How to Make Knives From Sawblades

Both beginning and professional knife makers can use saw blades to make quality knives. Although some professional knife makers disparage the use of saw blades and other recycled materials as junk, these same makers have no problem buying a pre-tempered bar of 01 or W-2 tool steel, which is exactly the same thing. Stock removal techniques work best when using pre-tempered steel such as saw blades.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Saw blade of your choice
• Blade profile images
• Black permanent marker
• Bench vise
• Wrap-around eye protection and full leathers
• Right angle grinder with cutoff wheel
• 24 and 80-grit and wire wheels
• Coffee can full of water
• Power drill with bit, same diameter as intended knife tang
• Gray metal epoxy
• 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick scrap lumber pieces
• Your choice of hand wood saw
• Belt sander with 80 and 120-grit belts
• Carnauba wax
• Rubber cement
• Electrical tape
• Parachute cord or leather scraps

1. Match your chosen blade profile. Sample blade profiles are available in "Graphics for Making Knives From Saw Blades," in the Resources section of this article (Resource 1). Knife maker David Boye also has a variety of knife profiles pictured in the July/August 1978 issue of Mother Earth News (Reference 1). Use a sawmill or power hacksaw blade to make bush knives, machetes or Bowies. Use a reciprocating saw blade, such as Sawz-all(R) for a paring, utility or small skinning knife. Circular saw blades can be used to make an "ulu," or throwing knife.

2. Draw your chosen knife profile on the saw blade with a black permanent marker.

3. Lock your saw blade into a bench vise. Don wrap-around eye protection and full leathers. Cut the blade profile using a right angle grinder with a cutoff wheel. Keep the blade cool with water to prevent metal fatigue due to heat stress.

4. Use a right angle grinder with 24-grit and 80-grit wheels in that order to grind all surfaces and bevels. Make a 30-degree included angle on your blade's cutting edge. Finish all surfaces with a wire wheel to create a brushed finish or apply gun bluing, as desired.

5. Create your handle. Use a hollowed deer antler, hoof or other animal bone to make a hidden-tang knife handle. Bore the tang slot into one end of your bone, hoof or antler using a bit the same diameter as your blade thickness. Angle your drill bit to create the correct slot width, as shown Figure B in "Graphics for Making Knives From Saw Blades" in the Resources section of this article.

6. Fill handle slot with gray metal epoxy. Press the knife tang into handle. Allow to dry 24 hours. Sand or buff handle, as desired.

7. Make a full-tang knife handle by wrapping it with leather strips or parachute cord, with or without wood pieces. Cut your chosen scrap wood pieces with any available hand wood saw. Apply gray metal epoxy to handle and to the wood pieces. Press into place. Allow epoxy to cure 24 hours.

8. Sand to a comfortable grip. Apply rubber cement to handle.

Tips & Warnings

• Knife maker David Boye believes, "The perfect knife blade should be hard so that it won't become dented and scratched, tough enough so it won't bend or break, and wear-resistant enough to hold a good edge. If the blade is too hard and too wear resistant, of course, it'll be difficult to sharpen. Use some judgment. The perfect blade should also be made of stainless steel so it won't darken or rust (Reference 1)."
• I Forge Iron has a chart suggesting uses for junk yard and railroad steels (Reference 2).
• Sousa Corporation has a chart listing the properties of tool steel. According to Sousa, 01 tool steel is fairly tough, heats easily, is safe to harden, is machinable and resists deformation (Reference 3).
• Always wear wrap-around eye protection and full leathers when hammering, grinding or polishing steel.

References

• David Boye: How to Make a Hunting Knife
• I Forge Iron: BP0002 Junk Yard and Railroad Steels
• Properties of Tool Steel

Resources

• Graphics for Making Knives From Saw Blades