How to make the grooves on a knife with an angle grinder

Handmade decorative knife

Making a decorative knife with your own hands is a fascinating activity. You can choose the form and size and make an exclusive design. Such a knife will become an original gift or decorate your interior. Decorative knife without sharpening is not a cold weapon, regardless of the shape, length of the blade or the presence of a brush stop, so you can safely get to work and let your imagination run wild.

Decorative knife

Before you get down to work, I strongly recommend that you read the article “Fundamentals of Techniques for Working with Sheet Metal,” which covers basic skills and techniques that will surely be helpful to you.

Decorative knife by your own hands: materials and tools

Our knife will not be in aggressive conditions, so ordinary cold-rolled sheet steel with thickness of 3 mm will do. Polished to a shiny finish it will not rust.

Decide on the size and shape of your future knife first. Draw the shape first on heavy paper, cut it out and then trace it on a sheet of metal.

Cut your blade with the angle grinder along the lines, go over it a few at a time without pressing too hard, going deeper step by step.

Be careful: the thickness of 3mm is quite dense, so it is difficult to cut through the metal.

Make sure the cutting wheel doesn’t jam as you go deeper into the channels, especially in curves. The disc can break into pieces and cause injury. For the same reason, I recommend using a face mask rather than goggles to protect your face.

Even if you hit the contour lines you drew with a felt tip pen perfectly, as you go deeper into the metal the cut may go sideways. In this case with the help of grinding wheel of “stone” type restore the necessary 90 degrees between the plane and the cut of the workpiece. Then use the same disc to remove the sharp edge on all sides.

Now you need to make a “descent”. a section. where the blade goes to the tip. Locate the edge yourself and mark it with a felt-tip pen. To make it as flat as possible, measure the distance on both sides from the edge to the line at several points and adjust the trimmer line if necessary.

With the disc “stone” remove the metal layer in the marked area. The closer to the edge, the more pressure, the weaker the line, but do not touch the trimmer line itself. Don’t try to get a flat escapement now, at first it will be a little rounded. Hold the angle grinder parallel to the workpiece and move it forward and backward, so you can see the angle of removal and control the process. The sides should be worked on one at a time.

Now use the petal disc to remove the top layer over the entire surface of the blade. This is done for the color uniformity and so you can better see the angle between the blade’s main plane and the escapement. Use the paddle blade to bring the escapement to the desired shape, making it straight without any roundness. The edge should be clear and sharp. Hold and move the angle grinder along the blade.

Now let’s make the handle. Decide on its length, then take a board about 1 cm thick, trace the contour of the blade. Cut out the shape that you see. Tip: Only cut straight, then use an angle grinder with a flap wheel to trim the blade. Because the handle will be in 2 parts, repeat the operation 2 times.

The next stage is to polish the blade. Smooth out any irregularities with the petal disc, without pressing hard so as not to damage the shape of the escapement. Then remove the remaining bevel after the flap wheel with sandpaper. You can use a drill bit that has sandpaper attached to it, but I polished by hand. If you polish yourself, put a cloth or rags in several layers under the emery cloth. Next, remove the risks with coarser grit sandpaper. The rules say that you must use sandpaper of all grit levels (up to 1800), but I had enough of two. At this stage the blade of the knife should shine. But there are still some small marks on it.

Now, using a drill, a special felt drill bit and polishing paste, give the blade a final shine and remove any traces of sandpaper.

For the knife to have its full shape there should be a brush rest between the blade and the handle. It is usually about 5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, but it is up to you. Draw the outline of the future stop on a sheet of metal and cut it out.

You can smooth out the edges of the stop with a petal disc, like I did. You can leave it at 90 degrees, but trim the edge anyway so it’s not sharp.

Measure the widest point on the part of the blank for the knife, where the handle will be located. At the resulting length, drill holes in the workpiece for the brushstop, strictly on the same line. Use a drill with a 3 mm bit, make the holes as close together as possible. Finish the holes with a file to put the stop on the knife blank.

You can bend the stop blank slightly with a pair of pliers. Slide the brushstop onto the knife blank and weld it at several points.

Attach the halves of the handle to the knife with electrical tape or superglue. Drill rivet holes all the way through the handle.

