Am i Crazy???

The issue with a -86 ultra low freezer is we would still have to keep LN on hand for steels that require the the low sub300° ranges. We have noticed that LN consumsion drastically decreases when it gets low enough that the blades are not submerged. Has something to do with LN boiling faster then the heat can transfer. This is what had lead me to looking at dry cryo systems.
 
Read the "Stickies" at the top of this forum. There's a lot of great info that will give you a little better idea of the scope of "beginning" knife making. Back when Wayne Goddard's "$50 Knife Shop" book was all the rage, it was a pretty common belief that you could make your first knife or two with around a $50 investment. I'm not sure if that's really still the case anymore, and I really don't see that book recommended as much as it used to be, though that may be more a result of our "technological age" and less about the relevance of Mr. Goddard's book.
I can say that there are definitely a LOT more options for "economic" tools now (including belt grinders), than there was when I started getting into knife making about 12 years ago.

I kind of jumped head first into the deep end and built my own belt grinder and heat treat oven before I even made my first knife. I started own with just a few basic hand tools and a Shopsmith. I also had a 12" Delta miter saw that I put an abrasive disc in to cut parts for a 2x72 NWGS (No Weld Grinder Sander). Since then, I've basically been non-stop spending time and money on the next knife or tool.

Everybody starts and finishes different though... At the end of the day, you just have to decide how YOU are gonna do it.
 
Yeah we have looked at the ultra low lab freezers. Cheapest used one I can find that works is around $2500-$3,000 plus fright which would be another $500-1,000. That’s not to terrible but the hidden cost I have been researching is power to run it. Thy pull quite a bit of power and could in-fact cost us more in power then what we pay for liquid nitrogen. But I am open to the idea.

Sorry for the digression... at my using job, a lot of laboratories use the ultra freezers because LN requires more monitoring and refilling. I don't know the cost but they are always on because they take a lot of energy to cool down, so you don't want to turn them on and off. They also need to be sited carefully because putting them where it's too warm causes them to have to work too hard to stay cool. And I'm pretty sure every single unit in the building has died at least once. We bought a new one that turned out a lemon that never could get fixed properly, so it got totally replaced with a different unit. They are a pain...

I guess you'd have to look at how much you're doing at about -80F versus LN temps if it was worthwhile because you're still needing to keep LN on hand.
 
Thanks for all the great info and variety of ideas. Defiantly going to go for it. First i need to build the work shop. Gotta build a couple nice benches then i will get a belt grinder, drill press and vice. I have a bench grinder
files and hack saws. Probably look into a bandsaw.
If i was to go with carbon steel which one would you recommend for my first knife.
I plan on making a small personal edc fixed in the 3inch range. Then maybe make some as gifts if i can make a acceptable looking knife. May have the sheaths made by one of my forum friends who makes excellent examples.
Just random thoughts
 
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