why use wood when putting knife pattern on to steel

S

SlipperyUdder

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Jul 7, 2014
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Beginner knife maker here, just wondering why you make the knife pattern out of plywood and then trace it on to the steel, I know this is very common and probably necessary in some way that I don't understand but why don't you just trace the pattern onto the steel straight from the cut out paper pattern?
~Thanks
 
paper can flex alot when marking and having a thicker "board" to lean the marker on is a big help i use at the min cardboard but like to use plexyglass or thin hard scrap the right size
 
+1 for a hard use material.

I knew a knifemaker who would build 30-50 of the same hunting knives every year for local gun shows.
20+ years later he came upon the "original" hunting knife that his father made, it was much smaller in all its proportions.
It turns out that he had been tracing each consecutive year's knife blanks from one of the previous year's knife blanks he'd cut out but not finished yet.
Do that 20+ times in a row and you have a different knife entirely.

He ended up selling 2 different styles of the same design.
 
That's interesting. I found the same thing occurring with leather patterns, but I now make patterns using thin plastic sheets, like the plastic on a flexible 3 ring binder. Much easier to stay consistent.
 
Also, for new makers, a model in hand can give you an idea of how the finished knife will feel.
 
I keep a stack of 1/4" Masonite ( AKA hardboard) in the shop. It is great for testing profiles and making templates. One 4X8' sheet will cut up into a big pile of 2X12" pieces. I keep a few longer/wider pieces for bigger projects. It is easy to draw on and the markings don't rub off as they do on metal of Plexiglas.
 
Formica is an excellent material for patterns. It holds its shape with use and is also waterproof. It works very well for smaller folder patterns. Frank
 
I use brass for my template that I know I'm going to reuse and keep. Only after I've used press board to get it there, it makes saving templates easy.
 
being newer to blade making...part time for several years.... I usually transfer from paper to hardwood.... since I have a huge stock of cherry and maple... that is my choice for practice grinds out of wood to test the feel..usually sliced to 1/8 th or 1/4 stock.... often I make sample handles frm a contrasting hardwoods that I place with double backed tape.... Cutting a blade from wood also gives me a quick economical practice if I haven't ground one in a while.... Ican regain the feel without trashing some steel...
 
I use sheet metal, or even 1/16" mild steel if I know I'm going to be making a bunch of them (90+% of my knives are free-form one-offs, I rarely use patterns)... everything else I tried would burst into flames... perhaps I'm going about it all wrong...:)
 
aarongb said:
Also, for new makers, a model in hand can give you an idea of how the finished knife will feel.
Click to expand...


This is the reason for the wood, plexiglass mostly.

You can easily print out your pattern and spray glue it to your stock, trace it with a permanent felt marker. It just that while grinding and dipping the marker will eventually disappear. Cheap alternative is spray paint and scratching the outline in with a tiny screwdriver :)

Proper way to do it is of course a scriber and marking blue.
 
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