Knife Making

In my experience, and from what I have read on wilderness preparedness, a knife is one of the most essential tools for being outdoors. While most of us hope to never put our self in a situation that would require us to survive the elements, the fact is that thousands of experienced campers and hikers get lost each year. I have decided to add a knife to my gear for future camping/hiking.

Upon searching for the perfect knife (not something that you want to skimp on) I discovered a lot of articles from people that had decided to make their own knife. Since I am a fan of designing, building, and creating I decided to take up the challenge.

Since a few people have asked me how exactly I am making my own knife I will outline the process.

First start with a bar of steel. I have chosen 5160 steel. It is a high carbon steel normally used in leaf springs for trucks/trailers. It was chosen due to its ease in heat treating and strength. On the steel you can see my knife pattern has been drawn out in permanent marker.

Due to my limited space and tools, I chose to cut out my pattern using my drill and Dremel tool. This process involves drilling holes along the perimeter of the outline and using the cutting tool to connect the dots.

From this point I use the Dremel tool, files, and sandpaper blocks to reach the final shape. After which it is time to profile the knife, or in other words shape the blade. I chose a Scandinavian/Sabre grind. It is a flat grind that does not go from the edge to the spine but rather is beveled somewhere in between. The bevel is marked with a permanent marker to help keep things uniform and then hand filed to the correct shape. This is done to both sides of the blade keeping a small edge which will be sharpened after heat treatment.

Currently I am shaping the handles and soon will be sanding out the scratches left by the files. I will continue to post updates as a go.