Woodworker wanting to make some (quality) knives

D

daspope

Joined
Aug 3, 2014
Messages
25
Hey all, this is my first post here, so let me start off by saying hello!

I will also start off with saying I am by no means a metal worker :) wood working is my "drink of choice", but lately I have been wanting to make a few knives with really nice wood handles out of something like Amboyna Burl or Red Mallee Burl. on an impulse about 30 minutes ago I bought a "Denali" blank from Cherokee knife supply on ebay for $10 (http://cherokeeknifesupplync.com/Denali-Drop-Point-Blank-0005CKS440.htm). To be honest though, I don't want to pair up beautiful(expensive) wood with a sub par blade. So I am here asking for advice as to what I should look for in a blank, where I should get them from etc.

If the knives from blanks turn out good, I will likely buy some steel and toss a metal blade on my bandsaw and make some custom designs, once again though, not sure what grade of steel should be used, I see a lot of blanks made in 440C or 440SS. What type of steel should I be looking for?

Also if there are any beginners guides around I would love to look them over :)
 
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Also wanted to toss out there that (at least to start) these wont be for "profit" mostly just gifts
 
I can offer you some advice but it would involve a ton of typing which I don't do well so feel free to call me at the number below and I'll answer a few questions for you.
 
darrin sanders said:
I can offer you some advice but it would involve a ton of typing which I don't do well so feel free to call me at the number below and I'll answer a few questions for you.
Click to expand...

Sweet move, Darrin.....I salute you!

Always a credit to the knifemaking community!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I collect custom knives but am also a hobby woodworker. I had the same desire, to use my woodworking to put nice wood handles on pre-made blades. I've "made" a few knives using blades from Jantz Supply and Texas Knifemakers Supply. The Jantz blade are made in USA and are high quality. Jantz has a good reputation and their customer service is great, in my experience. Last ones I did were S30V in the #36 pattern (photos below). I would highly recommend them. I've also done a few from TKS as they are in Houston. They were good but of the two I prefer the "hand ground" Jantz blades.

Very generous of Mr. Sanders to offer advice over the phone. If he disagrees with anything I said, trust him.

I gave these as gifts to my Alaska fishing buddies.





 
Also, although this is not the correct forum, I took dozens of WIP photos of this build. Nothing that would teach these old dogs anything but maybe something would help a woodworker finish a project knife. PM me if interested and I'll send or post over in the "shop-talk" forum. You can get a great deal of advice over there about what to do, and perhaps more important, what not to do.

I purposefully didn't answer your question about quality steel. That's better left to the experts to debate. All I can say is first decide if you want stainless or carbon. After that options are endless and Jantz had most types in stock. Maybe an easier question since your not going to be working it but just using the finished knife.
 
Beautiful knives! I like the matched bead on the lanyard, should be a snap to turn those on the lathe using a pen mandrill and add a really nice touch.

Those knives you have there are pretty much exactly what I had in mind, after a few test runs with walnut for practice I want to make 3 matched knives for my dad, brother, and myself out of some highly figured burl.

Thanks for the offer for advice Darrin, I will likely take you up on that in the near future when I am closer to starting this first project when the blank arrives. I am already looking at specialized tools to be able to make the knives from raw steel bars, lol I sense another expensive hobby on the horizon. So long as I can hide the new tools from the Mrs. I should be fine ;)
 
Those are the blanks I was going o suggest and you made them look super nice Mr. Schilling.

daspope- as an experienced woodworker you have a big leg up on making knives. I can offer some advice on which tools to buy and even more on what NOT to buy. LOL
 
daspope said:
Beautiful knives! I like the matched bead on the lanyard, should be a snap to turn those on the lathe using a pen mandrill and add a really nice touch.

Those knives you have there are pretty much exactly what I had in mind, after a few test runs with walnut for practice I want to make 3 matched knives for my dad, brother, and myself out of some highly figured burl.

Thanks for the offer for advice Darrin, I will likely take you up on that in the near future when I am closer to starting this first project when the blank arrives. I am already looking at specialized tools to be able to make the knives from raw steel bars, lol I sense another expensive hobby on the horizon. So long as I can hide the new tools from the Mrs. I should be fine ;)
Click to expand...

I don't have a lathe so I had to improvise with a drill press and small grinder:



 
They turned out great, that's what I like about wood working, there's always more than one way to skin the cat. With how symmetrical they look in the original pics I would have put money on them being done on a lathe!
 
Welcome to a fellow woodworker! You may well find you have a lot less time for woodworking now. Consider yourself warned :)
Please note: I read the replies but only on my small phone so I may be repeating something someone else said.

First, I believe this section is more about custom and handmade knives as finished products instead of the art and science of making them, which you will find in the "knife makers' discussion forum" sections...
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/741-Shop-Talk-BladeSmith-Questions-and-Answers

I mostly lurk since I'm a beginner as well, but you'll find there are a lot of true experts and artists here who are quite generous with their help. It seems the key to getting the most out of the community is to spend time doing the basic, intro reading first. In particular, check out the stickies that stay at the top of the list of threads. There is a lot to read there but well worth the time. I found I have to go back and reread sections as I go, but having read through once I have an idea what is there and sometimes even where to find it. I don't mean you shouldn't ask questions - I've found people very willing to help - just that reading the stickies means you'll have more informed questions to ask (or at least won't get told, usually politely, to please go read the stickies first!)

Also, I sometimes find using google is more effective than the site's own search. In case you don't know already, you do this by adding (without quotes) "site:bladeforums.com" to your google search. It will limit the results to this forum.

I found this forum because I was trying to learn to heat treat some woodworking tools. I found lots of information on woodworking forums, blogs, books, etc. but all of it quite vague and much of it contradictory. I was trying to make a joinery float and I figured it was going to be much more prone to warping than a simple plane blade so I wanted to do it right. I finally found this world, where they've taken understanding steel so much further than anything hinted at in woodworking sources. I found making my own woodworking blades of various types not only quite within reach, but seriously fun and surprisingly affordable. I love the Hock plane blade I own and will probably buy other things he sells at some point, but I found I can buy enough really great steel to make a dozen for less than the price of one Hock blade. So far my blades have turned out quite well. I certainly won't claim they equal his but they take and keep an amazing edge. Now, the things I've tried actually forging have so far been hit or miss - gotta keep trying. I've made the joinery float (no warping), a shoulder plane blade, a drawknife, a plane blade, and a couple small knives from scraps. I just tried forging a marking knife, seems I probably overheated it because it just doesn't have to edge of the other blades. The previous knife was fine, if not exactly stunning. Anyhow, my point is you can expand your woodworking tool set as well with what you learn here.

If you want to try making something without starting from a preformed blank send me a PM. I'll cut off a piece of the 1084 steel (pretty universally suggested here for beginners). I've got a 3/16 thick, 2" wide bar so I can send you enough to make something like a block plane blade or a shoulder plane blade, or I can send you a piece of the 1/8" stock to try (more appropriate for a small knife) if you wait until my order arrives. You could make a marking knife, a chip carving knife, a paring knife, etc. It will save you from having to order the whole piece at first while you spend money on the other supplies (files, and much more) and you'll no doubt buy some yourself in the future - pass a little on to someone then. I can't send you enough to make a zombie killing arm length blade, but I'm happy to send you enough to make something useful.

Hope this helps, and again, welcome.
Fitzhugh
Berkeley
 
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