Knife Threads!

[Axxe55]

Glad to see some dedicated knife threads here as well! Like many gun owners, I too have a soft spot for knives almost as much as for guns. Have a few, but mostly pocketknives that I have for working and utility purposes.

But a few years ago, I became very interested in making knives, so over the past two years or so, I have been doing a lot of reading, watching many, many YouTube videos on knife making, forging and building tools to make knives. So far, I have built a 2x72 belt grinder that is almost finished, and just waiting on delivery of the final parts to get it ready to use. Just recently bought a bench-top drill press, and made several other various tools to help in making knives. Also almost completed is my forge. Which I mainly plan on using for heat-treating blades.

As beginner, I have fashioned a few very crude working knives in the past, but, since I do plan on selling these knives, I wanted to step up my game and make much more refined knives that will be a good working knife and also pleasing to the eye as well.

I welcome all input, advice and suggestions from everyone. Thanks.

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Welcome to I don't know anything about knife making but I find it fascinating. There is a lot of knowledge here so hopefully some will chime in. I do enjoy watching "Forged In Fire" on History once in awhile and I also watch "Mountain Men" and one of the guys on there makes knives as a way of supporting his family and he's done some really neat stuff. Best of luck, and look forward to seeing your work when you get up and running.

 

[WhitleyStu]

When I was too young to buy/own guns I started my affair with knives. I started sharpening my own knives in 1965 and began sharpening as a side job in 1972. Still do knife and cutting tool sharpening for customers, but much less volume since I also retired from my main job in March of last year. I still get just as excited getting a new knife as I do getting something much bigger and more expensive...
Stu

 

[KokomoDave]

Don't skimp on gleaming any info from YouTube tutorials, Blade magazine how-to books and tool and die makers!

 

[Axxe55]

Don't skimp on gleaming any info from YouTube tutorials, Blade magazine how-to books and tool and die makers!

I try to watch at least a couple of YouTube videos every day to learn a little more.

I wished I could find some really good how-to books for knife making or for a beginner knifemaker. The wife and I went out of town a week ago when I bought the drill press and and searched a Barnes & Noble bookstore, but the didn't have any.

 

[Axxe55]

When I was too young to buy/own guns I started my affair with knives. I started sharpening my own knives in 1965 and began sharpening as a side job in 1972. Still do knife and cutting tool sharpening for customers, but much less volume since I also retired from my main job in March of last year. I still get just as excited getting a new knife as I do getting something much bigger and more expensive...
Stu

I sure wouldn't mind picking your brain on tips for sharpening knives. That is one of my weaker areas on knives.

 

[Axxe55]

Welcome to I don't know anything about knife making but I find it fascinating. There is a lot of knowledge here so hopefully some will chime in. I do enjoy watching "Forged In Fire" on History once in awhile and I also watch "Mountain Men" and one of the guys on there makes knives as a way of supporting his family and he's done some really neat stuff. Best of luck, and look forward to seeing your work when you get up and running.

I have always been as fascinated with knives as I have been about guns. Kind of like peanut butter and jelly!

I do watch "Forged in Fire" occasionally to pick up a few things and learn some history about knives.

I would at some point in the future like to do some forging, but at this point I'm going to concentrate on the "stock removal" method of making knives.

 

[Axxe55]

Pictures of the 2x72 belt grinder I built for making knives. Hopefully the drive wheel, tracking wheel and the platten wheels should be here middle of the week.

Pictures of the beginning of my forge that I'm building. It's 12.5" diameter and 16" long. By the time I get the refractory cement into it, I should be able to forge and heat-treat at least 8" to 12" blades.

The bench-top drill press I bought at Northern Tool and Equipment.

 

[KokomoDave]

Lookin' like a solid start!
Are you going to make leather sheathes or Boltaron / kydex? You'll need a good riveter and a kydex smuncher if going that route. Leather is a different ball game.

 

[Axxe55]

Lookin' like a solid start!
Are you going to make leather sheathes or Boltaron / kydex? You'll need a good riveter and a kydex smuncher if going that route. Leather is a different ball game.

Honestly, that is something I'm still thinking over a lot and haven't really decided what I'm going to do. Personally, I'd like to go leather, and I have worked with leather some what as a youngster, but my leather skills are rudimentary at best. Kydex might be an easier option with a limited amount of equipment to make sheathes, plus as well as making other items as well.

One thing I have thought about was getting a good leather maker to make the sheaths for me. Someone who could do much better job than myself, and all me to concentrate on making knives.

Still undecided though.

 

[Axxe55]

The wheel kit I ordered Friday, just arrived in the mail this morning! Now working on getting everything mounted and fitted and adjusted.

 

[checkmate]

Nice setup! Can’t wait to see some pics of this thing in action.

mice always thought it would be fun to name some, but not enough to get started. I need a bigger garage first.

