Making a knife with only common tools

[najad]

[essdee1972]

Chap is so obviously an expert in this thing!! The initial hacksawing and filing to get the blank shape itself would have taken manhours! Skill + patience = amazing!

[brihacharan]

Chap is so obviously an expert in this thing!! The initial hack-sawing and filing to get the blank shape itself would have taken man-hours! Skill + patience = amazing!

> Knife making is not as easy as it appears....
> Requires a steady hand,feel for aesthetics and above all the knowledge of functionality.
> Others like choosing the right type of steel, heat treatment / annealing etc are crucial.
> Good luck to all those who want to indulge in this master craft
Briha

[essdee1972]

Knife making is not as easy as it appears....

You're telling me! That damn Bowie I started has yet to see the light of the day! (it has, in fact, seen no light for the past coupla months, being stuck in a drawer..... the lovely Mumbai weather makes me LAZY!) A little slip of the file, a slight half a mm extra travel, and there goes that lovely bevel you have worked for hours! You won't believe, I worked on the bevel thrice!! And still it looks more like a staircase than a straight wall!! The work, at times, looks so clumsy, that's why I am not posting any pics.....

And these expert guys make it look so easy!! Reminds one of the time one tried one's hand at Kung-Fu at age eight, after watching the Master in Enter the Dragon!!

[dr.jayakumar]

this guy is an expert,we can't under estimate his expertise and his common tools.which i doubt most of us don't have.
regards
dr.jk

[marthandan]

check out aaron gough's destruction testing threrad on britishblades. not the first of its kind but a good thread.
@ SDda...use a jig like the one that he is using. will make filing even bevels a lot easier and faster.

[essdee1972]

Marty, thanks! I was considering a similar jig, but since I don't have a dedicated workshop in my postage stamp flat, I have to use the dining table, centre table, window sill, etc. as a clamping station,hence can't take risks of incurring the better half's wrath!

I do have a vice with a ball-and-socket joint to pivot the viced object, helps a lot. No substitute for practice & skill, though!