Types of bone handles

A bone knife is made of three kinds of materials. Here’s a list of them:

Depending on the kind of animal, the price of the materials for making a boning knife also increases.

Handles made of animal material can be simple in shape and reinforced at both ends with metal parts (rivets or overlays).

Varieties

Slavic tribes believed in gods and worshipped them. Bone knives were used for extracting “energy”, killing beasts and rituals. Knives were male and female. They differed from each other by shape and methods of use.

Man’s

A man’s knife was used for attacking. Men were considered to be the patron of Perun, the lord of lightning. Weapons had the function of “attacking,” “drawing,” and “exorcism”.

Men drew symbols that gave them protection from evil forces. Swastikas, kutas, and pentagrams were used as symbols.

Women’s

Women’s bone knives were worn as amulets and used for protection. Power they took from the earth. It was believed that the “woman’s” tool stored in itself vital energy and removed any kind of spells.

A woman’s knife was used:

  • for cutting medicinal herbs;
  • to cut threads in handicrafts;
  • of the day to remove spoilage;
  • For protection against evil forces and ghosts;
  • for healing.

Bone knife.

Making knives

The first thing to start with is to decide on the shape of the knife and draw a sketch. Something like this:

We take the workpiece, transfer the contour of the blade on it and cut it out with a hacksaw or angle grinder. Next, the blade must be cleaned of scale and any irregularities. It’s especially good to clean the places where no metal is going to be extracted, around the shank and the bolster. Before bringing out the chamfer you need to mark the axial line for the blade trimmer along the future cutting edge, from the heel of the blade to the tip. To see it better, you need to paint the rk with a black marker and scratch the line for the trimmer. Then we make the chamfers. There are many ways: file, angle grinder, emery board, belt grinders, grinder.

I use an emery wheel with an ordinary circle on one side and a plate-shaped end with a hole in the center on the other.

Basing the chamfers is the most laborious and responsible work, you should not try to do everything at once, postpone some of the work to another day. The fact is that this moment is very important and intense, you get tired quickly and mistakes appear, which sometimes cannot be corrected. the blade is spoiled and everything is all over again. That’s why you need a rest and a fresh head. Do not press the workpiece too hard against the stone, it will make pits and overheat the metal. Let the workpiece cool down more often in water. Make sure the metal is symmetrically stripped on both sides, following the centerline on the ridge.

The following device is very useful: a motor, on the axis of which a circle with “velcro” is fixed. By changing abrasives of different numbers, polishing and grinding wheels, you can quickly clean the workpiece, grind and polish. On the other side of the motor axis is a diamond wheel, a very useful thing.

After extracting the chamfers, start making the bolster. For this knife, the bolster will be a piece of brass. Mark the future slot for the blade on a suitable piece of brass and drill a series of holes. The diameter of the drill for this purpose should be 1,5-2 mm. less than the thickness of the blade in the area of the bolster. If the bolster is made of a thin plate of 2-3 mm., then we can make the kerf with a circle cutter. After drilling the holes we drill the dividers between the holes with the same drill bit. Then we straighten and adjust the groove for the blade with nails.

This operation is also very important and responsible, the quality of adjustment of the bolster to the blade is immediately evident, and it shows the level of skill, so you should not hurry, do everything neatly and carefully, try it on the blade more often. There are many variants of mutual positioning of bolster and blade, it all depends on type of handle. Most often, for the bolster you need to change the geometry of the heel of the blade. On this blade the heel of the blade has been ground a little.

The groove on the bolster and top is turned with a dremel, a cut-off wheel, with a device like this:

You don’t have to braze the bolster to the blade, many don’t do it, in my opinion it’s better to braze it. For soldering you need a soldering iron. a piece of copper with a handle. The bigger the iron you want to solder, the bigger must be the soldering iron. You need a heat source to heat up the soldering iron. You can use a blowtorch, gas torch, gas stove, campfire, etc. е. There’s a lot of options. One condition. the soldering iron must be well heated. I use either a gasoline torch or a gas stove. You can use PIC solder or food-grade tin. Tin is stronger than solder and doesn’t oxidize as much.

