Any knife makers on here?

[madtinker]

My father in law has a forge setup that he lets me use when we visit. My first knife I designed to have a long cutting bridge, 52100 steel, and sturdy enough to baton firewood or do anything else.

I like the blade shape and the general look, but the blade is far too thick and resulted in really poor cutting geometry. The sheath I also made myself and I’m pretty pleased with it.

I then tried to make a second knife to improve on the design, but I wasn’t careful enough between quenching and tempering and I broke the blade before I could finish.

Does anybody on here make their own knives? What steels do you like to work with, what blade shapes do you like, and what kind of grinder do you use?

My FIL lives 13 hours away, so I really need to get my own setup, so I’m curious to see what ya’ll use.

 

[mitchellmountain]

I've been making knives for about 12 years now, as a hobby not as a part time job or for any real source of income. I started out forging in a coal forge and quickly moved on to stock removal. I built my own 2x72 grinder from plans I bought on the internet. My steel of choice is D2 for a couple reasons both functional and economical. I buy most of my steel on Alphaknifesupply where you can find flat stock at usable sizes for decent prices. D2 tool steel is basically stainless and can hold a very good edge at around 60rc. I also have a few friends that are toolmakers and they can do the heat treat for me instead of having to send it out to a heat treat company( I use Peters heat treat out of Meadville PA when I do). That being said my personal knife that I carry is made from CPM M4( holds an edge for a loooonnngg time). It is a great hobby and I have sold quite a few custom knives that have given me some fun money that I can then use to fuel my main hobby of hunting. I mostly make knives for repeat clients and for people as gifts. Its not a cheap hobby to get into and takes alot of trial and error to really get the skill set to turn out a finely made finished product. For a while I was turning out a 3 or 4 a month and it got to be too much like work so I make alot less now.

If you have more specific questions feel free to ask and I'll be happy to help where I can.

 

[madtinker]

Those are some beautiful knives! What horsepower motor do you use for your grinder? I’ve considered building my own grinder, but did it actually save you money? Where did you get the plans? And what wood are those really dark handles made of?

 

[mitchellmountain]

I use a 1 hp motor I bought at harbor freight, and yes it did save me money but mostly it was just fun to build. It's not as nice as a some of the grinders out on the market but it works just fine for my purposes. Can't remember where I bought the plans but I'll look to see if I can find the source . And the really dark handles are stabilized Russian bog oak those particular scales are carbon dated at 3200 years old

 

[madtinker]

Do you ever feel like you need more oomph, or is that 1hp sufficient? The Russian bog oak is really cool!

 

[mitchellmountain]

Plenty of power for the hobbyist, if I was going into a larger scale production I would scale up, replace the grinder, up the horsepower and make it variable speed. For my range of use it's more than adequate.

 

[Mojave]

I've been making knives for about 12 years now, as a hobby not as a part time job or for any real source of income. I started out forging in a coal forge and quickly moved on to stock removal. I built my own 2x72 grinder from plans I bought on the internet. My steel of choice is D2 for a couple reasons both functional and economical. I buy most of my steel on Alphaknifesupply where you can find flat stock at usable sizes for decent prices. D2 tool steel is basically stainless and can hold a very good edge at around 60rc. I also have a few friends that are toolmakers and they can do the heat treat for me instead of having to send it out to a heat treat company( I use Peters heat treat out of Meadville PA when I do). That being said my personal knife that I carry is made from CPM M4( holds an edge for a loooonnngg time). It is a great hobby and I have sold quite a few custom knives that have given me some fun money that I can then use to fuel my main hobby of hunting. I mostly make knives for repeat clients and for people as gifts. Its not a cheap hobby to get into and takes alot of trial and error to really get the skill set to turn out a finely made finished product. For a while I was turning out a 3 or 4 a month and it got to be too much like work so I make alot less now.

If you have more specific questions feel free to ask and I'll be happy to help where I can

View attachment 499343

Damn nice, this is a Bob Loveless long bully hunter or Nessmuck pattern.

I have about 15 Loveless pattern knives including a double nude made in Japan and officially licensed.

My 100% favorite knifemaker of all time.

