Hi everyone,
A few of the guys noticed in my welcome thread that I make knives as a hobby and requested I post a DIY/informative thread on what kind of work I do.
I've always been a knife guy since I was a little kid and a boy scout. Being a someone who loves to work with their hands, but donesn't get the opportunity with my job, I decided to give knife making a try as a hobby. I did plenty of research on another well know knife forum I belong where there is a wealth of information with very well known makers and bladesmiths that will help guide you. What I do is knife making, where I start with large pieces of steel bar and cut/grind the knife from the material. This is also know as stock removal. A bladesmith is someone who uses a forge to heat the material then shapes it with hammers and an anvil. Bladesmithing is a next level and I hope to try at some point when I have more time to dedicate to the craft.
About material.. The easiest way to start is get some annealed (softened) steel. I like to use carbon steels as they are cheap, super tough and take a great patina. Carbon is great for starting out as you can mess up something and not be out a $30 piece of "super" steel. Carbon is also really easy to work with files if you don't have power equipment like a belt grinder. For handles I use some wood (stabilized) but also G10 and micarta which are resin based materials. Pins and epoxy are also needed to hold on your handles.
Tools.. I made my first knife with files and LOTS of time and elbow grease. The rest I used a Craftsman 2x42 belt grinder, which is much faster but also requires a very steady hand as the margin for error greatly increases with speed. I also use a cheap Harbor Freight drill press, good bits and recently got a portable metal bandsaw so I didn't have to waste so many belts getting the basic shapes of the blade from the bar stock.
Here is what is what the basic progress of a knife I want to make.
1. Design on paper
2. Transfer design to steel
3. Cut/grind blank out of bar stock
4. Mark edge line
5. Rough grind profiles on each side
6. Clean up profiles
7. Drill pin holes
8. Rough out handles
9. Send out to heat treat (I use a professional company to get the HT exactly right for durability)
10. When back from HT, clean off scale
11. Attach handles
12. Detail work on blade and cleanup
13. Add final edge
14. Make sheath (leather or kydex).
Here is some pics of materials and finished products. Everything is one-off and hand fit, no machining or water jetting:
A few of the guys noticed in my welcome thread that I make knives as a hobby and requested I post a DIY/informative thread on what kind of work I do.
I've always been a knife guy since I was a little kid and a boy scout. Being a someone who loves to work with their hands, but donesn't get the opportunity with my job, I decided to give knife making a try as a hobby. I did plenty of research on another well know knife forum I belong where there is a wealth of information with very well known makers and bladesmiths that will help guide you. What I do is knife making, where I start with large pieces of steel bar and cut/grind the knife from the material. This is also know as stock removal. A bladesmith is someone who uses a forge to heat the material then shapes it with hammers and an anvil. Bladesmithing is a next level and I hope to try at some point when I have more time to dedicate to the craft.
About material.. The easiest way to start is get some annealed (softened) steel. I like to use carbon steels as they are cheap, super tough and take a great patina. Carbon is great for starting out as you can mess up something and not be out a $30 piece of "super" steel. Carbon is also really easy to work with files if you don't have power equipment like a belt grinder. For handles I use some wood (stabilized) but also G10 and micarta which are resin based materials. Pins and epoxy are also needed to hold on your handles.
Tools.. I made my first knife with files and LOTS of time and elbow grease. The rest I used a Craftsman 2x42 belt grinder, which is much faster but also requires a very steady hand as the margin for error greatly increases with speed. I also use a cheap Harbor Freight drill press, good bits and recently got a portable metal bandsaw so I didn't have to waste so many belts getting the basic shapes of the blade from the bar stock.
Here is what is what the basic progress of a knife I want to make.
1. Design on paper
2. Transfer design to steel
3. Cut/grind blank out of bar stock
4. Mark edge line
5. Rough grind profiles on each side
6. Clean up profiles
7. Drill pin holes
8. Rough out handles
9. Send out to heat treat (I use a professional company to get the HT exactly right for durability)
10. When back from HT, clean off scale
11. Attach handles
12. Detail work on blade and cleanup
13. Add final edge
14. Make sheath (leather or kydex).
Here is some pics of materials and finished products. Everything is one-off and hand fit, no machining or water jetting:
