72 get a handle on knife making and stay sharp b ill carroll
Knife making has become a popular endeavor for woodworkers of all skill levels. This beginner’s guide will get you started. { no. 59 }
rom cutting and marking in the Fshop, to hunting and camping, to preparing a simple meal, a good knife is indispensable. Mass-produced knives get a handle on knife making and can be found for every budget and use. But custom knives, which are often far more attractive, tend to get expensive very quickly. stay sharp Of course, the ultimate custom 1 2 knife would include a hand-forged and hand-sharpened blade. If you’re not up for the expense and dirty work of such an endeavor, you can still experience the pride of a well-crafted and functional addition to your tool collection. All you need is a knife kit.
It’s all in there 3 4 A knife kit consists of a prefabricated blade and pins, which allows the maker to select handle materials, assemble Select wood for your scales and the knife, and shape and polish it to determine which sides will face away perfection. It requires minimal tools, from the handle portion of the knife good attention to aesthetic detail and blank, or the “tang.” Using the blank, a few hours of shop time. Once you’ve trace the shape of the tang onto each gained some knife-making experience, scale (Fig. 3). Make sure to trace the there are hundreds of types of knives tang in the proper orientation to keep (and swords, and spears) available as the best woodgrain on the visible 5 kits from a number of sources. We outer side. suggest starting with Woodcraft’s drop Cut out the scales on a bandsaw or point knife kit, an affordable but good- scroll saw (Fig. 4). Cut to the outsides Clamp and drill quality model with a popular blade of the lines you traced − you will sand Place one of the scales exactly where style most often used for hunting. up to them later. you want it on the tang, clamping The kit consists of a highly polished Using 120-grit sandpaper, sand the securely. Drill three holes for the brass 81/4" hollow-ground blade that is 11/16" side of the scale that will be attached pins with a 5/32" bit, using the blade as wide and 5/32" thick, made of 6A high- to the tang. Sand and polish the top a template (Fig. 5). Test the pins in carbon stainless steel for good edge outside edges of the scales (nearest the the first scale before adding the second holding, and three 5/32" brass pins. The blade) with a belt sander and buffer. one. Now align and clamp the other knife handles or “scales” can be made This is important, because after the scale and drill through the second scale from any quality hardwood (Fig. 1). scales are glued to the tang, you will not using the holes in the first scale as a I used some ebony that I had on hand, be able to sand and polish these areas template (Fig. 6). Clamp the assembly and I really like the black contrasted without marring the tang and blade. firmly to the drill press, as shown. with the polished silver blade. Whatever wood you choose, you woods used in making the will need two pieces 3/8" thick, at least 2 1 knives in the photo at left: 11/2" wide and 5" long. The blade comes pre-sharpened. 3 1. cocobolo Protect the edge from damage and 4 2. big leaf maple burl 3. padauk yourself from getting cut by covering 4. bocote the blade with masking tape from the 6 5. Macassar ebony tip all along the cutting edge (Fig. 2). 5 7 6. cocobolo Use as many layers of masking tape as 7. zebrawood bob etter you need to keep the blade guarded. 8 8. curly koa
w w w . W o o d c r a f t M a g a z i n e . c o m 07.07 | woodcraft magazine 21 72
Coat the pins and push them all the way through the holes. Now clamp the scales to the tang and clean off any glue squeeze-out using a rag and acetone. I find it a good practice to let the glue dry overnight if possible. After the epoxy has thoroughly 6 7 dried, remove the clamps and begin contouring and shaping the handle (Fig. 8). A drum sander is handy for this shaping phase. The most important thing is that the handle both looks good and fits well in your hand. You’ll know you’re finished when it looksand feels pleasing. Finish sanding using 220-grit and 8 9 400-grit sandpaper and polish the scales using a buffer (Fig. 10) and red Dry-fit both scales on the knife adhesive and a sealant. rouge polishing compound. Polish the tang and push the brass pins through Position the scales on the tang, knife to a soft luster. the holes, making sure everything aligned with the holes in the scales. fits together and that the pins extend through both scales and are flush Bill Carroll with or slightly proud of both scales. Disassemble and clean the tang and the Bill Carroll is the director of franchising for Woodcraft insides of the scales with acetone. Franchise, LLC and a lifelong woodworker. He produces Mix enough epoxy to evenly coat commissioned projects and teaches woodworking in his both sides of the tang and the pins spare time. (Fig. 7). The epoxy acts as both an
PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT AND YOUR FINGERS with a custom-made sheath. Below are samples with Web sites for helpful information and tutorials about how you can make your own.
