{"id":33666,"date":"2013-07-18T21:36:47","date_gmt":"2013-07-19T02:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.artofmanliness.com\/?p=33666"},"modified":"2021-09-25T23:11:18","modified_gmt":"2021-09-26T04:11:18","slug":"how-to-make-a-knife-from-an-old-saw-blade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.artofmanliness.com\/featured\/how-to-make-a-knife-from-an-old-saw-blade\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Make a Knife from an Old Saw Blade"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Homemade<\/a><\/p>\n

Making a knife is a satisfying project on a number of levels. You\u2019re creating a fundamental tool — one of the first tools ever made — and every time you pick it up, you\u2019ll think, \u201cWow, I made this with my own hands.\u201d And because you\u2019re making the knife, you\u2019ll be able to adjust its shape to fit your specific needs. The trickiest part of making a knife is the blade. If you have a forge handy<\/a>, and can get your hands on some good tool steel, that\u2019s great. If you don\u2019t, you can still make a knife using an old Appalachian trick: recycling. That\u2019s what we\u2019ll do in this project.<\/p>\n

Old saw blades are almost always made from high quality steel. You can find them in abundance at swap meets, garage sales, rummage sales, etc. The biggest advantage of using an old saw is the lack of metallurgy you need to do. The blade is already the right hardness for holding an edge, so you don\u2019t need to treat the steel to make it a good knife. However, blanks cut from the saw are sometimes a little too flexible, but you can work around (or with) it.<\/p>\n

The steel in this handmade knife will not be super-hard. This is not ideal because your knife will lose its edge quickly if you try to hack through wood, slice cardboard, or use it as a screwdriver. But, the good thing about softer steel is that you can bring it back to a razor-sharp edge with a few strokes of a sharpening stone<\/a>. I actually prefer softer steel as I like a keen edge, and I carry a small sharpening stone with me. If you can shave your arm hair, your knife is sharp enough.<\/p>\n

A knife can take many different forms and styles. In this project, we\u2019re going to make what\u2019s called a full-tang knife, meaning that the blade extends its full length into the handgrip of the knife. A partial tang extends only partially into the handle. A full-tang knife is, in my opinion, the easiest way to start making knives. It also produces a solid, sturdy knife that is less likely to break off at the handle.
\n\"Knife<\/p>\n

Be nice to your knife and it will serve you well.<\/p>\n

Materials List<\/strong><\/h3>\n