"RogerN" wrote in message
m...
I thought knife making would be an interesting metalworking topic. I mean
we got tools, quality metalworking, steels, heat treating, forging, and on
and on.

So if I get my shop building and have more convenient access to my
equipment, I'd like to make some quality knives. For one, I want a blade
of D2 because I hear it's almost stainless but holds an edge real well.

So if I could come up with a nice folding knife locking mechanism I could
design in CAD and machine with the CNC, I could use that design to make an
assortment of blade styles and handle styles.

One thing I noticed about knife making is that you can get a lot of money
tied up in equipment, and I always like the idea of getting more equipment
but not spending lots of dollars. I thought I could make a knife makers
grinder by using tubing in the Reese hitch size ranges, maybe using
polyurethane wheels ground true for contact wheels.

The heat treating furnaces are quite high too. Maybe get some kiln
firebrick and heat elements, fabricate a frame to hold the bricks, and use
an industrial ramping temperature controller with a solid sate relay for
temperature control. Then I can set it to soak, ramp to temperature,
hold, then switch to tempering temperature. Also it seems one of the
controllers would be great at annealing, heat, soak, let it cool at
specified rate at the critical temperatures.

Anyone here do any knife making?

RogerN


Forget the D2 for a while.
It requires 1900 deg for hardening. That is 400 deg higher than O1.
It also has a machinability of only 65 and grinding it is even tougher.
Besides, stainless is overrated. That is why there is oil.

Cobble together a decent beltgrinder and start with sheath knives in O1.
When you get that running smooth, try some folders.

Paul K. Dickman