Making a woodcarving knife?

[Ok, I posted this as a follow-up to rec.knives and got no response
so decided to copy it over here. If you want to respond cross-post
it adding rec.knives ...or I won't see it either -Alvin]

I am looking for info on what steel to use to make a woodcarving
knife.

Doggonit I've been wanting to do one of those for years!

How about I send you a blade blank with holes drilled in it and you
and your "handle buddy" do the rest?

I want to start with a blade that is 0.048" thick and 1 1/2" long
by about 3/8" to 1/2" wide. I bought one and now want to duplicate
it. I don't know anything about how to cut or grind it. In fact I
am very ignorant on the entire process. I do have a contact that
will help with the handle.

I just happen to have a brand new, power-hacksaw-blade that's full
hard (tips of teeth to back, same hardness, hard! that's .048"
thick. It's 14+1/4" long and 7/8" wide, is it wide enough?

It's an Eclispe Brand made of M2 high speed steel and made in
England if I remember right.

A guy that used to hang out here [rec.knives] sent a few to me from
Canada. He got a smokin deal on them and bought out the guy at the
swap meet, or something like that. They have a slight twist to them
and wonder if they weren't rejected or thrown out for that.

What have you been using to sharpen the wood knives you have now?

Are there sites with instructions? Sites with the proper steel?
Sites that answer the questions I don't know enough to ask?
Bob Darrah
West Linn, Oregon

Sure as anything don't know nothing about sites. :/

Alvin in AZ

I am looking for info on what steel to use to make a woodcarving
knife.
How about I send you a blade blank with holes drilled in it and you
and your "handle buddy" do the rest?

I want to start with a blade that is 0.048" thick and 1 1/2" long
by about 3/8" to 1/2" wide. I bought one and now want to duplicate
it. I don't know anything about how to cut or grind it. In fact I
am very ignorant on the entire process. I do have a contact that
will help with the handle.
Bob Darrah
West Linn, Oregon

What happened to Bob Darrah?
Did I ask for too much money?
I'm a hobby-only knife maker/fixer and experimenter...

http://www.panix.com/~alvinj

And I want to make some wood carving knives out of "file-tooth-hard"
high speed steel for someone to try out. But I don't know anybody
that carves wood and I need someone to work with me on the needs
etc. You could finish the handle yourself.

I offered this here before, about a year ago, and there were no
takers. I also would like to know if there are any wood carving
knife makers out there using high speed steel already.

Alvin in AZ

I offered this here before, about a year ago, and there were no
takers. I also would like to know if there are any wood carving
knife makers out there using high speed steel already.

Alvin in AZ

Hi Alvin, I am a woodcarving, knife maker. I use O-1, W-2 and any thing else
that I think will work. I use chair springs (serpentine) for small palm
gouges. Right now I was given a box of band saw blades to use. I will have
find out just what kind of steel they are before I start on them. If you
have any ideas of your own I wont try them out for you, and I belong to two
carving clubs that we could use for guinea pigs.

Richard,

Richard L. Rombold
WIZARD WOODWORKING
489 N. 32nd. St.
Springfield, Or .97478

http://www.PictureTrail.com/gallery/...ername=thewizz

"Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste
good with ketchup"

I offered this here before, about a year ago, and there were no
takers. I also would like to know if there are any wood carving
knife makers out there using high speed steel already.

High speed steel is my darling, so far it's been the one to beat.
HSS takes and holds an edge better than anything we ever tried!
And is the easiest to put that "extra sharp" edge on too.

Why that should have been a suprise to anyone (me included) I don't
know, after all, that's what industry uses to cut stuff with most.
It's been formulated just for that purpose. See what I mean?

It's already supplied heat treated for best edge holding too.

The only tricky part is to be sure you've got the right power
hacksaw blades that aren't the "flx back" or bi-metal but the ones
that are full hard all the way to the back... same hardness as the
points of the teeth. They are indentified by their painted
colors and scratch tests.

Anyway, I would like to get it tested by some wood carvers.

"I wish I'd had a knife like this when I started at Hormel 35 years
ago" -butcher friend of mine that I made one for, from a Nicholson
power hacksaw blade

The only thing I ask is honesty. If you blow smoke up my butt
bragging on it falsely you'll send me going in the wrong direction,
it's more like a scientific experiment to me than it is anything
else. It's a hobby at the same time.

"thinner the better, since a knife is just a wedge" but there is a
limit to that and stiffness suffers so a happy medium needs to be
found.

I use O-1, W-2 and any thing else that I think will work.

Cool. You heat treat them yourself? Do you "cold treat" too?

I have some of what's been described as Case's chrome-vanadium steel
which they called "1095-modified" in their letter to me, but usually
goes by- 50100-B, 6195, W7, or the steel manufacturer's number for
it "0170-6". (take your pick

I got it from a guy in Colorado (from the "Western Cutlery" auction).

Have you ever used old files? I had a sample tested and it turned
out to be "1.22% carbon steel". That's the way it's referred to in
the metallurgy texts, no name or number applied to it.

W1 is different somehow in its requirements or something? :/

Right now I was given a box of band saw blades to use. I will have
find out just what kind of steel they are before I start on them.
Richard,

Spark test!
and
Scratch test!

Done those yet?

I'm a weird-ass knife maker... all I care about is edge taking and
edge holding. The strength of the blade is secondary and when it
comes to stainless steel its completely out of there!

Alvin in AZ (your basic stainless steel hater

SIR wrote:
WIZARD WOODWORKING

http://www.PictureTrail.com/gallery/...ername=thewizz

That didn't come up, what's up?

Alvin

wrote:
SIR wrote:

WIZARD WOODWORKING


http://www.PictureTrail.com/gallery/...ername=thewizz


That didn't come up, what's up?

Alvin

Try again it works for me. But I did see that some of the albums were
empty??????? Will try to fill them.



Richard,

Richard L. Rombold
WIZARD WOODWORKING
489 N. 32nd. St.
Springfield, Or .97478

http://www.PictureTrail.com/gallery/...ername=thewizz

"Do not meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup"