Homemade Knife: Make One Easily

A homemade knife can be yours today. Simple tools and methods can make an old fashioned knife in no time.

To start, you’ve got to get your hands on an old hand saw. They are still readily available if you look around.

Don’t be looking for the ones in good shape. They will likely be too expensive. Look for the ones with broken handles and a little rust (not pitted), they’ll work just fine.

They should only cost from $1-$5 and will eventually produce a dozen old fashioned knives or more. They should be at least 30 years old in order to get the good high-carbon steel you’re looking for.

Cleaning up the saw first and removing the handle will get you ready to go to work. Just take a little fine sandpaper to the steel to remove rust.

The knives made from saw steel will be thin, tough and flexible, just what you want for great kitchen knives. The tempered steel will create a fine old fashioned knife.

In order to preserve the temper in the steel, it’s best not to heat it to any degree when it’s cut, thereby eliminating torch cutting. You will need to cut out your old fashioned knife blanks by a mechanical method.

Once cut, you can work the steel on a bench grinder or belt sander to work out the flaws from the cutting process. This will result in a shiny piece of steel that’s beginning to resemble a homemade knife.

You will now need to anneal (soften) the steel at three points in the handle area of your knife blank. This has to be done so you can drill holes through the tough steel for the rivets to hold on your wooden handle.

The next step to making an old fashioned knife is to attach the wooden handle slabs. This can be done with a combination of epoxy glue and rivets.

Rivets are available from knife making supply stores, but I just like to make mine from copper or brass round stock. It just seems more authentic on a homemade knife.

The final step requires skill and patience. You will need to go back to your grinder or belt sander and put an edge on your nearly finished homemade knife.

Slow even passes on the machine are what makes for perfect edges. Use very little pressure and try to keep a steady angle all the way across. If you feel the metal getting too hot, douse it in water to cool it.

With the right touch it should be only minutes before you have a homemade knife that should give you good service and last for decades.

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