Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 16

Thread: Knife Making WIP, first attempt

  1. #1
    Peasant Ashmantle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Stockport, Cheshire
    Posts
    50

    Knife Making WIP, first attempt

    Hi everyone,

    Inspired by the great knife I purchased from the talented @mick91 Ive decided to try my hand at knife making, Ive been slowly putting togther a samll workshop in the old garden shed.

    Its been a steep learning curve so far with constant runs, mid process from the shed back to the WIFI haven of the house to watch Youtube clips.

    Anyway, here is where I am at, I want to use this thread as a full WIP with lots of images of the different stages, please forgive the crappy mobile phone images!

    First step was to draw up the knife design, I wanted a Full flat grind dropoint with a good handle length, primary usage was to be bushcraft. I went with a 3 pin design plus lanyard tube. I also decided on a Finger Groove (something I soon learnt to regret! :cursing: )



    I marked out the design on a length of 4mm O1 Tool steel, then started to cut out using hacksaw and angle grinder (without setting my shed on fire with the sparks!)



    I started to file out the finger groove using a Metal file...... at this stage I wondered if adding a large finger groove was a mistake for a first time knife maker, trying to get a clean and correctly rounded groove was a nightmare!



    A clean up and smoothing of the edges using my grinder



    Nail punching guides for the pins



    Then onto the drill press to add pin holes and additional holes to lighten the weight



    And this is where I am currently up to. Im going to add a few more weight reducing holes.



    So far its been a really cool and exciting process, ive played around at grinding freehand using my small grinder on some spare steel... im making a small grinding jig to help me out with that!

    Next stage is heat treating, I considered sending the blades off for heat treating but I really want to embrace the full process. Im making a two brick forge which should be completed over the coming weekend.

  2. #2
    Keep it up man! Looks great so far

    Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk

  3. #3
    Peasant Ashmantle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Stockport, Cheshire
    Posts
    50
    Quote Originally Posted by mick91 View Post
    Keep it up man! Looks great so far

    Sent from my LG-H850 using Tapatalk
    Cheers Mick!

  4. #4
    Natural Born Bushcrafter Woody's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    Between Savernake forest and Avebury stone circle
    Posts
    836
    It's looking good! Can't wait to see the final product...

  5. #5
    Natural Born Bushcrafter luresalive's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2010
    Location
    Belfast
    Posts
    895
    very impressive so far

  6. #6
    Peasant Ashmantle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Stockport, Cheshire
    Posts
    50
    Quote Originally Posted by Woody View Post
    It's looking good! Can't wait to see the final product...
    Cheers Woody!

  7. #7
    Peasant Ashmantle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Stockport, Cheshire
    Posts
    50
    Quote Originally Posted by luresalive View Post
    very impressive so far
    Thanks mate, fingers crossed it will look good and be a fully functional knife at the end!

  8. #8
    Sure it'll turn out great! As for the finger choil I can recommend using a small drum sander in a pillar drill. Or any drill really! It eats the sandpaper but gives a great smooth and even finish.

    Also watch the balance with drilling holes. A blade heavy knife is great for heavy chopping but can feel clumsy to use. A tang heavy knife is great for tip control but can be difficult for heavy work. Aim for the balance point to be around the finger choil of possible. Its personal preference, but have a feel of the knives you like to use. Odds are the balance will be where your index finger sits
    Last edited by mick91; 24-07-2016 at 01:36 PM.

  9. #9
    Tribal Elder shepherd's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    North Yorkshire/ West Yorkshire
    Posts
    1,275
    looking good so far! cant wait to see the end result mate

  10. #10
    Peasant Ashmantle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Stockport, Cheshire
    Posts
    50
    Thanks for the tip Mick.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •