Home Made Tools

[rollinson]

Hi All;

Just out of curiosity, I wondered how many of you have made your own tools? Also, I wondered if anyone has tried to paton their tools?

Ken Rollinson
Metis Carver
www.geocities.com/shamiward

[Eddy-Smiles]

I've made a couple of knives out of old bandsaw baldes but I don't really have the resources to make any chisels or gouges. It took me some learning curve on the knives. I couldn't get the tempering down right and at first I made them too brittle to work with. I also prefer to make my own handles. It doesn't seem like my paws fit most of the handles that come with the commercial knives that I've bought. When I find a blade that I really like I cut it out of the original handle and carve a new one that fits exactly to the countours of my hand.

[dart]

I have made knives and xacto type blades from saw blades that work really well. I've made lathe tools from old files along with the handles for them. I can't heat treat them correctly so I grind them very slowly so I can keep the original temper. The older the metal is, the better it is. For me at least. I like making the tools I need and want. Fun.

[rollinson]

I work in a factory and they throw away boxes of perfectly good knives that they deem as being old, but they are so sharp you can shave with them. I take the handles off and cut the blades down to the shape I want and then make my own unique carved handles. I am very attached to my hand made tools.

Ken Rollinson
www.geocities.com/shamiward

[Thomp]

i remanufactured many planer blades, crosscut saws and files, into hunting knives, that were no better than prizon shanks,
but one was an old black Steel bake-o-lite handled bread knife it was 15 inches long and i have made several carving knives out of it and still have a six inch skinner fish gutting hunting knife that i love,
the knife was a chathoochi i think, but it was hard as nails . and all the steel keeps an edege like an old german clock spring...

but its getting to hard to find good used high carbon steel.

in the last year i have resorted to regrinding some warren blades i was given and find them working for my needs, afteer i set them in to maple and mahogany handles like flexcut shape.
recently made a straight razor conversion into a nice carving knife its a little thick and big but makes a great roughing knife
thomas

[whitecree]

I've made almost all my own carving knives. It seems no commercially made knife quite works for me.

[rollinson]

Hi All;

I have made my carving knives from old knives I get from work. I work at a poultry factory and they have high grade surgical steel knives that when they get worn they throw out. However worn to the factory and worn to us are two different things. They are still sharp as heck. I knock the handles off and shape the blade to what I want.

I'll post some pictures of 3 knives I made and 2 adzes.

[dart]

Your handmade tools are a work of art. Super nice. You are lucky to have a supply of good steel for the blades. Are they stiff or pliable steel blades? The blades I make are pretty stiff but a little pliable too. I use any steel I can find laying around. Some are pretty good steel blades. I put them into the xacto type handles , nothing fancy at all. I like your handles and the shapes of them and the blades.

[Thomp]

beautiful fastenings and adornments in a premitive style, do you carve with them or have them for show?

just wondering cuz any type wrap i made seams not to last, even epoxy coted nylon web fails eventualy,

i have had some luck with annealed copper tubing for ferrels.

[whitecree]

Those knife handles are works of art in themselves. Very nice.