Please help me build my first knife

[smojo]

Complete newbie here. I just bought a heat treated neck knife blank off Primitiveman here. Very nice it is too. I'm pretty handy with most things and got a decent set of tools. I've watched vids of knifemaking and got a rough idea of what I'm doing but need a bit of hand-holding so I don't make a big boo-boo. I thought it would be cool to post photos of my progress and see what advice you all can give me as I go along. That way it'll also be good for other first timers. Gonna try posting photos but last time I tried they didn't come out and all I got was a link.

Anyway here's the plan. I have cut down some scales on my bandsaw from a chunk of well seasoned laburnum that was growing in my garden some years ago. They are 10mm thick and my next job is to plane them down smooth and flatten them. They probably end up about 8 or 9 mm. First question then - is that a good thickness? The knife is gonna be a short neck knife so I'm not intending fitting a lanyard tube. I think a lanyard would get in the way on such a short handle and I'll eventually have a go at a sheath for it anyway. Got to find some 8mm brass rod for the handle pins now so off to local hardware shop this aft.

What is the first job to do on the blade please? Do I sand it to a bright smooth finish before attempting the grind. It's gonna be Scandi. Let's try a photo now.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36802431@N04/12835278234/

Nah just a URL link. I think you have to be a full member to post direct maybe?

 

[Paddytray]

there you go mate . thickness sounds fine are yopu going to use liners ?. and don't waste time sanding prior to grind you are bound to want to go over it again after the grind . I would say but Im a learner myself

 

[smojo]

Thanks for that. Not sure about liners. They look cool but do they have an actual function or just decorative and what material do people use for them?

Can't decide whether to cut scales out of the dark part of the laburnum or half and half. The dark stuff is very hard and the light stuff softer. The horizontal marks are just from the bandsaw. but the introducing some light grain will effectively give it a "bookmatched" effect which appeals.

Local hardware shop got no brass rod but just ordered small piece on' tinternet

 

[Paddytray]

yes they take all the knocks and bang saves having to re-glue the handle . go diagonal as a cross in the grain will help when putting holes in it for the pins . if they are in a straight line they are prone to break. ebay for rods

 

[Paddytray]

some help full links mate.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/search.php?searchid=5321420
http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/13-...ort_by=Z-A&sort_key=last_post&topicfilter=all
http://www.workshopheaven.com/tools/knife_making_supplies.html
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/forum.php?
if you ever start making your own these are great for cutting out .
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dremel-SC...13?pt=UK_Home_Power_Tools&hash=item48611fa2a1

 

[WULF]

Regarding the scales you need to make sure one side is flat so it sits tight up on the tang.Other outside leave until your ready to shape it
Those scales will look great,if it was mine i'd use both heartwood and sapwood to give a contrast.

 

[Ogri the trog]

Just commit to learn from the whole experience - it will always have a place in your heart as it's your first, but I can definitely say it will not be your last.

There will be mistakes and "Oops's" but they will teach you the things you'll need to know for your second and subsequent knives.

The one mistake we all make with our first knife is to leave the handle too square, so be sure to profile it to an oval that fits into YOUR hand.

Good luck with it and keep us informed.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Ogri the trog]

Just commit to learn from the whole experience - it will always have a place in your heart as it's your first, but I can definitely say it will not be your last.

There will be mistakes and "Oops's" but they will teach you the things you'll need to know for your second and subsequent knives.

The one mistake we all make with our first knife is to leave the handle too square, so be sure to profile it to an oval that fits into YOUR hand.

Good luck with it and keep us informed.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Paddytray]

Just commit to learn from the whole experience - it will always have a place in your heart as it's your first, but I can definitely say it will not be your last.

There will be mistakes and "Oops's" but they will teach you the things you'll need to know for your second and subsequent knives.

The one mistake we all make with our first knife is to leave the handle too square, so be sure to profile it to an oval that fits into YOUR hand.

