Today in the shop I unveil the three tools that I think are most important for those of you who want to get into knife making. These three tools will let you build a quality knife that looks good, works well, and holds an edge.
The 4 1/2" Angle grinder allows you to cut and shape your steel, the 1x30 Belt Grinder lets you finish that shape, and grind your bevels, as well as shape your handle material. Lastly the Propane Torch enables you to heat treat your steel. The heat treat is by far the most important part of a good knife, so make sure that you are using known steels, and heat treating your knife the ways recommended for the steel you are using.
As always, there are of course cheaper versions of each of these tools, including files, a Dremel or rotary tool, a hack saw, and a fire pit/hair dryer combo, but for about $100, these three tools will get you started much easier and more successfully into knife making. Like wise, there are more expensive and sophisticated versions of each of these, including a metal cutting band saw, a 2x72 belt grinder, and a forge or heat treating oven. These will give you more control over your knife making and step you up to the professional level, but are going to cost you much more.
The most important part is just getting started. If you do not have the funds to get the tools I have suggested, make a knife how ever you can. The creation of a knife is a skill that goes back as far as human kind, and there is a great sense of accomplishment that comes along with making one yourself.
Check out our podcast, The Art of Craftsmanship, on all of your favorite podcasting platforms, where we talk about making things, shop tips, fun stories, and KZhead content creation.
Follow us on Instagram @theartofcraftsmanship and @theartofcameraguy to see what’s happening in the shop on a daily basis, join in with the live streams, and catch sneak peeks of our up coming videos.
If you would like to purchase AOC merchandise, you can find us on Tee Spring here...
the-art-of-craftsmanship-3.cr...
To those of you who feel like you got something special from our videos and want to know how you can support us further, check out our Patreon page here... / theartofcraftsmanship
I've made and sold over 600 knives. Every single bevel ground with a 14" bastardfile on a plywood jig I built👍
The HF 1x30 belt sander is really a god send for the guys that want to get started and don't have a lot of money to invest. Guys get amazing results with them too. If you can make a whole knife with a file you can certainly make a whole knife with a 1x30.
Fully agree, can’t afford a professional belt sander. A friend of mine modified the grinding table,made it a bigger one. Works perfect.
@@cooperwelsh3471 Yeah I did that as well. More than adequate for a weekend knife maker or even semi-professional. I am sure a 2x72 would be a great investment if you were really trying to produce a lot of knives and the versatility with the attachments on a 2x72 would simplify life as well.
Add a bench drill press!!
That’s a great addition.
Lots of knife makers recommend against 1095. The tolerances for the steel are pretty big so the heat treating results are very mixed from batch to batch. It also really needs something like Park's 50 to quench in not canola oil. 1084 is regarded as the easiest to heat treat and it can be heat treated in canola oil.
Let's see a sewing pony! Great info on knives
Angle grinders are so useful. You really can make a whole knife with an angle grinder. You can cut it out, grind bevels, polish it, shape handles, etc. Some of those things take practice to do well but some people can do them quite well. You could rough in most of the knife with an angle grinder and then tune it up with a file.
i love working with files, i made up a tool for woodworking almost completely with files
Great video, Dustin! I love the format of this video with the big cardboard cutouts and the numbers... nice touch! The only thing I'd question is the suggestion of 1095 as a starter steel. I'm sure you're going to hear this a few times.. beginners should steer clear and stick with something like 5160 which can be heat treated easily in something like canola.
I've been making knives for all most 20 years now and I'm about to build my first real belt grinder. I've been using an old Sears and Roebuck aluminum bodied 3x21 belt sander that I lock in a vice and it works but has some limitations.
Nice! Good luck Joseph.
Well done!
If you are going to buy a propane torch do yourself a major favor and get the benzomatic max heat torch. It is more expensive but it's so worth it. The cheaper ones don't do well in little brick forges because the holes are up near the tip of the torch. The cheap ones also seem to be more sensitive to being tipped to the side - they don't want to stay lit.
Thanks Dustin for sharing this you are one amongst a view others that made me start knife making. Keep on doing the good work cheers from the Netherlands 🇳🇱
Thanks Cooper. It’s such a fun hobby. 🙏
Thank you so much
Great video. I have all three tools. I didn’t realize could heat treat with a propane torch. Duh. Thanks for the encouragement.
Thanks Jim. Good luck.
Been thinking about trying my hand at knife making. Thanks for this primer!
You’re welcome Matt. Good luck.
