Knife making help

[8thsinner]

I have decided to go ahead and order me some steel for my knife project.
I am probably going to go with a tough O1 as it's a chopper, But I would like some help.
I am currently on job seekers allowance which is bad enough but I basically have no tools.
Is there anyone here willing to cut my blanks for me for next to nothing, or perhaps I can pay for cutting blades, or send you a couple of novels or something small out of leather.

I would like to make two versions of my blade, to test different things, it's a khukri style so there will be other little blades to go with it.
I could save and buy a cheap jig saw first, but I really want to try and get this made whilst we have some good weather so I can get out and test it as soon as possible. As it's going to be hand filed anyway with no vice it's gonna take me some time. I really do have virtually no tools right now.

I figure it cant hurt to ask.

Any northern ireland volunteers will be greatly appreciated in the hope of reducing postal costs.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[FGYT]

im happy to help if you like

got a new toy coming wednesday for grinding

ATB

Duncan

Edit: opps thought your location was London but you say NI
i can get the 01 steel drect from Cromwell its free delivery to me cuts post one way

 

[Ogri the trog]

Have you seen Greenpete's series of knife making videos?
Both on his site and Youtube, they give a very good insight into knife making on a budget - and in a woodland setting, and they cover every stage you'd want.
Still rely on a few basic tools though, is there anyone who can lend you some tools for the time it takes to make your knife?

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[C_Claycomb]

So in a nut shell:
No tools
No vice
No bench?
No forge?
No previous experience

Little time, say 2-3 month window

Two large, complicated chopping knives...

I don't want to seem a party pooper, but I think this may be more than just a bridge too far. Quite simply you can do this by spending time, or spending money, and if you don't have, or aren't able to allocate, enough of either, it is going to be hard to impossible without placing a very heavy burden on other folk; which I think rather defeats the object of trying to make the knives yourself.

I am well aware that books and articles have been written all about making knives with very cheap tools on a shoestring budget, but you still need those tools, and you need to take time to gather them. You can get a lot of good tools from car boot sales or at auctions, I got three Record G-clamps and two bar clamps, plus other bits in a box for £18, excellent deal, but still that's money, and time.

You are going to need a bench, clamp, saw+several blades, two or three files, a drill + bits, sandpaper, (some method for hardening), some method for grinding an edge on the hard steel, could use a lot of wet and dry, or a stone. Then you can fit the handle, which is pretty easy by comparison.

If the project was a little 4inch puukko it would be much easier, but a couple of khukris?

If I were you I would try to back off on the expectations and concentrate on getting the tools and planning the job, and quit trying to impose what seems like an unnecessary time constraint on the project. I know that I have often ruined projects, and my enjoyment of them, by setting myself goals which are too ambitious, or simply unimportant.

I wish you the best of luck, but I think you could be setting yourself up for disappointment if you can't compromise on one of those constraints.

 

[sasquatch]

Even if someone profiles a blade for you a vice would be a really good investment. Check car boot sales and your local tip, you should get one for peanuts. I use a knackered angle grinder I picked up from Nettos 10 years ago for £15, a vice and a file and pound shop stones to make mine. The most expensive equipment I own is a Japanese waterstone for finishing blades.If you can't find a vice you could try a c clamp to clamp it to a table and file your bevels.

I too would be willing to help if need be, just pm me. You don't need much, and remember to have fun trying different things! Good luck fella!

 

[8thsinner]

Indeed my profile says london, the site will neither let me change that or my default email address...But i have been in NI for a while now.

FGYT and Sasquatch, I will get back to you in PM's. Thank you.

Lets see...
No tools.
A file is the only thing I will be buying in the first week in addition to steel, the following fortnight will be sandpaper or wet and dry maybe even a cheap stone...you get the drift.
I am an experienced enough woods man to know how to make a vice from wood and a sharp blade, even wood and cordage...Aren't you? A bench is nothing more than a stump of wood. Theres a number of ways around this hurdle.

Borrow a few tools, well actually no, The only thing I could borrow form others is a drill, a few screw drivers and a set of wrenches. I have few friends with similar interests. it sucks sometimes.

No forge, well yes this could cause a problem if I wasn't going to get it professionally tempered this time. Not sure where yet though.

Time is of the essence, but that doesn't mean I have none. I have lots of it infact, and a dedication beyond mere hobby project. 2 weeks to profile this...tbh, if I can't get it profiled from a cut blank in one week I have been extremely lazy. The second week I see mainly as a trimming and editing phase of the original design profile to clean up balance and things.

No previous experinece?
In making a knife from start to finish I agree completely, but lets see.
My first knife was bought for me 22 years ago, my first sword 17
I have reprofiled many blades (of cheap quality usually) in this time, I used to have money to spare on my knife passion. I have made replacement tsuka's for my several sword onwerships, I have made sayas, reshaped completely broken blades, in short I believe I have enough experience with making almost every aspect of a knife apart from forging a blade.
And none of it ever used power tools. In addition I have been working with leather for over ten years.

I hope to learn a lot during the next month too, I have experience doing a lot of different aspects of this, and god damn it before I die I want to at least try making my own knives start to finish, if this works out I may try to develop it further. I would hope in time to be able to temper and harden too but that will cost in time and money.

 

[C_Claycomb]

Fair enough...I own that I didn't do a "background check" so was only going by what you said in your post, and taken alone, it did sound a little ambitious, not quite the same situation that you have now described.

I am sorry if I caused offence.

When I started making knives I too used files and found that removing a lot of metal from a blank was pretty infuriating unless the blank was held very firmly at about hip height. The bench and work area that had been fine for bow making needed quite a bit of beafing up for it to work for knife making. The first clamps and vice that I had were too flimsy and the bench was too light, nothing held still.

Anyway, it sounds like you are determined, and have a plan, so I wish you the very best of luck with your project.

 

[caliban]

I just made a "knife" from an old chinese cleaver.

Yes, I know it's no beauty queen, but I was experimenting with a view to buying some 01 at a later date. I reckon the steel wasn't too hard but it must be at least in the Rockwell low fifties.

Here's a tip that you might find useful. Cover your steel in paper masking tape and draw your profile onto the tape. Mark where your handle pins will be. Drill the holes before you do anything else. To cut the blade I used a pound shop hacksaw and three silicone coated blades from B&Q, £3.50 (they don't snap every five minutes). Screw the steel to a big piece of wood like a railway sleeper or scaffolding plank using the handle pin holes instead of using a vice. You'll have to keep screwing and unscrewing it with the right bits sticking out to hacksaw out the profile. I also filed the bevels with the blade screwd to a big slab of wood. I think Claycomb is giving good advice. If I get some 01 I'll be trying a very simple profile first. On the otherhand you'll never know unless you try. Good luck!

 

[8thsinner]

Clay, I didn't take ofence at all, I was just stating where I was with things. I always have this impression that long thread starts never get read anyway, it's a self conscious thing, so I shorten them and leave things out, My bad.

Even a background check would reveal little with me.

I do thank you for the advice, it can be tough to keep things still especially for the first few days when you really can bear down with a lot more weight in the filing. I will sort something out don't worry.

Caliban, that actually looks pretty good from where I am sitting, Definately something to have sitting at the head of the table on christmas day, or at the BBQ.