Knife making

Gems aren’t my only hobby (though they are my favorite). I also like knife-making. Here I will show you step-by-step how I make my knives.

#1. (Photos 1 and 2) I mark on a plate of metal the shape of the blade and “handle” (for attaching to the wooden handle). Using my Dad’s heavy-duty metal cutter (I used to use my Dremel, but the blades wore off too quickly) I cut out the rough shape of the blade.

#2. (Photo 3) I then grind the edge of the blade down to perfection using a bench grinder (also roughly sharpening it).

#3. (Photos 4,5, and 6) Then, using Dremel bits made for stones and metal I drilled two holes (for attaching to the wood) in the metal “handle”.

#4. (Photo 7) Finding a piece of maple wood in the backyard I split it in two and shaved off the bark, for the handle. 

#5. (Photo 8) I then drilled holes into the wood lined up exactly with holes in the metal. Drilling all the way through one piece of wood and halfway through the other (so as not to let holes show on that side), I then used a screwdriver (not a drill, so as not to split the wood) to screw in two small screws and a third one at the base.

#6. (Photo 9, 10, and 11) Last but definitely not least I used some sharpening stones that my Dad gave me a while back (use a belt grinder if you have one, they’re a lot quicker and just as efficient, I sure wish I had one) and sharpened the knife using three stones of different fineness (I was a little careless and accidentally cut myself, so make sure you wear gloves).

The last photo shows the finished product, and, I have to admit, this is one of the best knives I’ve made.