Soldering acid is also needed for soldering. It is possible to prepare it at home. You need hydrochloric acid (HCl) and zinc (Zn). You can get zinc from a dead battery, a regular round battery. Disassemble the battery, remove the top layer of tin, cardboard gasket and get to the zinc cup, a dark gray color. Zinc can easily be cut into pieces with a knife and dropped into the acid. Per 100 g. Approximately zinc from two large batteries is needed. When zinc dissolves in acid. you can start soldering. Dissolve the zinc in the acid in the open air. the reaction goes with the emission of heat and hydrogen, smoking near the jar is not recommended.

Soldering begins with examination of blade in the place of landing bolster, this place we smear with acid, on the soldering iron tip take a little of solder and touch the soldering iron to the soldering point. Good quality soldering is only possible with good heating of the soldered parts. Move the soldering iron along the soldered area. There should be an even coating of solder. Add solder and acid as needed. After soldering, smooth out the surface a little with a knife or file, removing the excess. We put the bolster in place, having first smeared acid on the inside. Having aligned the bolster we put solder on the soldering iron and heat the place of connection of the bolster with the blade well. If the bolster is big, the heat of the soldering iron may not be enough for good heating, in such a case, you need to heat the bolster itself in the flame of the burner. When the solder will flow and fill all gaps. you can stop heating.

Let’s mark the place of a hole for the shank. There are many ways to make a hole for the shank. I do as follows: with a drill 4 mm. I drill a hole by the length of the shank. Then I use the jigsaw file to get the hole to the right size. The operation takes 10-15 minutes.

How to make a folding knife with your own hands

I have been making knives for a long time and with pleasure. One of my favorite kinds is called “Cro-Magnon”. This is a great folding cutting tool for everyday use. Its dimensions are such that the blade fits easily into a lighter. plus it has a strong cut.

Once a good friend approached me with a request to make something like a photoreport, which would clearly demonstrate the main stages of work on the folding knife “Kromagnonz”. I agreed. I do not know if this material fits the definition of “master class”, but I am used to keeping my word. I hope for the indulgence of the readers and offer to get acquainted with what has turned out.

Materials for making folding knife Blade. 62x19x2,2 mm. Used Austrian high-carbon steel K110Directional, concave, 0.1directional cut.The blades are 2mm titanium, 0.15mm, elk antler

Photo In case I have to cut blades from the hardened strip, I make a billet with a reserve to the size I need, at least 5 mm on leave from cutting with a angle grinder. In doing this, I place the cutting edge at the end of the bar so that it is not necessary to temper the metal in its area afterwards. Photo I drill a hole in the resulting part and cut out the strip on which the liner (blade holding mechanism) will be set. I try on, if everything fits the sketch. Attention! As a stopper element, I use the stainless steel screw M3.

Photo I put on “make-up” and cut through the lock. Photo I pre-check the stroke of the blade. The lock should not go in more than 0.5 mm at this stage: it picks up a little. and that’s enough. If necessary, it is always possible to sharpen it in the future.

Important ! “I recommend to shoot the mechanism with the washer between the blade and the die, to avoid unpleasant surprises during the usage.

Photo and I mount the mounting part for the second strip. Ideally the thickness of the backing plate should be equal to the thickness of the blade with a couple of washers.

Photo-9. I put the second blade and cut a clip in it. Checking the stroke of the blade again. If all goes well, I sharpen the chamfers (this is much easier to do with a handle).

I suggest. It is desirable to lead out the cutting edge before the chamfers are ready, because in this case it is less probable that the metal on the edge itself will overheat

If I have to cut blades from the hardened strip, I make a 5 mm minimum allowance to the size I need as a result of cutting with the angle grinder.

I put some semblance of gloss on the knife, give it a more civilized look and polish it.

On a side noteFolding knife requires special care. After finishing your work it has to be thoroughly cleaned, first of all it is the folding mechanism.

To get the blade in perfect condition, it is placed in a special detergent solution and with the help of appropriate devices, all details are cleaned. It is much easier to do it when the knife is in its disassembled state.

Photos 1 and 2. I insert the ball in the lock before fastening the pads. I drill, press and see what the edge points are.

On the heel side of the blade I make a small bevel to prevent the ball from catching the blade when closing (its stroke when closing will be noticeably softer). Then we put the pad and make the knife look as we want it to look.

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Water-cooled sharpening machine or electric grinder?

