Show us something you made.

[Camhead64]

My crappy TIG welding titanium. Since then changed to 3D printed Ti lugs. I'd have posted more except that frame has my full name on it. There's a few aircraft I built with my father but even nose art makes them identifiable so this is as good as it gets.

Not a bad weld, tight radius to work with. I've been around stainless steel my entire career but only a couple of titanium bits so not familiar, do you back purge the Ti during welding? The Ti printed lugs are that much cheaper than your welding?

 

[Shinyribs]

I drug this sad looking thing that I have absolutely zero use for out of the woods awhile back after watching it rot in place for the past thirty years.

Decided to "restore" it. Had a few oak offcuts from the sawmill. The tiger stripe oak on the legs turned out nice looking.

Turns out it's a corn stalk fodder cutter. Made to chop stalks up for livestock feed. Top tray is supposed to be a three-sided trough, but I've got no use for a fodder cutter, so...well, it's an end table now. 😁

 

[Shinyribs]

Very nice.

One thing.... I'd want to do something to disable that blade so that children can't hurt themselves.

The top tray is cut shorter than it's supposed to be if it were usable. It sits about 1.5" from the blade now, so even if you put a finger in there it couldn't get pinched.

It is basically a mini guillotine tho 😬

 

[Danno]

I drug this sad looking thing that I have absolutely zero use for out of the woods awhile back after watching it rot in place for the past thirty years.

Decided to "restore" it. Had a few oak offcuts from the sawmill. The tiger stripe oak on the legs turned out nice looking.

Nice wood and project. Our cull pile is full of these kind of pieces. I cant believe what we toss in drops, slabs and edger pieces. I saved some beam drops last week..3"x10"x24" I could at least use for cribbing. When we dead pack the dry cypress we have great drops. All tossed anything under 8ft is junk or cull.

 

[Shinyribs]

Guillotine... That's what I was thinking. Large enough for other body parts.

You're not wrong. I'm the only child in our house, so I promised to be safe playing with it 😁

 

[RockyDS]

Knife and sheath making is an off season hobby for me as work around my property keeps me busy in the summer when I'm not riding. So, here's a couple of knives I just finished.

I made this one for a friend.

And I made this one for my private collection, mainly because my wife told me to stop giving away my best knives. lol.

It's a hobby so my knives are functional, not works of art.

 

[Camhead64]

Your knives and sheaths are great, are they forged? Be interesting to see different stages of manufacture.

 

[DJ_MI]

Knife and sheath making is an off season hobby for me as work around my property keeps me busy in the summer when I'm not riding. So, here's a couple of knives I just finished.

I made this one for a friend.

And I made this one for my private collection, mainly because my wife told me to stop giving away my best knives. lol.

It's a hobby so my knives are functional, not works of art.

Very nice! 👍👍

 

[RockyDS]

Your knives and sheaths are great, are they forged? Be interesting to see different stages of manufacture.

I make them in various ways. I started off adding handles to blades I bought and making sheaths for them. Since then I either forge from scrap metal such as leaf springs and railroad spikes or whatever I get hold of and grind to the finished shape or grind to shape without forging.

Some examples ...

Made from an old wrench.


Forging a bowie.


Leaf springs make good blades.


Currently working on a Seax.

The blade is forged from a piece of leaf spring and I've started to grind it to the final shape.
Next will be heat treating and tempering, add a handle and make a sheath.

Some of my equipment.

 

[RockyDS]

Be interesting to see different stages of manufacture.

Forging a knife ...

Start with an old railroad spike.


Fire up the forge.


Heat and beat.


Grind.


Before and after.


Add a handle.


Make a sheath.


Stand back and admire your handywork.

 

[MVI]

I make them in various ways. I started off adding handles to blades I bought and making sheaths for them. Since then I either forge from scrap metal such as leaf springs and railroad spikes or whatever I get hold of and grind to the finished shape or grind to shape without forging.

Some examples ...

Made from an old wrench.


Forging a bowie.


Leaf springs make good blades.


Currently working on a Seax.

The blade is forged from a piece of leaf spring and I've started to grind it to the final shape.
Next will be heat treating and tempering, add a handle and make a sheath.

Some of my equipment.

Where is the etsy website to order ? Killer Job !

 

[RockyDS]

Where is the etsy website to order ? Killer Job !

I'm too old and grumpy to go into business, so it's just a hobby.

 

[DJ_MI]

Forging a knife ...

Start with an old railroad spike.


Fire up the forge.


Heat and beat.


Grind.


Before and after.


Add a handle.


Make a sheath.


Stand back and admire your handywork.

That’s really impressive. How long have you been making knives?

