Knife Making: From Bent Sawblade to Chefknive

Sawblades are a cheap soure of knife metall,
pre hardened at 43-44 rockwell.
No heat treatment needed!

Take a angle grinder and cut out the rough knive profile.
You can do that with a plasma cutter or a bandsaw
but a angle grinder will work just fine.

For grinding the knife profile you can take the anglegrinder.
After profiling clean the surfaces (anglegrinder or beltgrinder if you have one).
I build my 2x72 beltgrinder for this type of work.

If youre sawblade is bent give her a cupple of slabs with the hammer.
I took a 5x2cm steelbar as a die.
The hammermarks will be left so the knive looks like forged!

Gratulations!
Youre knife becomes a form.
Now take a sharpie and mark the bottom of the bevel
and scratch a grindline.
If the sawblade you have is 5mm thick take a 5mm drillbit.
The thickness of the drillbit to make the mark have to be the same of the knife!
Half of the drillbit = centermark of youre knife!

Now you start to grind the bevel.
I grind with my beltgrinder
and a selfmade beveljig.
If you dont have one thats absolutly fine!
Take a file with a jig and the work will be done.
Grind until the line you have made with the drillbit before.
Leave about 0,5mm to get good results after sharpening the knife.

Now you are done with the bevel.
Go and grab the good old vinegar heat it up and leave the knife for 30 minutes in the hot vinegar.
That gives the knife a good patina and it works like a protection for the blade!

For making the 2 holes of the handlepins you can take a drill.
If you have a drillpres its accurat and better.
The advantage of a drillpress is that you have perfect centred holes.
Drill both holes.
Take youre handle material ( i took olive wood )
and fix the knife with the holes to it
so you can drill in the exact correct holes!

To cut out the handle i took a small saw(picture).
You can file it if you dont have one and
just cut out the rough profile.
After the glueup you shape all together.

It is verry importand that the surfaces of youre handlematerial are flat with the knifesurface.
Take a compoundglue (transparent ist the best choice) and glue up the knifehandle.
If you drilled 3mm holes the pins should be a thou smaler so they fit smooth.
I took a 3mm brass rod and grind a small amount down with the angle grinder.

Clap everything together and clean the glue from the blade.
If you leave the glue on the blade you will be have to struggle with cleaning.
Leave the glueup for 24 hours.

After 24 hours you can take the clamps of and start to shape the knifehandle.
I took my beltgrinder but a file will do the work to.
Clamp the knife with care and protection and start to shape the handle.
After giving the shape take finer sandpaper every time you sand the handle.
I sand it up to 400 grit

Now youre done with the most work!
Go and sharpen youre kitchennife.
That can be done with sharpening stones, file and jig
Or like i did with my beltgrinder and a 1000 grit belt.
Start with one side until you feel a burr on the other side.
Then turn to the other side untill you feel the other burr on the opposite site!
Take that burr of with leather or paperwheels untill the blade becomes sharp.
Oil the handle for protection and a shining look.

Sorry for my english i am a German...:)

If you have any questions or corrections please let me know!
Good luck