Good luck with it and keep us informed.

ATB

Ogri the trog

Amen to that I am constantly making silly mistakes but it's great learning .

 

[Gaudette]

Check out Sandy Aka (Jacklore) on Utube his whole journey from his very first knife to his latest is in there. An inspirational story with loads of advice.


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[smojo]

Thanks guys for the links and good advice. I'm happy to take my time with it and get it as good as I can and learn too. I love learning new skills. Yes I've also decided to go for two tone scales. Already flattened them and cut down to approx size.

 

[Stew]

I suspect that blank is already hardened - what are you intending to create the bevels with? Make sure you keep it cool with frequent dips in water!

 

[smojo]

I suspect that blank is already hardened - what are you intending to create the bevels with? Make sure you keep it cool with frequent dips in water!

yes it's been heat treated, the seller suggested I could probably do bevels with files being just a small knife. I realise that grinding will generate a lot of heat and might affect it. Only just got a bench grinder last week and not very confident using it yet. Don't mind the hard work of manual filing as I can control it better. Got some oilstones to finish it with.

 

[robevs73]

Heat treated blade should be harder than a file.

 

[Paddytray]

great thread on here and gets better exsplained on british blades regarding a jig set up for bevel filing . I copied the build it's simple yet great for getting the angles right. http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=84223

 

[Dave Budd]

a heat treated blade should NOT be harder than files, but would be impractical to try and use files to remove metal from it! If the blade is harder than a file then it would be over 64RC normally, which in a blade would be way too hard Keep your bare hands on the blade whilst grinding and whenever it gets uncomfortable, dip it in water. Don't dry the blade but grind until a second or two after the water has evaporated, that way the blade edge will remain a safe way under the sort of temperature where the temper is damaged. Much easier to do with a belt grinder than a bench or angle grinder, but they do work with care (I used to do it that way). Get the blade grinding and polishing 100% finished before attaching the handle of course,much easier to get it nice that way.

Re liners, they do nothing except add contrasting colour to the handle. I rarely use them these days. They can take up some slack in a poorly fitted handle and they can add bulk to a handle if your scales are too thin. Some folks think they form a barrier between wood and steel preventing corrosion, but then you also have an impervious barrier of epoxy. Liner material can split, so the connection of wood-to-glue and steel-to-glue is intact, but the fail is in the middle. Some liner material shrinks and swells differently to the surrounding wood, leaving raised areas.

Have fun and I'm sure it will come out nice when finished

 

[smojo]

Thanks for the advise guys. The jig looks great, saw something on Youtube similar but it was huge. I don't have a belt sander but I have a great pillar drill and drum sanders. I had been thinking maybe I could make a simple wooden jig that would hold the blade at the correct angle (could screw through holes in handle into wood to hold it) then I could run the blade past the drum to get the bevel. I see the problem with that being the curve of the edge wouldn't follow the line at the same angle. The jig on the link addresses that by allowing you to pivot the file to the angle of the blade curve. Bit more complex building the jig though and I'm not sure how many more knives I'm likely to make. I'll give it some more thought. Like the advice on grinding and evaporation to keep it cool.

 

[Paddytray]

If it's worth knowing Dave knows it already .

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[smojo]

think I'll leave out the liners - keep it simple.

The one mistake we all make with our first knife is to leave the handle too square, so be sure to profile it to an oval that fits into YOUR hand.

I'm thinking how about a handle that's assymetrical? It's only going to be me using it and I'm right handed so make the palm side of the scales shaped to fit - well my palm - more or less just rounded, but the finger side, which is only long enough for three fingers, make some concave shapes for each finger. So it really fits comfortable and provides some grip. How about getting something like bluetack and squeezing it to make a rough model to copy the shape of my fingers? Just a thought. Has anyone else done a handle that's different shape on one scale to the other?

 

[Siberianfury]

nice bit of wood, what are you using to grind the bevels?