Online Knife making books on Google

12345678910 said:
This list was taken from the old CKDF board:
BOOKS

*list of about a hundred books*
Click to expand...

A buddy of mine with a good deal of metal working experience is interested in making knives. Can you recommend a single book that covers the basics? A printed book please, rather than a download or video.
 
"How To Make Knives" by Bob Loveless. It includes his stock removal technique and an extensive chapter by Bill Moran on forging. The picture quality is terrible but you and your friend will get the idea.
 
How does it compare to David Boye's book, Step by Step Knifemaking?

Or the Blade Guide to Making Knives?

Those were the three that caught my eye. I really just need a book that covers the basics on fixed blade knives. By basics I suppose steel selection, tools of the trade, grinding and shaping blades, heat treating, and attaching handles. So I don't need a book with a lot of detail on engraving or decorating, folder knives, or marketing/business.
 
David Boyes book is very detailed and has many explanatory pictures to go with his descriptions. I was very happy when I found it. The Loveless/Barney book was very good as well and the chapter on forging, while not as useful to a beginner stock remover, was very interesting. Blades guide was interesting but was many projects by different people and although this is useful to someone who has been researching or working on knives for a while, it can be confusing as different makers have different ways of doing things. To add further confusion to you, Tim McCreights Custom Knifemaking is another useful volume that has a number of different projects that use varying levels of skill. He also has a couple of books on metal working in general. If you can only afford one book right now, I recommend David Boyes but the others should be next on the list. Start a wish list on amazon and when you get a few extra dollars, get a new book hehe. If you keep them in your shop or where ever you sit and think or design, you will end up reading them dozens of times. Good luck.
 
Bob W said:
How does it compare to David Boye's book, Step by Step Knifemaking?

Or the Blade Guide to Making Knives?

Those were the three that caught my eye. I really just need a book that covers the basics on fixed blade knives. By basics I suppose steel selection, tools of the trade, grinding and shaping blades, heat treating, and attaching handles. So I don't need a book with a lot of detail on engraving or decorating, folder knives, or marketing/business.
Click to expand...


tattooedfreak said:
David Boyes book is very detailed and has many explanatory pictures to go with his descriptions. I was very happy when I found it.

The Loveless/Barney book was very good as well and the chapter on forging, while not as useful to a beginner stock remover, was very interesting.

Blades guide was interesting but was many projects by different people and although this is useful to someone who has been researching or working on knives for a while, it can be confusing as different makers have different ways of doing things.

Tim McCreights Custom Knifemaking is another useful volume that has a number of different projects that use varying levels of skill.
Click to expand...


I agree with these comments as spot on.

The nice thing about these downloads is you can preview the books and decide which ones to buy.

I read Blades guide to making knives, but was completely disappointed in the EDITING. The section I was interested in were so full of errors that made it useless.

It is relevant to experienced makers on specific tasks, more like tips-kinks on how to automate or improve setups on things they do differently fromother makers. -but not good start to finish instructions.





My number 1 and 2 choices for stock removal are:

Step by Step Knifemaking, by David Boye. *

Custom Knifemaking: 10 Projects From a Master Craftsman, by Tim McCreight. *
He covers 10 different projects from simpler to more advanced & this really helped me see different types of construction and pick the ones I had the equipment snd skills to do.


and then
How to Make Knives, by Robert Loveless/Richard Barney. *


These are also the cheapest ones
 
Last edited:
Thank you very much. I'm going to order the Boye book, read it for myself, and then 'loan' it to this friend.
 
Links to the DIY heat treat oven tutorial from British Blades forum

Build photos by Robert Mayo
oven7.jpg


http://forums.dfoggknives.com/index.php?showtopic=19469

http://www.freewebs.com/knifemaking/HT FURNACE.pdf
 
The Hand Forged Knife - Karl Schroen

1588082262

It's been around since 1984 so 27 years, but it seems to me that much of the info is more dated than that.

It's a short and simple 75 pages long.

It is based on coal fire forging & mentions forging ats34, 154 cm , D2, BG 42 and 440c.
I would consider that eyeballing the temps & using open flame to HT these steels isn't going to work the best.
He mentions that he has used a pyrometer, but I don't remember any discussion of that.

His grinder is a hardwheel grinder and one with a rubber disc and abrasives

I will read every knife book there is; as I believe that there is something to be gained from every book,
it's just up to you to figure out what that is.
Hand%20Forged%20Knife%20%20(CC--4175-020-069).jpg



http://www.mediafire.com/?r8pcdmip84dfxm7
 
Last edited:
How to Make Your Own Knives - Jim Mayes


It's from 1978 & it shows in his tools
Hardwheel grinder with rubber disc and abrasive paper, & glue on abrasive on hard cotton buff
His drill press is a portable drill in one of those clamp on adapters that were popular then.

However, once you look past that it's a well organized 185 pages of clear drawings, steps and explanations.
It's a pretty good book that shows the processes well.

In my opinion, it is 100 times better than the 50 Dollar knife shop.


http://www.mediafire.com/?yyaiw5aknrqrxeb


51LbZMDiCKL._SX373_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
 
Last edited:
Saturday at Ashokn ,I sold a never opened copy of Bo Bergman's book and a new copy of Lovelsss/Barney's book - for $100 total.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top