My first knife build

andrewh2011

andrewh2011

Joined
Jan 6, 2014
Messages
161
Hey guys i've been lurking around reading (and ogling) for a few weeks now and couldn't wait to start my first blade.

So i ordered up some of Aldo's 1095.
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This is a rough idea of what i want to do for my first knife.
2aies7l.jpg

Any criticisms or recommendations are greatly appreciated.

this is rather larger than i originally wanted my first knife to be, but i didnt realize how thick .156" would be. I was originally thinking a 3" - 3 1/2" blade with a 3.75" handle for my first.
Do you guys think that might look a little disproportionate in .156", or no?
 
Thought i would show you guys the shop i will be working in. It was my grandpas shop.
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as you can see its a huge mess. It was ransacked a year or two ago by some thieves, that and it was never exactly neat to begin with.

Here is the drill press i will be working with.

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and here is the mess i will have to get through to get to it

242zo94.jpg
 
thanks Hengelo_77 so far i got the first corner cleaned up to use the drill press. so the mission now is to clean up enough room to get a work table in there.

so i went and bought my files and sandpaper up to 600 grit the other day
2hhkd35.jpg


then i started work on the knife two days ago here is a picture of my progress
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as you can see i dont have all the holes drilled i need i started out using the bit in the drill press to find out it was on its last leg so i went and picked up new drill bits and while i was at it i figured i could use a file handle
2jcfpl.jpg


As I was working I started getting pretty close to the handle profile and i was wondering how you guys get it to a 90 and flat. is that part done with backed sandpaper?
 
progress pic
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Im very close to where i want to be with the shape. I need to start the blade bevels (is that right term??) soon. I was wondering if i can get any tips on doing so evenly with files?
Any help is greatly appreciated. And i just wanted to stop and say how wonderful this site is and how much information is available. I want to get a payed membership soon when i start getting hours again.
 
1) Clamp/bolt the blade firmly to a board for filing and sanding. Shape the board to match the knife edge. Clamp or screw the board to the work table/bench.
2) File evenly using long diagonal strokes. Occasionally make the blade surface black with a wide tip Sharpie marker. That will show where you are filing the most. Adjust your stroke to get the bevel even and flat.
3) File most of the bevel, but sand the final flatness and thickness with sandpaper wrapped around a hard block. Quit filing when the edge is about .040-.030" thick. When done sanding, the edge should be .020-.030" thick.
 
Listen to bladsmth he knows what he is doing. I'm a very new begginer to but my advice on the bevel is to work on one side for a bit then flip it over and work on the other side to try and keep them even. Not sure that is the best way but seems to be working good for me. I'm also using all files right now. I did build a file guide jig.
 
Where the knife is at right now, I would mark all of my pin holes and drill them while everything's flat. This allows you to clamp at the blade without twisting anything.

After I drilled the pin holes that will secure the handle to the tang, I would use a larger bit and drill holes all through the tang. If you remove 60% of the metal in the tang, roughly, you'll counterbalance the blade. Remember, the handle material and epoxy will add significant weight and can make the finished knife feel unbalanced. I like to have the weight centered either at the plunge line or slightly behind it because I like a handle-heavy blade that sits in the palm. But you don't want too much of that!

Drilling out most of the steel in the tang also means there's less for you to sand away to get it all nice and flat.

Good sandpaper (resin-bound, cloth-backed) can be found at the autoparts stores or ordered online. Glue it to various hard blocks with spray-on adhesive.

Take your time. You're in no rush. If it takes a year, it takes a year. No biggie.

Look up 'filing jigs' to see how other people have used files to make gorgeous knives.

You've got a great shop. Who could possibly guess what all your grandfather left you in there. I'd have a field day cleaning it up and doing an inventory!
 
I prefer quality paper backed sandpaper.
Drawfile before you start sanding at 120
 
hey guys thanks for all the advise sorry i haven't gotten back sooner i got really sick and then we had a death in the family. it hasn't been the best couple of weeks to say the least.. but im ready to get back to work on my knife
I still got a couple of days till i get back to work though i turn 21 tomorrow so i wont be getting a whole lot done lol. But i do have pins on there way from jantz supply i decided to get all three sizes in nickel silver i figured it would look better than bronze with tthe black micarta. I'll probably use one 1/8 and one 3/16 for this knife.

1) Clamp/bolt the blade firmly to a board for filing and sanding. Shape the board to match the knife edge. Clamp or screw the board to the work table/bench.
2) File evenly using long diagonal strokes. Occasionally make the blade surface black with a wide tip Sharpie marker. That will show where you are filing the most. Adjust your stroke to get the bevel even and flat.
3) File most of the bevel, but sand the final flatness and thickness with sandpaper wrapped around a hard block. Quit filing when the edge is about .040-.030" thick. When done sanding, the edge should be .020-.030" thick.
Click to expand...
I like the idea to shape the block to match the blade and the sharpie is also a good idea thanks. And those numbers for where to stop on the blade thickness will come in handy too thanks bladsmth

Listen to bladsmth he knows what he is doing. I'm a very new begginer to but my advice on the bevel is to work on one side for a bit then flip it over and work on the other side to try and keep them even. Not sure that is the best way but seems to be working good for me. I'm also using all files right now. I did build a file guide jig.
Click to expand...