Chuck Burrows Bill Carroll Bruce Evans Edgewise
homestead.com/beknivessite2/pouchsheath.html Bruce Evans The pattern and instructions for wrtcleather.com/1-ckd/mexloop/_mexloop.html Chuck Burrows Bill Carroll's sheath, designed oldjimbo.com/survival/edgewise/woodcraft.html Edgewise especially for the knife in this knivesby.com/dan-sheath-tutor-1.html Dan Gray article, are availabe online at mickleyknives.com/html/sheath_1.html Tracy Mickley WoodcraftMagazine.com stoneandsteel.net/pouch_sheath.html Brome McCreary project photos: bill carroll
22 woodcraft magazine | 07.07 a little help from our friends at DMT
Woodcraft’s drop point skinner knife kit allows anyone to create a custom knife without the worry of having to form the blade. It is designed as a true hunting/ working knife that can be asked to perform a variety of tasks in the field; from skinning to chopping to perhaps even prying. The alloy is a high-carbon steel with vanadium added for wear resistance and toughness – a good choice for these kinds of tasks. Once the knife is assembled, there remains the task of defining the edge geometry and sharpening the blade. 1 Having received both Bill Carroll's completed knife and an unassembled blade, I set about determining the bevel angles present on the blades in order to see what needed to be done. With a laser pointer, a few tool room fixtures and some patience I was able to build a setup to measure the bevel angle from the reflection of the laser onto an angular degree scale (Fig. 1) and found it to be approximately 10º on each side or a 20º included angle. This 20º bevel angle is somewhat acute; what this knife needs is a bevel angle that will be sharp enough for skinning a hide but also have enough steel behind the edge for durability between sharpening sessions, something closer to 25º. An excellent tool for this reshaping and sharpening task is the DMT Aligner guided sharpening system. This system clamps the 2 blade in a jaw with adjustable guide rods that keep the sharpening stone at precisely the same angle across the entire blade (Fig. 2). Because this blade is exactly 1" wide, I set the Aligner adjustment rods in the fifth setting for a 24˚ bevel angle. Since I will be reshaping the bevel, I chose to start with the DMT coarse whetstone (blue). Marking the bevel edge with a felt-tipped marker will let me know when I have fully reshaped the bevel angle without over-sharpening and wasting the blade life (Fig. 3). Progressing through to the fine stone (red) and finally the extra-fine stone (green) while using the marker trick at each step allowed for a very quick and accurate bevel reshaping. Using the same setup each time the blade needs a touch-up is easy; just a few strokes with the fine or extra-fine DMT diamond whetstone and the blade is back in shape. 3 For those who already have a whetstone in your toolbox but perhaps not the Aligner system, the same task can be done with some skill and a couple of quarters! Just place two stacked quarters on the corner of your whetstone as shown and lay the spine back onto the stack for the same setting as was used for the Aligner with a 1"-wide blade (Fig. 4). Stroke from the heel of the knife to the tip, into the cutting edge while locking your wrist to maintain that same bevel angle. Do about six or seven strokes on one side, then flip the knife over while moving the two quarters to the opposite side of the stone and repeat the same motion for the other bevel. Step to the next finer grit if you have it and repeat the same sequence for a very sharp and durable edge. 4 —Stan Watson is technical director for Diamond Machine Technologies and is responsible for new product innovation and engineering processes. He holds nine DMT patents.
w w w . W o o d c r a f t M a g a z i n e . c o m 07.07 | woodcraft magazine 23 from novice ...... to expert a beginner’s KNIFE-MAKING CLASS
“To be able to make such a beautiful knife in a short amount of time was amazing.” Andrew Bondi SOME OF THE CLASS MEMBERS left to right are John Righter, Liz Matheny, Alan Director of Product Development Hendrick, September Fleming, Bill Carroll (instructor) and Sharon Hume.
