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I've wanted to make a knife since I was a wee lad. Always had a thing for knives. My 13 yr. old told me he wanted to make one, so off we went. I finished my first one this week. Made the knife and sheath. First time doing leather work. Fun, but getting an even dye job is an art unto itself. Next up will be a throwing knife, which is what my boy wants to make.

The blade started life as a 1-1/2x12x3/16 steel bar Handle is Iron wood I cut from a turning blank I bought at Woodcraft.

Steven I am a want-to-be knife collector. I do not have any talent for building them but I have bought a few custom knifes over the years. That is a fine looking knife and it looks to be workable too.

Thanks. The blade looks a little shorter than it is. Bad angle with the tilt of the knife resting on the sheath . It's wicked sharp. Took me a bit of time to figure that out and I probably ground off an 1/8" getting that right. Once I figured out the sharpening, no knife in the house was safe. My father in-law came over with a bag of his hunting knives.

I have never been a big fan of double sided blades but they do look nice. I found out the hard way it is easy to cut the top of the scabbard if you are not careful. Still that is a real nice knife and the leather work looks very nice also.

Steven, I agree that knife making can become an addiction or at worst a terrible habit. My good friend Horst Muller got me started and his son has turned out to be one of South Africa's premier knife maker. If you google Gunther Muller knives you will see his work, and his Dad, Horst does the leather work. Both are outstanding craftsman. Waiting period for a GM knife is close onto 2 years.
I must say your first attempt is very impressive, Gunther seals his wooden handles with super glue and then buffs to finish, that way the moisture penetration is greatly reduced.
I have made 2 knives so far, both Loveless type Drop point Hunters, one with an Afromosia wooden handle "old Zambian fencepost" and the 2nd with Giraffe bone handle. Both knives are used extensively, in the kitchen and for dressing game. I have a third one in progress about 75% done, just deciding, do I fit Hippo tusk or Wild Olive handle.

Pictures Dave............please

Hey gents, what steel are you using and where are you getting it please.

It isn't actually double edged. I had an Oops the first time I touched the steel to the grinder. I had to grind in the top bevel to fix that. But, It actually was needed as the blade is really too thick for a knife this size.




Dave. I found links to some pics of his work but not his website. Do you have a link?

The steel for this knife came from Amazon. It's actually sourced from Texas KnifeMakers supply . It is 1080c. I also got some 1095 in 1/8" thickness.

Awesome job. I've always wanted to learn how to do that.

Hi Steven, the website for Gunther is, guntermllr.wixsite.com/knives. I think you will enjoy some of his work.
Your leather work is outstanding. A lot of Gunther's knives have Buffalo leather sheaths, mostly because it is readily available. I also seem to think he has used Ostrich skin as well which makes a beautiful pouch. You chaps have "Gator" skin available which I like very much. I keep my knives in the Texas Knifemakers black bags when not in use, as the chemicals used in tanning the hides used for sheaths pit and discolor the blades. I would suggest you only put your knife in the sheath when you intend to use it and remove it when not in use.
Fuzz, I will post pictures of what I have done, I also haven't forgotten to post a picture of the removable hubs for my boat trailer that you expressed interest in.

Nice little knife that, Steven.

I bought some steel (can't remember the grade but it was recommended) and was going to make a little MapGas forge to do some knife making. Problem is that my workshop is in "Wood and Motorcycle mode" at the moment so sparks from hammering and grinding wouldn't be good with all the fine sawdust, and petrol fumes.

bigyellowtractor wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2017 2:21 am Problem is that my workshop is in "Wood and Motorcycle mode" at the moment so sparks from hammering and grinding wouldn't be good with all the fine sawdust, and petrol fumes.

yes, but it would be exciting!

Thanks for the info on the steel Steven. Appreciated.

DAVE LUDICK wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2017 1:17 am Fuzz, I will post pictures of what I have done, I also haven't forgotten to post a picture of the removable hubs for my boat trailer that you expressed interest in.

Thanks Dave