 

[Nicaburns]

I am a hobbyist maker as well but all forged. Absolutely the easiest steel to forge well is 80CRV2! You can make a truly incredible blade with basic tools, a forge and canola oil for the quench. I have only been playing at it three years but it is addictive!

 

[mitchellmountain]

I am a hobbyist maker as well but all forged. Absolutely the easiest steel to forge well is 80CRV2! You can make a truly incredible blade with basic tools, a forge and canola oil for the quench. I have only been playing at it three years but it is addictive!View attachment 499969View attachment 499970

It takes quite a skill set to produce a Bowie like the one you made, how many years have you been making knives? What grinder are you using?

 

[Nicaburns]

Thanks... I started at the beginning of 2020. I started with a home built grinder and bought a Reeder about 6 months in. You don't need a ribbon burner forge or a press unless you start doing damascus. I am a student of the school of YouTube and trial and error... a Mr. Volcano forge, a toaster oven to temper, bucket of Canola oil, and a harbor freight 1x30 can make a blade. No need for an expensive anvil or high dollar hammer unless you want to turn it into a hobby.

 

[madtinker]

I’ve been wondering about the harbor freight grinders. I’d rather build or buy something I can use for a while as a hobbyist, but if cheap gets me started that’s better than daydreaming.

 

[Nicaburns]

I’ve been wondering about the harbor freight grinders. I’d rather build or buy something I can use for a while as a hobbyist, but if cheap gets me started that’s better than daydreaming.

They will do very limited work but will help you find out if you like the hobby. Many makers offer classes so you can learn and try different equipment before buying. Housemade.us makes a great grinder kit if you weld. But a grinder/motor/vfd is gonna set you back around $1,500-$2,000 if you buy a low end one that is complete

 

[Bruce Culberson]

I built my own grinder out of plywood. Used a Princess Auto (Canadian version of Harbor Freight) 1 hp motor:

52100 is great steel, I use it quite a bit. Have fun with the new hobby! Keep at it madtinker and the knives will keep getting better as you go.

Here are a few I've made:

 

[mitchellmountain]

I built my own grinder out of plywood. Used a Princess Auto (Canadian version of Harbor Freight) 1 hp motor:

52100 is great steel, I use it quite a bit. Have fun with the new hobby! Keep at it madtinker and the knives will keep getting better as you go.

Here are a few I've made:

That's a nice set up,I've seen grinders built like that but have never seen the finished product when a grinder built like that produces. Very very nice

 

[madtinker]

All those knives looks awesome! I definitely have something to aspire to.

 

[Nicaburns]

All those knives looks awesome! I definitely have something to aspire to.

The reason I suggest 80crv2 is ease of heat treatment. Use Canola oil, warm it to about 120degrees, heat blade to non magnetic, quench, then to two temper cycles in a toaster oven at 390-400 for two hours each and you have a VERY serviceable heat treatment. One of the easiest steels out there. (8670 will follow the same recipe and is excellent too but only available from Pops Knife supply)
Shoot a message if you ever have a question.

 

[madtinker]

Love that sword! Also, the toaster oven idea I great! My wife looked at me like I had three heads when I suggested using her brand new oven for tempering a blade. Specifically the part about leaving it on for four hours. If I burn out a toaster oven that’s no big loss.

I’ll definitely reach out when I have questions, thank you!

 

[jpadia]

Hey!
I've been making for about 10 years I guess. I used a Craftsman 2x42 for years then found an Esteem 2x72 fairly close. I don't forge much but when I do I like 80CRV2, 1084, or W2. I do mainly stock removal using aeb-l, s35vn, magnacut, and k390. I've designed a few of my own patterns but I've recently been making Loveless patterns and kitchen knives. Dozier is a big influence on my designs too.

 

[madtinker]

Hey!
I've been making for about 10 years I guess. I used a Craftsman 2x42 for years then found an Esteem 2x72 fairly close. I don't forge much but when I do I like 80CRV2, 1084, or W2. I do mainly stock removal using aeb-l, s35vn, magnacut, and k390. I've designed a few of my own patterns but I've recently been making Loveless patterns and kitchen knives. Dozier is a big influence on my designs too.

Those are beautiful! What kind of wood did you use for the handle on that hunting knife?

 

[jpadia]

Thanks. The handle on that knife is ironwood.