I'm a hobbyist knife maker. I have more of a woodworking background, so I started out by making new wooden handles for old knives which progressed into making actual blades and finished knives. I agree with Dustin's 3 tools. I just upgraded my belt grinder with the Bucktool 2 x 42. They're on Amazon for about $270.
Very helpful brother I've always wanted to pick up knife and weapon forging as a hobby and the price dropping was nice as well I appreciate the info man keep the videos coming
Wow, did I guess the 3 wrong...I figured an anvil, forge, and belt sander. I've been watching "Forged in Fire" too much !! I've been putting off making the forge...have all the supplies to do it...the right kind of coal, the plaster of Paris, the used bbq grill, the hair blowers, the makeshift anvil (plate of steel affixed to a huge tree stump)...but don't want to disturb my neighbors with pounding railroad spikes and other steel into shape outside. I even have a bandsaw for cutting wood handles...which I have made handles for machetes...but haven't made a whole knife yet. Probably will try my mapp gas torch for heat treat...had been using that mapp gas for my spud gun propellant...never thought it had other uses :D
A lot of people that have porta bandsaws still cut knife steel with an angle grinder because knife steel dulls bandsaw blades much quicker than mild steel.
Amazing, forever. 👍 assessment 10.
Thanks Radna.
Thanks for the tips. 👍🏻 Cheers. 🍻
Thanks for watching.
You are an awesome craftsman
Thanks Paul.
Hi Dustin great video, as the previous poster said 1095 is on the edge between water and oil forging what I find effective is 10 seconds in water then finish in oil I like canola oil as it is not toxic
Slightly surprised there was no bench vise mentioned. I find it hard to cut steel to shape without one! ;) Jokes aside, this is a great video. I got started with a bench vise, hacksaw, file and torch.
I totally agree, but I would say that falls under the things that we are kind of expecting folks to have already if they want to get into knife making.
Hi Dustin! Interesting video. Sure that tools are important, but for me, the most important thing is a place….. jeje. And…. Living near to you helps me too in order to take some classes from the master 😉. Greetings from Madrid Dustin!
If your ever in the states, you’re welcome at my shop! 👍🏼
@@TheArtofCraftsmanship Thank you very much Dustin!
hahaha - my whole shift at work is watching this with me on their break - usually it's porn :)
great introduction level video. It's easy to get hung up on the expensive tools that would be nice, but yeah....you should start small and learn skills before investing in those things. Your first knife will probaby fall short of your imagination, but you can get there with practice. You make some beautiful knives now, but I've seen where you started and it was simple tools, hard work and craftsmanship that still produced cool knives.
We’ll said, and thank you.
Don’t forget the lowly Dremel tool
Yes good choices. And I regret fooling with unknown steel. You might get unknown steel cheap but cost more to work with it making the savings less and the quality of your projects less and sometimes nothing but junky results. I've been a part time BlackSmith Hobbyist for 4th year plus and now building knives that preform good and that 1x30 setup for sharpening is better than stones and many times faster and easier than sharpening system with stones
Hi Dustin I am going to start making a knife out of a file I like to know how do you keep the blade from rustling
Toaster oven for tempering Chainsaw files for choils and plunge lines 3x21 belt sander for shaping handles more easily Bench vise.... trust me, you'll find a million uses for it Pliers
Yes yes yes! Love them all.
What if you don't have power? I use hack saws, files and hammers!
Yes sir! Gotta love power though.
Where did you get your big belt sander??
Good video, I actually have all those tools now. Question what belts do you suggest for the 1x30? Thanks
Thanks. I’ve used a large range of quality belts, without noticing a high difference. Lots of folks suggest Norton belts for the 1x30, but I would say, go for what ever you can get you hands on and see how they work.
Get ceramic belts in the lower grits. They are awesome. Cut faster and don't get the metal as hot as aluminum hydroxide.
I made my first using my angle grinder, propane torch and a big belt sander...didn't buy the metal, used a retired circular saw blade and birch scales from a tree we took down. It is a really ugly knife, but I do love that "1st born".
Ceramic belts are much better and grind faster than aluminum oxide belts.
The belt grinder, how many watts is that.?
It’s a standard 110.
@@TheArtofCraftsmanship not sure what that means :-) but from what I could find, it seems that that model is about 1/3 horsepower
Ah, yes it is 1/3 HP. (It runs off a regular 110 watt plug)😉
@@TheArtofCraftsmanship huh... don't you confuse watts and volts?
did you just say get yourself some known steel on the video about starting knife making?
Yes!