I will be flipping and stopping for inspection constantly this is gonna take a while lol:)

Where the knife is at right now, I would mark all of my pin holes and drill them while everything's flat. This allows you to clamp at the blade without twisting anything.

After I drilled the pin holes that will secure the handle to the tang, I would use a larger bit and drill holes all through the tang. If you remove 60% of the metal in the tang, roughly, you'll counterbalance the blade. Remember, the handle material and epoxy will add significant weight and can make the finished knife feel unbalanced. I like to have the weight centered either at the plunge line or slightly behind it because I like a handle-heavy blade that sits in the palm. But you don't want too much of that!

Drilling out most of the steel in the tang also means there's less for you to sand away to get it all nice and flat.

Good sandpaper (resin-bound, cloth-backed) can be found at the autoparts stores or ordered online. Glue it to various hard blocks with spray-on adhesive.

Take your time. You're in no rush. If it takes a year, it takes a year. No biggie.

Look up 'filing jigs' to see how other people have used files to make gorgeous knives.

You've got a great shop. Who could possibly guess what all your grandfather left you in there. I'd have a field day cleaning it up and doing an inventory!
Click to expand...

thanks that's a good point to drill tang holes before i go on i just went a bought a number drill set so im ready to go with that now and the balance is something i hadn't even thought of lol
yeah there is all kinds of good things in there (i've got to learn to use them though lol) so far ive uncovered a industrial sewing machine my dad says will work for leather sheaths, and a big metal lathe im not exactly sure what i can do with that??? lol

I prefer quality paper backed sandpaper.
Drawfile before you start sanding at 120
Click to expand...
i just looked up drawfileing and yeah that's a good point thanks

In my opinion as long as you do a hollow grind you can make that knife smaller. Or you could just grind it thinner... Just a though.
Click to expand...
you've given me something to look into thanks
 
Good progress so far.
You have a big metal lathe in there? And a machine that'll sew leather? And outside I saw a hydraulic press and an anvil...
You're getting a good head start on tools already!
 
couple more progress pics
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My bevels aren't very even at all, i suppose i got a little too hasty with my filing. I quit filing and started sanding yesterday. Today i decided to try taking emery cloth and laying it along the edge of my work table and drawing the knife along that. so far i think i like that better than wrapping sand paper around steel.
 
hey guys no pics this update its pretty much the same as it was just down to .04" to .03" i have a little more sanding to do but it has me wondering what i'm going to do about heat treating and tempering. I wanted to do everything on this first knife myself. i was thinking about digging a ground forge and heating it for my quench like that but then i realized i don't have any way to temper it, my oven died on me a couple months back and i'm not sure about how reliable a toaster oven would for tempering im not sure if i should buy one for this purpose or not.
Is this advisable??
I thought about sending it to peters heat treat, then i know it would be done just right. from what i can tell it would be 25ish dollars?
But i really want this knife to be personal thats why i've been doing everything the hard way my girlfriend actually bought me a craftsman 2x42 for my birthday before i even started filing my bevels but i decided not to use it so i could develop a healthy respect for the art.

i dont know.. what do you guys think??
 
Sell the ezup and check Craig's list for an oven or barrow the neighbors toaster oven for the afternoon :)
 
well im ready to send of to peters as soon as my flat rate boxes get here.

here are a few pictures before i send it off

hvz7fb.jpg


2ppahec.jpg


2zxtfd4.jpg
 
as for putting an edge on it when i get it back from heat treat i was thinking of buying this http://www.amazon.com/Norton-614636855653--8-Inch-Combination-Oilstone/dp/B000XK5ZDY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1396484932&sr=8-1&keywords=norton+100+grit+2+sided for a cheap low grit stone to get it to shape then doing the final sharpening on my fine/extra fine dmt duo sharp. im not sure im good enough at sharpening to put the edge on freehand (though im tempted to) so i was trying to come up with different ways to keep at ~20 degrees any suggestions?
 
DMT has a 120 grit (silver colour) for skies and snowboards. That is where I start.
Then black(220), blue, red, green. Strop after green or go to a Belgian water stone first (~6000/8000grit)

If you have a triangle with a 90degree angle and the long arm is 3x the short one, the smallest angle is 20degrees

driehoek.jpg


So angle blue/yellow is 90degree and yellow is 3x blue gives a 20degree angle between red and yellow.
(4 times is 15degrees)
 
I have a small block that is 20degrees and put it on the ricasso to align the sharpener with. (1x 3 cm)
Do a few passes and realign
 
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