Sometimes our customers while choosing a sharpening machine for sharpening tools (chisels, knives or lathes) face the problem of what to choose: electric or water cooled grinder?

✋ In this article we will try to tell you which machine tool is used for what operations and how not to be disappointed in your choice.

The electric sharpener is a multipurpose machine for sharpening almost any tool, from knives to drills. Sharpening is done with abrasive wheels of aluminium oxide, silicon carbide or diamond wheels.

Machines of this type have motors with high speed, usually more than 2000 rpm, so that the material is removed very quickly.

The main problem when sharpening tools on a sharpening machine is overheating of the cutting edge. The easiest way to sharpen gradually, periodically lowering the workpiece into water to cool it, but even with this technique, you can burn the edge of the tool.

Also, since there are no additional stops and fixtures, it is quite problematic to maintain the sharpening angle. Grinding quality even with fine-grained grinding wheels (8, 12, 16) leaves much to be desired, and after the sharpening itself, it is necessary to finish and polish.

For most jobs, a bench grinder will be the best option, but if you need a high-quality sharpening, you should pay attention to a water-cooled sharpening machine.

These machines have a large number of auxiliary devices with which it is possible to exactly maintain the grinding angle. Machines of this type are often taken in carpenter shops for sharpening planer knives, chisels and lathe cutters.

It is impossible to overheat the cutting edge like on the electric grinder, because there is a tray under the grinding stone, where water is poured to cool it, and the sharpening process itself is carried out in a humid environment.

Water-cooled machines have low-speed motors, the speed of the grinding stone ranges from 90 to 250 rpm. In addition to the function of sharpening tools in the machines is the possibility to polish, the kit includes a wheel of leather and polishing paste.

The main problem of the machine is the speed of grinding, because of the small speed the material is removed slowly. If you need to change the angle of the planer knife or make the flats on the knife, you should use a table grinder or an angle grinder and use this sharpening machine for finishing.

To summarize, if you need a grinder for not very precise work in a garage or cottage. Take electric grinder and probably different grinding discs.

If you are involved in the manufacture of knives, lathe work or woodcarving and it is important to you that the tool cuts perfectly. Look at the water-cooled sharpening machine.

On our site MOSSklad.We propose you to get acquainted with the following models of electric and household sharpening machines, as well as water-cooled sharpening machines. See the machine in action in our showrooms and near Moscow.

Work progress

Once the chamfer is removed, you can begin to make the chamfers on the workpiece. It’s easy to do: The machine operator swings the roughing-off wheel carefully toward the shank. According to some reports, the contact points of the disc leave a clearly visible mark on the surface, making it easy for the craftsman to follow the movement of the stone. Since the chamfer boundary is visible, the homemaker will know exactly where to stop. Next, near the heel of the knife, it is necessary to make the beginning of the descent. To do this, you need to cross the end surface of the stone with the cylindrical one, gently bringing the disc to the line. The machining surface must be perpendicular to the cutting edge. If you look from above, then if the work is done correctly, the disk will be turned vertically to the plane of the knife. A stone with a cylindrical surface will allow you to observe this: the cylinder, when rolling along the workpiece, will point vertically. If there is a deflection, the disk will be on the edge, which the master will feel at once and stop the work. Otherwise, it is possible to make unnecessary grooves in the workpiece, which is undesirable.

Judging by the reviews, many cutters try to make their work as easy as possible. For this purpose, various additional devices are created. As the main mechanical “helper” of such a specialist is a sharpening machine. The tool is equipped with a motor, and the work is done by means of the stone. The escapement can be applied to the workpiece simply by holding it in your hands.

It is sufficient to drive back and forth along the sharpening wheel. The edge of the stone must be perpendicular to the workpiece surface. However, in such a case, there is no guarantee that the angle along the entire cutting edge will be the same. It is possible that your hands will get tired holding the workpiece and the trigger will be out of alignment. This can be prevented by using a special technical device. It is made from a steel plate, a piece of angle, and a clamp. The plate will be used as a platform on which to place the workpiece. It is held against the angle to prevent it from sliding. With such a device the width of the chamfer is adjusted. To do this, simply turn the screw of the clamp by changing the angle of the plate.

