Homemade all the way

[Inadv]

I started to post this one last night, but when I went to upload the photos I realized that they were just not good enough to see anything of my subject for all of the glare. My BlackBerry doesn't do well and somethings I can't even fix with Adobe.

Anyway here is the sawzall knife. The blade was cut from an Irwin 1.8mm bi-metal sawzall blade (part# 372614 at Lowes for $2.98). I had already cut the teeth off with my rotary tool when I read the post that CarlT made regarding the hardening of these things in manufacture, and that only the actual cutting area is treated. I went ahead and fashioned a piece of found wood (maple) handle rather than using my good exotic stock and epoxied the blade in place, then did the final shaping of both blade and handle. It sharpened up nicely with a file, in fact so nicely that I felt certain that it would not be worth the time I'd spent.

I then proceeded with a walking stick woodspirit, and carved the entire face without need to hone the blade. It still made a cross-grain cut on my basswood test block leaving it shiny and smooth. Surprise! Maybe it won't last beyond several good honings, but at least it will be an OK bench knife if all else fails. The handle also turned out to be very comfortable in my 3XL hand. The blade which was an attempt to follow the Wharncliffe profile looks more like a chip carving blade, and I may even try it for that purpose at some point. I've still got enough of the original sawzall blade to make another one, but will likely save that for after the big move coming up.

Comments and critiques are appreciated!

L.P.

[Ron T]

Oh, you've gotten the bug bad. Still, it's a good bug. Great job on the knife and handle. Fun isn't it.

[Robert Cahill]

Very nice looking knive I am assuming from your post there was no heat treatment involved. I am intimidated by heat treatment but have a couple old sawzall blades (sears brand) and may try one

[Inadv]

Ron and Robert,

Thanks for the compliments!!

Yeah, I'd say I do have the bug in a big way, but then I've always had it for making my own tools and knives in particular. It's just recently since getting bitten really badly with the carving bug that I started making knives for that purpose. I've been making sheath knives (from kits) for years now, and still enjoy doing that too. To answer Robert's quandary, no I haven't gotten into the heat treatment (tempering)... Yet. We will be moving in about two weeks to Murphy NC and there is a large folk art school there that offers classes in blacksmithing, forging, metal working, and such. I'm hoping to take a few courses as they offer big discounts for residents of the area, plus I'm sure that I could get some senior citizen consideration as well. That would be really sweet!! I love the sound of a hammer smacking down on an anvil!

L.P.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Another winner Inadv!! Heat treating and tempering also intimadates me, don't know why but it does?? Have fun.

Dave

[Grayhorn]

Inadv, Sounds good that you about to locate where you can attend the folk art courses. No matter how much one reads it neveris the same as doing it. Have fun and learn lots. That is a nice looking knife. Like the finger groves.

[SeaLeveler]

Good looking knife there LP.That's some good looking country you're moving to.
Tony

[Clifford_Parker]

Yep, you are hooked now! Once you start making your own blades to go with making your own handles it only gets worse! Soon no file, saw, or leafspring will be safe.

[Inadv]

Dave and Alan,

Thanks for the compliments. The tempering doesn't scare me as much as not knowing exactly how to go about it. I fully understand the science of it having worked in a machine shop for 17+ years, but the how is what stops me from doing it. Hopefully I'll be able to get past that pretty soon as I'm itching to learn tempering and forging in addition to doing some metal sculpting. One of the classes at the John Camphell Folk Art School also includes the building of a forge that the student takes home with him at the end of the course... Now how cool is that? That would get set up outside of course, but there is a little shed already in place to set up in. I've got pieces of steel that I've carried around for years just waiting for me to be able to do something with it.

Tony and Cliff,

Thank you two as well for the good words! It's all nice up here in the Blue Ridge. I've been living within a few mile of the Parkway for about 20 years now. I miss coastal Georgia where I grew up and still have major cravings for food that slept in the ocean the night before. Where we're moving is right in the corner of NC. Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky are just a hop and a skip away. South Carolina isn't too awful far off either. The big plus is that I'll have room for a little carving workshop that will be out of the elements in a basement.

L.P.