Homemade Knife From a File

This is my first instructable so bear with me. I made this knife from an old file I bought at a yard sale.

I can't be right all the time if you know how to do something better please leave a comment below.

I'm trying to leave this as open to customization as possible so that the knife will be unique to you, so change what you want designs, size, material etc.

WHEN I WRITE LIKE THIS I AM TRYING TO HELP YOU NOT MAKE THE MISTAKES THAT I DID

DISCLAIMER: you are making a knife which will hopefully be sharp it is not my fault if you cut yourself

so here I'm going to describe a technique I learned from a friend. to get a knife edge to stay sharp you have to harden it, I do not have the tools to do that efficiently, so I use a file which is already hard but it is too brittle to work with so we temper it
place your file in the oven at 400'F for about an hour and a half

MAKE SURE TO CLEAN YOUR KNIFE BEFORE THIS STEP, I DID NOT DO THIS WITH A FARRIERS RASP AND IT FILLED THE HOUSE WITH SMOKE

The first step in making a knife is designing it. I draw mine out on paper but there are printable ones you can get for free. I like freehand because I can change the dimensions.

Trace the outline of the file on paper. then go to work. in my experience a 3 1/2 to 4in handle works best. blade length is your decision but personally I like smaller blade's

cut out your drawing or printout and place on file use a marker to outline it on the file, you might have to clean it up a little to be able to see the marker

I use an angle grinder to cut out the file shape, clamp the knife and cut small pieces off

BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERHEAT THE METAL IF YOU DO YOU'LL HAVE TO QUENCH IT LATER

using the angle grinder and a 4x36in belt sander grind the profile of the blade to shape

BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE BLADE A SMALL DARK SPOT IS FINE YOU CAN JUST GRIND IT AWAY BUT IF IT BURNS ALL THE WAY THROUGH YOU HAVE TO CUT IT OFF

useing a marker color your edge find a drill bit the same width as your file scratch a center line this is for reference later. now draw a line for your bevel this is also for reference

using the belt sander and grinder put in your bevels watch those lines

KEEP YOUR BLADE COOL BY CONSTANTLY DIPPING IN A CUP OF WATER

you can do a lot with this step you can go simple and use a nail or go fancy and order online i went to a hardware store and got some hollow spacers do what you want

this is another step you can do a lot with you can use different materials wood micarta bone antler I use some wood I had laying around

we have kept the blade hard up till now but it is difficult to drill into hardened steel, to solve this place knife blade into a fireproof container of water. useing a torch heat the blade to red hot an let air cool

measure your holes mark them and drill this is easier with a drillpress but if you don't have one just concentrate on going up an down

after all the water dipping your blade will probably be rusty clean up by placing in an old cup full of vinegar

DO NOT LEAVE IN VINEGAR FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS IT WILL BECOME PITTED AND IS VERY DIFFICULT TO FIX

this is optional after the vinegar your blade will have a dark tint you can leave this if you want. clean up by hand sanding the bevel gradually increasing grits

place knife handle on wood trace outline cut out profile making sure to stay outside the lines my wood was to thick so I cut it in half

clamp blade on wood drill holes making sure it won't wobble. switch piece and repeat

push pins through holes sand handle outline and the top of the handle because it is hard to do after glueing

this step is optional it will increase your grip and it looks cool
measure, mark, then clamp your knife. grind a small indentation then file the rest of the way

sand handle with a ruff grit against the grain. put glue on handle and pins push pins through handle and blade put glue on other piece and push on. clamp and let sit overnight

finish sanding your handle profile to shape, then hand sand gradually increasing grits

I use colonial maple 223 stain on the handle but you can use whatever you want

use whatever you can to sharpen your knife. I used a kitchen knife sharpener

here is the completed project.
please leave comment