To be specific, I largely use hand tools to make my knives. The exception to this "rule" and the only powered tools that I currently own, are a Dremel tool, a carbidizer and a drill press. The rest are all muscle-powered. So, this means hacksaws, files, sandpaper, etc.
Yet, I am stubborn enough to work not in steel and wood, but in titanium, carbonfiber, G10 and ceramic. Some would argue that this perhaps is not particularly smart... I'm not sure I disagree. I do however, commonly joke about this and refer to my work as "Space age materials and iron age tools."
This is not entirely hyperbole either.
Now, to give you an idea of how a knife like this goes together, I've compiled a few pictures of a recent build of one of my designs. This is a variation on the Interdictum that I've shown here in the past, and this particular variation is known as the "Interdictum Variant-W".
It's a custom design job for a particular customer, thus the variant "name".
This is how the knife starts after I cut out the blank from a sheet of titanium with a hacksaw and refine the profile with files and the Dremel. The stippling you see is part of the aggressive texturing I use to ensure a good bond between the various parts that go into making the laminate. You'll see more of this approach with the other parts.
This is after laminating the titanium with carbon fiber and cutting in the rough bevels with files. I sometimes also use G10 or G11 instead of carbon fiber.
The parts for the final knife all assembled. You can see here the extensive surface preparation that I use to ensure a good bond between the parts. In this case, the handle scales are G10 and the pins are carbon fiber.
And the almost completely finished knife. This is to the point where it just needs minor clean-up and removal of deeper scratches and carbidizing. For all intents and purposes, this is the final form of the knife.
And here is the knife in the sheath. I generally try to make my sheaths as slim and unobtrusive as possible. This particular sheath will likely be carried inside the waistband.
This is how the knife starts after I cut out the blank from a sheet of titanium with a hacksaw and refine the profile with files and the Dremel. The stippling you see is part of the aggressive texturing I use to ensure a good bond between the various parts that go into making the laminate. You'll see more of this approach with the other parts.
This is after laminating the titanium with carbon fiber and cutting in the rough bevels with files. I sometimes also use G10 or G11 instead of carbon fiber. 
The parts for the final knife all assembled. You can see here the extensive surface preparation that I use to ensure a good bond between the parts. In this case, the handle scales are G10 and the pins are carbon fiber. 
And the almost completely finished knife. This is to the point where it just needs minor clean-up and removal of deeper scratches and carbidizing. For all intents and purposes, this is the final form of the knife. 
And here is the knife in the sheath. I generally try to make my sheaths as slim and unobtrusive as possible. This particular sheath will likely be carried inside the waistband. And there you have it, folks. A bit of insight into what goes into a knife that I make. I hope you enjoyed this look into the "secrets" of knifemaking.
Cool step-by-step.
ReplyDeleteGotta ask - what kind of drill press do you have? Do the China Cheapies suffice for these types of materials?
As they say, "use good bits and go real slow!"
My drill press is a 50 dollar Harbor Freight unit that I picked up... 3 years ago or so. And really, titanium is relatively soft, so as long as your bits are sharp, they go through just fine. I do use a cutting lubricant to help things along.
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