a-new-home?p=14459820#post14459820

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1281168-I-did-the-dozen

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1316525-More-free-knives?p=15103991#post15103991

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1322968-18-Finished-Camp-Knife
 
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