My husband and son are handle, but the sanding dust literally both avid hunters and covers everything. Even with the fishermen, and I’m always on the mask, I could feel the dust in my lookout for woodworking projects throat and eyes and was grateful to that would make good gifts for get home and shower off the dust! them. A custom knife fit the bill. The glueup went rather smoothly. Bill Carroll was going to be teach- We mixed the epoxy and had a ing a knife-making class at our little bit of time to align the wood local Woodcraft store, so a number on the tang with the pins. I soon of Woodcraft Supply employees discovered not to dally because agreed to become his trial pupils. the adhesive sets faster than you’d Our class of four women and four think, making it harder to align the “I would not have believed I could men represented all skill levels, pins in the handle. accomplish this with such great from beginner to experienced Once the handle was glued up results..” woodworker. and allowed to set, the buffing Liz Matheny We’ve always been told, “Don’t began. We had two buffing Marketing Manager color outside the lines.” Well, in machines going, and they were woodworking, it’s exactly the constantly being used. I would buff opposite – keep your cuts outside awhile, find a place I wanted to of your lines! If you cut your sand more, and would go back and wood too narrow, problems can start over again. crop up later. We picked up bits As each knife was finished, of knowledge from each other’s we would all stop and scrutinize mistakes as we watched the knives each other’s craftsmanship. We take form. I know a couple of us all discovered ways we might do learned to hold tight to the knife as things a bit differently, but there it was buffed, or it could get loose wasn’t a knife that we didn’t like. and shoot down the table or over We were all proud and amazed it your shoulder. We also learned was so easy to make something about different tools for sanding so appealing and useful. And my and buffing. outdoorsmen at home were quite Each classmate picked out a impressed! “This project produces a result that different type of wood. I learned —Sharon Hume people will have a hard time believing Macassar ebony makes a beautiful Marketing you made.” Jody Garrett Publisher
24 woodcraft magazine | 07.07 . . . to expert tracy mickley — in a class by himself
I kept them in a drawer out of sight successful I thought I was. This is so they didn’t frighten the children. A when my fourth knife-making Zen couple of years ago, I dug a hole in the lesson came to me: I don’t like backyard, chunked these knives in, production knife making. I love to poured salt on them and covered them make knives, but only knives that I up. I am not making that up. I have the want to make, not someone else’s pictures to prove it. knife. I had a six-month backlog of My second knife-making Zen lesson orders and I loathed going into the was: Noisy, dusty, cluttered workshops shop to work on them. I couldn’t put naturally repel women, children, phone my heart into it, and it showed in my calls, TV and most of life’s everyday knives. I stopped taking commission problems. You can decide if that is orders years ago and I fell back in good or bad. It is amazing how many love with knife making. I can work hours and problems can slip away in on what I want, when I want, how I a workshop. Sometimes I find myself want. just sitting there on a stool enjoying There are still more tools to buy, my shop and wondering what I should more fancy woods to collect for I STARTED MAKING KNIVES create next. handles and more designs to draw IN MY GARAGE with a knife It took me three years to complete up. I have one more knife-making grinder — a 1-hp beast that has my first 100 knives. Then it was time Zen lesson to share with you. No a belt grinder on one side of the to attempt to sell the knives I made. matter how good I get at this, I can motor and a buffing wheel on the The first time was bittersweet. My still be better. And that makes it fun. other side. Maybe you don’t have third knife-making Zen lesson: Selling mickleyknives.com this problem, but I simply cannot something that you have created and own enough tools and when I saw worked so long and hard on isn’t easy. those two tools combined into It shocked me that I would develop one, well that just flat sold me on an emotional attachment to each and it. I also bought some cheap low- every knife I made. It pained me to sell carbon steel to practice grinding. one of them. I still form an emotional I was throwing sparks and dust opinion about every knife I construct; everywhere, and that was when it’s just that all of those emotions aren’t I learned my first Zen lesson in always positive now. Some knives you making knives: Practicing on never want to stop working on. Others something that will get thrown you just sort of quit; some knives you away doesn’t motivate me. I just want out the door. Still, every knife switched to expensive knife steel means something to me personally right then and created some of the when I finish it. most awful knives you have ever The upside to selling knives is seen. I gave away or destruction- getting a little cash back for them to tested my first 100 knives. I ran out buy more tools. It’s a wonderful circle of friends to give them to, so I even of life! After I started selling knives raffled some off for charity. For me, I was flattered that someone would it was charity to get rid of them. actually buy one. I even took orders I had knives coming out of my for knives. I thought I had made it. ears. I had some that were so bad The more orders I took, the more
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