1095 supplier question

BrandonM

Well-Known Member
Where would you go to get 1095 cold rolled annealed steel in a sheet or quantity conducive for waterjetting? I'm thinking about pricing it out to see if I can save some time for a little money. Just not sure where to start looking. What is the typical price to have a knife blank waterjetted? Thanks for the help.
 
I've had custom cut sizes ordered in wide enough widths to be suitable from Admiral Steel. They do charge for any shearing of plate but it can save you money if you can nest additional blades. As for the jet cutting prices, I haven't ever priced out a single knife - I've always got a quote per hour and worked with the operator on how much their minimum was. One smaller job came out to $8.80 per knife to cut with waterjet, all costs considered, local operator, on high end stainless tool steel for 2 hours of setup, program and cutting + them using my .dxf file converted from a .jpg profile of the knife, to size, on my own time. The job was overall about $300 at that rate if I remember rightly to make it worth their time to do it and mine to invest in it, less the materials which were considerably more expensive as I think that job was for a few different patterns, 30+ blanks with the varied sheets of steel costing a grand or better.

Some operators will likely be willing to take on much smaller jobs. I haven't been ahead of the game enough to get that particular quote underway, one thing holding me back is the scale of things. $8.80 is roughly 20 minutes of my time and I can rough cut with the 5" grinder with a Norton cutoff wheel, profile clean up on the KMG with the platen at 90 degrees, and drill in much less than 20 minutes. Abrasive costs are very minimal per knife for profiling and as well as any drilling. I'd have to grab a bigger job to reduce the per knife cut of the setup and fixed costs, even things like the half hour to drop off the steel then again to pick it up you've got to figure in.
 
Another point from early on in the first reply I made - The charge for any custom shearing is additional, at least with Admiral, and can be shocking, enough to make it just worth it to use your regular widths in some manner for jobs that are lower volume like ours. Savings can be made but you've got to plan to get them. Water jetting has a kerf that has to be accounted for. Also, a wide bar won't fit in the typical shipping tube my suppliers utilize so there occasionally will be a different if not higher pricing change with that, too. Regular 1 1/2" bar has the shear charge built into the cost - however if you request a 7.5" width it doesn't necessarily save the yard 4 shear cycles to get you a given acreage of product with just less strips made out of it.

I've got a job on the bench requiring a 7.25" wide bar as one option, nesting my 1.25" wide, 7.25" long knives side by side down the length of it. It will utilize 1.35" width per knife due to the kerf of my cutoff wheel giving me roughly 53 blanks for that bar. Now, if I buy 6 1.25" wide bars at the outset I can get 10 knives per bar end to end giving me 60 blanks - and the 1 1/4" steel is already cut and priced through my vendor while the custom width 7.5" steel is extra in addition to it yielding less product.

The takeaway is you've got to get all the costs you're going to incur considered and do a whole lot of shopping around to get a material/cut fee/shipping/etc price that's hopefully going to save you more time than it takes to set it up. So far I'm between a knife-a-day and knife-a-week maker and I'm nowhere near needing a waterjet cutting subcontractor yet, myself. The topic of subcontractor reliability, quality, and their own schedule for your steel is another deal in itself. Just my two cents.
 
Great info Frank !

I'm going to share some AWESOME news with you guys.

Aldo bought a waterjet. That's right.. The Baron has bought a waterjet.

I'd urge you guys to give them a call and give them first shot at your business on both the steel and the waterjetting service.

http://newjerseysteelbaron.com/

-Josh
 
Great info guys! The main reason I'm asking is because being married with 4 small kids, 2 with special needs, a full time job, and starting a machining course full time in the evenings in a couple of weeks, my time is almost entirely gone. Money is always a factor, but time may be even more of a rare commodity for myself. The company I work for purchases a good amount of steel and has great discount set up with a local supplier, I just need to find out if I can get 1095 from them. Secondly one of our neighbors at work has a waterjet. Our owners are friends and we have helped each other out in the past. I may be able to use them for a decent rate. I'll have to check on both of those angles, but that might make it worth my money and time, of which I have little of either. Thanks again for the good info! I'm still trying to figure this whole knife making thing out. Brandon.
 
Excellent, Josh! I'll say this - I've never heard "That will be extra." from New Jersey Steel. He's one of us, I'm very glad to hear it. Admiral is a huge company that is primarily industrial, hence them not being the cheapest to work with for very small jobs.

twss - if you've got a neighbor or friend with the machine, by all means go for it. Don't be afraid of the profiling process - a $15 Harbor Freight 4 1/2" angle grinder and *good* cutoff and grinding wheels, not the Harbor Freight versions, will eat 1/8" - 3/16" blade stock fast enough to get you going. I started by clamping the barstock to my tailgate or to a cinderblock. There's also a very fast method using nearly interlocking holes around the perimeter and a hacksaw.
 
I have a nice DeWalt angle grinder. That's how I'v been doing the bulk of the stock removal. Then it gets put on the 4x36 to get the final shape. The oscillating spindle sander makes the curves and finger grooves on the handle. The Craftsman 2x42 does the flat grinds. That's how I've been getting it done. Seems to take forever though.
 
All 1095 is not created equal. I have become very picky about who I will buy it from. My advise, call Aldo....
 
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