First timer question...

[Pappa]

I'm having my first go at making my own knife. I'm aiming for a short stocky knife in the Brian Goode style. Anyway, I've got my template ready and my ground flat stock, and I'm wondering how close to the finished edge I should cut the stock. I'll be using hand tools to cut and finish the blade, so I can't grind away tons of steel.

Does 1mm away from the template edge sound about right?

Thanks,

Pappa

(I cross-posted this at BritishBlades too - sorry)

 

[Ogri the trog]

Pappa,
I recon what you are aiming for is to be left with having to remove the least amount of metal by file or grinder - yet still be able to get a good finish to the steel. One millimeter sounds pretty close for sawing by hand so give it a go.

I'm assuming that we'll get piccies when the deed is done

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[scruff]

i'm definately no expert but 1mm sounds like a very small margin of error when cutting metal. I think I'd go for 3-5mm to be on the safe side...just in case.

ogri - thats a groovey avatar where'd u get it?

 

[Ogri the trog]

i'm definately no expert but 1mm sounds like a very small margin of error when cutting metal. I think I'd go for 3-5mm to be on the safe side...just in case.

ogri - thats a groovey avatar where'd u get it?

Scruff,
3 - 5mm is an awful lot to have to hand file off after cutting out the blank - anyone worth their salt should be able to saw by hand to within 1mm. The advantage over powered machinery is the time it takes to make the cut - if it starts going wrong, there is a chance to correct it.

The avatar is one that Tony loaded up the other day, UserCP, Edit Avatar, and have a rummage

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[jdlenton]

Hi Pappa

How close you saw to the line all depends on how good you are with a saw, what sort of curve you are cutting and how cautious you’re going to be. When I cut ground flat stock with a hack saw I try for as few straight line cuts as possible so I don’t’ have to put too much effort in to the cutting, after that my angle grinder with a sanding disk on it becomes my best friend. I know you don’t want to remove too much metal by had but believe me this is the least labour intensive way I have found to remove waste quickly. I then put all my efforts into getting the edge polished to 400 grade wet and dry before heat treat this way I haven’t got too much polishing to do when the blade is hard.



Hope this helps

James

 

[scruff]

Scruff,
3 - 5mm is an awful lot to have to hand file off after cutting out the blank - anyone worth their salt should be able to saw by hand to within 1mm. The advantage over powered machinery is the time it takes to make the cut - if it starts going wrong, there is a chance to correct it.

The avatar is one that Tony loaded up the other day, UserCP, Edit Avatar, and have a rummage

ATB

Ogri the trog

fair point i guess. i'm not averse to a bit of metal work from time to time so i kno wot u mean about being able to correct your cut easily. personal preference i guess. i'd prefer to file it into shape rather than cut it into to shape and smooth it off. i just thought better to be safe....

....i'll get my coat :sulkoff:

ps.ta for avatar tip

 

[Pappa]

Thanks everyone. I've just cut the stock down to size with a hacksaw. I was surprised how much work one straight cut would be. I was planning on cutting the shape out with a coping saw, but I'm not sure if that's feasable now. I'll have a go with the coping saw and a drill. My camera's at the ready, so I'll post some picks when I've got something worthwhile to look at.

Thanks,

Pappa

 

[jdlenton]

A coping saw ? a wood tool will that cut carbon steel!!!!!! the metal version would be a piercing saw but i think that might be a bit fine , I have used an abrofile (sp) before but i dont know if they still doo them.

If you are planning on chain drilling the out line you may find that if you use a big enough say 6mm you can then use a hack saw or a jig saw to cut down the chain (this is another method i use) the i get my best friend out as I ve said in my other post

James

 

[Pappa]

A coping saw ? a wood tool will that cut carbon steel!!!!!!

Well, it will if you fit it with a steel cutting blade.

It turns out my dad's got an angle grinder, so I've been cutting it out with that and the coping saw.

Pappa

 

[Mr_Yarrow]

Pappa,

Flap disks are apparently a better choice with an angle grinder than the standard grinding disks. I have got round to grinding my knife yet, but will investigate getting some. There are some threads on BB about suppliers for them.

Rgds

 

[baggins]

Yup, i started using flap disks on my blades as its easier to get a smoother finish, also a blacksmith mate told me that an angle grinder blade is more likely to burn off the carbon on the blade (weakening the blade).
Can't wait for the pics.

 

[ESpy]

You're more likely to get the blade too hot working with standard grinding discs, but that should be ameliorated by proper thermal cycling. I like my flap discs for forging cleanup...

 

[cgait]

The first knife i made was done with a hacksaw, a file and a sharpening stone. Thats all you need. Power tools only speed up the process.

 

[Shing]

I like my angle grinder, its good for shaping the profile after hacksawing and you can with a bit of practice use it to rough grind the bevels as well. It saves loads of time on the belt grinder and grinding discs are a lot cheaper than grinding belts. I would recommend a good 115mm angle grinder to anyone who wants to make knives.

 

[Pappa]

The angle grinder packed in after just a little use. I did spend two days cutting the rest out with a coping saw and a hacksaw (on and off), but I'm still only about 3/4 of the way through cutting out the shape of the blade. With hindsight it would have been better to anneal the steel first.

I'm going to try finishing the cutting next week.

Pappa