About making it by hand

This method is mainly used by specialists who know how to “feel” the steel and know when to stop. Working with a file “by eye”. The workpiece is firmly fixed on a flat surface. Then use the file to begin chamfering at the right angle. Judging by the reviews, this method is tedious and time-consuming.

About the manual production

This method is resorted to mainly by specialists who know how to “feel” the steel and know when to stop. Work with a file “by eye”. The workpiece is firmly fixed on a flat surface. Then they start chamfering with a file at the right angle. Judging by the reviews, this method is tedious and long.

Familiarity with the element

Despite the fact that the production of a self-made knife is a rather labor-intensive process, this does not stop domestic craftsmen. There may be several reasons for this. It is mainly the desire to satisfy their creativity. Use improvised materials to make a mower blade of your choice. Judging by the reviews, homemade products are almost as good as the factory ones. In addition, you can significantly save money. However, making a knife at home involves a clear observance of the rules, namely, the home handyman will have to observe the sequence of actions. According to experts, one of the important phases of production is the design of descents. These elements are made by milling flat blanks and are very important in the construction of the blade, as they provide its stabbing and cutting properties. How to make the chamfer on the knife? What kind of tools are needed for this purpose?? Read more on how to make the smoothness of the chamfer on the knife for beginners.

Methods

For those who do not know how to make the escapement on the blade of the knife, it can be recommended to use one of three ways. According to experts, the most common tool for this task is an abrasive machine. This technique is mainly used by beginners. The second method is considered more complicated. with the use of an angle grinder (angle grinder). The third is practiced by experienced craftsmen who “feel” the metal and can practically do without additional technical devices.

Before you make the escapement on the knife, you should acquire the following tools:

  • Blank for the blade. According to numerous reviews, not bad knives are made of blades from old mechanical saws. Since this material is cheap, in case of its damage the workpiece will not be pitiful to throw away, and the beginner has the opportunity to practice working with an angle grinder before making the descent on a knife from more expensive raw materials.
  • The template from cardboard of the future knife.
  • Angle grinder (aka angle grinder). On it a thick abrasive wheel of 125 mm is installed. It is usually used for scraping and deburring work.
  • Vise. Make sure they are firmly fixed on the workbench.
  • Screw clamp.
  • An elbow or a piece of pipe with a square cross-section.
  • A bowl of water.

How to make the chamfer on the emery wheel

Sharpening machine, also quite often used for making the chamfers. The machine consists of an electric motor and a sharpening stone. The principle is quite simple. Many hobbyists of knife making often use special devices for exact angle of descent. There are no special secrets in such a case. It is necessary to hold the workpiece strictly perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the sharpening stone. And again do not forget to cool the future blade. For such a holding of the blade various adaptations are made.

The escapement on the emery board.

As an example, one way. An iron plate is used as a platform on which to lay the workpiece. To prevent it from slipping, it is pressed against the angle. The whole structure is held by the screw clamp and is placed perpendicular to the stone. And if you need to change the angle, you just need to move the clamp and that’s it. And the workpiece itself will need to be slowly led along the circle according to a given angle.

Some masters use the “angle grinder” as a rough draft, and then use such a machine to bring it to perfection.

Getting ready for work

At the preparatory stage you should think over the shape of the blade and the handle. These details should be shown on the drawing of the future product. Mark on the sketch also the method of their fastening. Professional file dagger making involves the use of iron forging in the forge.

This ensures the strength of the metal, giving it elasticity, allows you to remove excess thickness by flattening the steel by hammering, and speeds up the process of making the stylet, reducing the time required for its subsequent processing. In the absence of forging equipment and special skills you can make a good self-made knife and without forging. Its quality will not be inferior to those made by an experienced blacksmith if you select a real Soviet file.

To check if the steel is alloyed or hardened, simply place the piece on the edge of the table and hit the tail end of the piece with a hammer. It should not break, but bend slightly.

Also, to determine the quality of the metal will allow processing on the sharpening machine. ordinary steel will have many long bundles of sparks, and high-alloyed steel will form a lush sheaf of sparks of small length.

Read also: Wiring diagram of the washing machine

The first step in making a knife with your own hands is firing. The heating of the metal gives it the malleability necessary for machining. Therefore, it is impossible to make a file knife without heat treatment.