Starting to get set up

T

T_Tactical

Member
A few weeks ago I decided I want to try my hand at knife making so I've been reading on here and a couple other knife forums for hours each night and have learned a great deal but there is still so much left to learn.

So far I have a few note books full of notes that I've taken down along with knife designs I've been drawing. The fancy knives are absolutely beautiful that some of you guys make and I can tell that a lot of time go into making them but for me the tactical knives and fighters are what I want to try and build.

Right now I'm getting tools together that I'll need to get started. Being a do it yourselfer all my life I have quite a few tools already that can be used for making knives but now I'm trying to get the specific knife making tools that I need.

The other day I received a KMG that I ordered a couple weeks ago and it is built like a tank. Plus the service from Rob was outstanding. Seemed like a great guy to do business with.

I got the 1.5hp motor with 10" wheel, flat platen and small wheel attachment with 3/4" wheel. I plan on ordering other sizes later on.

Now I'm saving up for an Evenheat 27" oven and I need to find a dewar. I think I want to work mostly with air cooled stainless steels such as 154CM, ATS-34 and CMP154.

I know you guys like pics so here are a few I took of some of the tools I have that I think will come in handy getting started.

KMG grinder. I made a bracket to mount an adjustable lamp so I can see what I'm doing.

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Here are 2 stainless container holders I made for the grinder. The large one sits under the grinder attachments with a little water to catch the sparks and the small cylinder is 8.5" deep so I can dip the blades to keep them cool.

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I figure the scroll saw, table saw and router could come in handy working with handle material and the blast cabinet would be used on the blades. Also have a vertical band saw, drill press and 8" grinder.

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Here's a 4"x36" sander with 6" disc. Also you can see in the background an orange 12 ton press I figured might come in handy for pressing pins in bolsters. I read Tracy's idea of how he uses a press for the pins and thought it seemed like a great idea. I have a pin press that installs on the press that I think will work perfectly. It was made for pushing the barrel pins in and out of an AK47 barrel trunnion but I think it'll work great for the bolsters.

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Here is a list of things I'm saving for now that I want. Please let me know if you see something I'm missing that would really help make knife making easier.

Evenheat 27" oven
dewar
baldor buffer
wood workers vice with 1" thick aluminum plates
knife vice
carbide file guide
height gauge
granite surface plate
wilton 14" vertical metal cutting band saw (I have a portaband for now)

I figured you guys could help me out and give me some advice on what other tools I may need to make things easier for me. All help would be greatly appreciated.
 
Looks to me like you are pretty well set up. Get to work making knives and you will discover what you need and may avoid buying stuff that you won't be using enough to justify the expense.
Welcome to the Pound. We will be watching to see some of your work.
 
I'm with Wayne, looks like you're already set up pretty good. Time to start making knives. Your list is pretty complete and as Wayne said start making knives and you will see what else you need for your particular way of making knives. Start grinding and have fun

Larry
 
Hard (and not wise) to argue with a pro. I'm with Mr. Coe. Get Started.
Keep us posted. Dozier
 
Thanks guys, looks like I'll go ahead and get to making knives and see how it goes.

Also I want to get into making kydex and leather sheaths and holsters. So far I've gotten set up for the kydex but I still need to do more research before I start buying leather and leather working tools.

As far as kydex it's been pretty simple. Picked up a rivet press and dies, toaster oven, heat gun, press and an assortment of different sized rivets and thicknesses and colors of kydex. There seems to be a lot more to working with leather so I still need to learn more about it before I start buying supplies.

Here's my kydex work table.

kydex01.jpg


So far I've made a few holsters and I've been really happy with the way they've turned out. As soon as I make some knives I'm gonna make some sheaths to go with them and hopefully they'll turn out as well as the holsters.
 
T-Man, if you make knives like you get set up it ain't gonna be long before I can NOT afford one.
You are ALL IN. Looking forward to seeing your work, even if I can't afford it.
Dozier
 
wdtorque said:
T-Man, if you make knives like you get set up it ain't gonna be long before I can NOT afford one.
You are ALL IN. Looking forward to seeing your work, even if I can't afford it.
Dozier
Click to expand...

HAHA I guess I just believe in having the right tools for the job. I use to work for a steel fabrication shop and was there for over 10 years. It was a small company and it had only been in business for a year when I started working there. Just getting started we had to make due with some of the tools we had until the boss could afford more tools.

It wasn't always easy but we got the job done. As the company grew and got bigger we were able to buy more and better tools to do the jobs more efficiently. I guess after that experience I've always liked having the right tools for the job to make things easier and more efficient. I've always believed in producing top quality products and if I can do it more efficiently, that means I can give someone top quality at a great price.
 
With regard to the leather sheath making, I recommend the video done by Wild Rose
It really gave me a better idea on how to work leather.

http://www.centercross.com/cciv/Custom_Knife_Sheaths_with_Chuck_Burrows.htm

I think you have the means to make your own knife vise, search for images and put something together.

Marking ? Stamp, electro etching...or something?


If you really want a liquid nitrogen dewar, I won't stop you, but I would leave it at the end of your list and pursue other stuff first.
New dewars will cost quite alot.
You can make do with a cooler full of dry ice and acetone for a day of heat treating.
not as cold as N2, and not as long lasting, but maybe suits your needs.

You can find used dewars at surplus lab equipment dealers


A 9" flat disc sander with foot switch is nice.

dust collector and respirator?
 
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I'll say as others have......Get to making knives.
You already got more equipment than some that's been at it for years.

God bless,Keith
 
12345678910 said:
With regard to the leather sheath making, I recommend the video done by Wild Rose
It really gave me a better idea on how to work leather.

http://www.centercross.com/cciv/Custom_Knife_Sheaths_with_Chuck_Burrows.htm

I think you have the means to make your own knife vise, search for images and put something together.

Marking ? Stamp, electro etching...or something?


If you really want a liquid nitrogen dewar, I won't stop you, but I would leave it at the end of your list and pursue other stuff first.
New dewars will cost quite alot.
You can make do with a cooler full of dry ice and acetone for a day of heat treating.
not as cold as N2, and not as long lasting, but maybe suits your needs.

You can find used dewars at surplus lab equipment dealers


A 9" flat disc sander with foot switch is nice.

dust collector and respirator?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation, that looks like a great video. There are some other ones on that site I would like to get as well, especially the hollow grinding video.

As far as the knife vise, I probably should just build one. I just need to find some good detailed pictures and go from there.

I think I'm going to go with electro etching but I want to come up with a nice logo first.

The reason I was going to pick up a dewar is because my brother in law use to be in the horse business and still has a lot of friends who train and breed them and said he could find me a good deal on a used one. Plus I have a buddy that works for a welding supply company where I can get it filled.

I was looking at the 9" flat disc grinder from Beaumont Metal Works. To be honest I'm not quite sure how to use one for knife making. I see there is a flat and a beveled face but I'm not sure which would be better and what exactly would be the difference between using it and a platen?

I believe I read somewhere that using the platen causes the belt to roll up a little on one side or something like that and you don't get a completely flat grind on it like you would a disc. But I'm not exactly sure how to use the disc. Do you just use half of it at a time or do you place your blade across both sides as it grinds? See I still have a lot to learn. :confused:

I don't have a dust collector but I use a respirator when grinding and I have a 36" exhaust fan. I leave the doors closed and open the windows on the opposite side and it pulls really well across the shop.
 
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