 

[Axxe55]

I had run into some minor design flaws once I got the wheels mounted! So I had to do some cutting, re-welding and grinding to get it to align correctly. My grinding belts showed up last Saturday morning so I was able to get them fitted and make some minor adjustments and Voila'! It works! I now have a working 2"x72" belt grinder.

Scored some free rail iron a couple of weeks ago to fashion into an anvil as well. 46" worth of rail iron.

Three knives I have roughed out and fixing to mount handles.

 

[Axxe55]

My first two finished knives. One for my brother and the other for my father. I gave my brother his knife yesterday, since his birthday is next Saturday.

Going over to Dad's tomorrow to deliver some BBQ I did yesterday, and to take him his belated birthday present!

 

[Sirshredalot]

Ive been going down this road too.

I can give advice on belts if you need it.
Heres the first three that im willing to show.

Shred

 

[Axxe55]

Well have made some improvements since last posting on this thread.

I built a 4' x 7' work table in the garage out of salvaged 2x6 lumber. I also built it so I could put a toolbox and a cabinet underneath it, as well as cutting down my welding cart so it could be parked underneath as well.

While building the work table, I also decided that this would be a good time to update my belt grinder from it's wood platform to one made from square tubing.

 

[Axxe55]

 

[Gabriel]

Nice.

I only have two critiques regarding the grinder and you might find you don't have an issue with either one:

The first is the plate you have the platen mounted to. Most of them have a "C" shape or a cutout along where the platen is so it doesn't get in the way when you are grinding. You might find that you are hitting the handle of the knife on it while you are grinding with the handle facing to the left.

Here is what I mean (and I want to get one of these exact platens if they ever come back in stock)...


The second is just from experience, but a single speed direct drive grinder is pretty fast. It's completely usable, but you'll find that using a 3 phase motor with a VFD is an unbelievable upgrade. Being able to slow the grinder down while grinding or finish grinding after heat treat is a huge plus.

The one thing I use a ton in my shop that I don't see in yours is a band saw. A Portaband mounted to a table to cut out knife blanks, handle material, shorten bolts/handle tubes/pins or whatever is one of the things I use the most. It's actually the first thing I bought and I don't quite know how I'd get by without it.

 

[Axxe55]

Nice.

I only have two critiques regarding the grinder and you might find you don't have an issue with either one:

The first is the plate you have the platen mounted to. Most of them have a "C" shape or a cutout along where the platen is so it doesn't get in the way when you are grinding. You might find that you are hitting the handle of the knife on it while you are grinding with the handle facing to the left.

Here is what I mean (and I want to get one of these exact platens if they ever come back in stock)...
View attachment 172338

The second is just from experience, but a single speed direct drive grinder is pretty fast. It's completely usable, but you'll find that using a 3 phase motor with a VFD is an unbelievable upgrade. Being able to slow the grinder down while grinding or finish grinding after heat treat is a huge plus.

The one thing I use a ton in my shop that I don't see in yours is a band saw. A Portaband mounted to a table to cut out knife blanks, handle material, shorten bolts/handle tubes/pins or whatever is one of the things I use the most. It's actually the first thing I bought and I don't quite know how I'd get by without it.

I had never even used a belt grinder prior to building this one, so this build was mainly an exercise in learning and evolving from using the belt grinder. And after using it for almost two years, I am learning lots of things that I would do differently The "C" shaped platen holder is one of those changes I do plan on making at some point in the near future. Some type of variable speed controller is on the list as well for the future upgrades. Amother upgrade would be rebuilding with much larger and heavier square tubing as well to make it more stable.

This belt grinder was an experiment and a learning tool.

 

[Mij]

Renewing this older thread brought back some fond memories for me.

A now gone good friend and myself were in his shop skinning some coon pelts. We were in our cups, Christian Bros. Brandy. We thought it would be nice to have a thinner bladed knife. I noticed a one inch putty knife hanging on the peg board, I grabbed it down and put it on the grinder, in about two minutes I had a passable thin blade knife. Pretty soon I saw another putty knife a two inch. So while he was skinning I ground down another knife. This time I made it a drop point. All the time I was thinking h*** I’ll bet I could make a saber blade, so I hit up his tool cabinet found another and went to work on it. When I was about half way through I heard him holler “MIJ” do you know you just ground down all my putty knives? I stood there and just stared at him in a drunken goofy kinda way not realizing what I was doing.

Of coarse over the next couple days I replaced the two extra putty, now skinning knives. We had a few laughs over it for quite a few years. He left us about 4 years ago. He was a good friend and hunting n trapping partner. I was laughing while I typed this, and remembering him.

One of these days I’ll tell you about him rolling down a steep bank into the Wabash, me seeing him under two feet of water with his Nite-Lite still on his head and his brand new Ruger 10-22 stuck up in the air hi and dry. He had his priorities rite.

Thanks for the memories.