 

[Camhead64]

Nice Rocky, despite your earlier comment you are an artist. Much admired. I'm jealous, I have the creativity of a stump.

 

[RockyDS]

That’s really impressive. How long have you been making knives?

Thanks.

I started in 2018 when I bought some blades. I had a stack of antler from hunting and thought some of it would make nice handles. My wife worked at the local library back then and brought some knife making books home for me to read. That was just so I'd do a decent job on the handles but of course the books covered all aspects of knife making, which got me more interested in the entire process. Then in 2019 I bought my small forge and anvil and started forging. At the time one of my sons was working as a heavy duty mechanic so leaf springs were easy to come by. They make good knives as it's high carbon steel.

I found a couple of railroad spikes on an abandoned rail line here and made the first two railroad spike knives from them. I gave one to a friend who then gave me some railroad spikes that he had and I still have some of them to work on. It's not the best steel as the carbon content is low but they can make decent enough knives, the idea being to retain some element of the original spike.

I've also made knives from bed frame steel, wrenches and steel salvaged from other knives - but I've yet to try damascus. I'm trying to have a go at different types of knife that interest me, rather than specialize in one type. Same with handles and I want to try stacked leather, possibly on the seax that I'm making. I might try a kukri after that. And there's always room for another bowie in my collection.

 

[RockyDS]

Nice Rocky, despite your earlier comment you are an artist. Much admired. I'm jealous, I have the creativity of a stump.

Some have worked out okay, others not so much. I was happy with this railroad spike knife when I made it about 5 years ago but I'd do a better job now, I like to think.

Not mine, but this is a nice example.

 

[DJ_MI]

Thanks.

I started in 2018 when I bought some blades. I had a stack of antler from hunting and thought some of it would make nice handles. My wife worked at the local library back then and brought some knife making books home for me to read. That was just so I'd do a decent job on the handles but of course the books covered all aspects of knife making, which got me more interested in the entire process. Then in 2019 I bought my small forge and anvil and started forging. At the time one of my sons was working as a heavy duty mechanic so leaf springs were easy to come by. They make good knives as it's high carbon steel.

I found a couple of railroad spikes on an abandoned rail line here and made the first two railroad spike knives from them. I gave one to a friend who then gave me some railroad spikes that he had and I still have some of them to work on. It's not the best steel as the carbon content is low but they can make decent enough knives, the idea being to retain some element of the original spike.

I've also made knives from bed frame steel, wrenches and steel salvaged from other knives - but I've yet to try damascus. I'm trying to have a go at different types of knife that interest me, rather than specialize in one type. Same with handles and I want to try stacked leather, possibly on the seax that I'm making. I might try a kukri after that. And there's always room for another bowie in my collection.

Very cool story. Judging by the knife you posted yesterday I was guessing that you’ve been doing it much longer. 👍

Some have worked out okay, others not so much. I was happy with this railroad spike knife when I made it about 5 years ago but I'd do a better job now, I like to think.

I’m sure it’s rewarding to look back on your earlier knives and see your progress. I really like that early knife and how you can still see some of the shape of the spike.

I don’t know how the spike supply is in your area but if you need any let me know. There’s an abandoned rail yard not far from me where there’s all sorts of old rail parts littering the ground. I’d be happy to collect a few and send them to you.

 

[RockyDS]

I don’t know how the spike supply is in your area but if you need any let me know. There’s an abandoned rail yard not far from me where there’s all sorts of old rail parts littering the ground. I’d be happy to collect a few and send them to you.

That's a very generous offer but with the weight of steel would be pretty expensive shipping to Alberta. I don't have a shortage of metal tbh but antler is a different issue. We have some very prohibitive rules on the purchase and sale of antler to contend with and buying commercially is ridiculously expensive. Hopefully I'll find some sheds to tide me over and meantime it's down to leather and wood or the commercial alternatives, which are also not cheap and I really try to make rather than buy.

Thanks again for the offer though, much appreciated!

 

[MVI]

Some have worked out okay, others not so much. I was happy with this railroad spike knife when I made it about 5 years ago but I'd do a better job now, I like to think.

curious, Have you tried Drill bits ? or is that about as same as leaf springs ?

 

[RockyDS]

curious, Have you tried Drill bits ? or is that about as same as leaf springs ?

No, I haven't tried anything with drill bits but it would be good steel for sure.

That's a nice 'Layered Damascas' blade. The stacking and layering gives it the pattern he shows at the end. I don't have a power hammer or press so forging drill bits like he did at the start would likely be impossible for me working by hand!

I wasn't impressed with his handle tbh! lol.

I noticed he's cut metal from a circular saw blade.

He likely used that for blades as it's also a good source of high carbon steel. I did the same thing for the steel I used to make a folding knife ...