Steps to Make a Knife Without a Forge

I decided to make a knife but I had no way of heat treating it with a forge. I also don't have access to a metal shop, so I used whatever I had in my garage. Here are the steps I used to create the knife, enjoy.

These materials I found lying around my garage. The metal piece is called a "form strap", it is used for holding forms together when doing concrete. You can use whatever kind of metal, I would recommend using a small flat piece of metal. (less cutting and grinding)

You may also use a cutting grinder or an electric saw, it tends to make the process of cutting out the shape of the knife quicker.

For creating the design I used large graphing paper, a ruler and of course a pencil.

You want to make a design that is ideal for the size of whatever knife you tend to use.

I drew a sketch of what I had intended my knife to look like.

Choose the length and design of what you would like your knife to be and mark it with permanent marker. Be sure you make it long enough to put a handle on it.

I used a 1'' x 2'' piece of wood for my handle.

Trace the outline of which the shaft of the blade will lay.

Then use a chisel and a rubber mallet to shape out a place for the shaft to sit flush within the wood.

Cut another piece of wood about the same length as the one with your blade in it.

Conjoin them with wood glue and let sit for about 1-2 hours.

Using a band saw, cut out a general form of what you want your knife to look like. Remember that you do not want to cut it down too much because it is easy to sand down, but it isn't easy to add wood.

I recommend using a belt sander and fine grit sanding paper.

Shaping and forming your handle is the longest process, be sure to have patience. Don't get into a rush with it.

Perfection takes time.

It took me about 2 hours to finish shaping the handle to my liking.

I used some stain to bring out the texture in the handle. I also put grooves for my fingers to grasp the handle better.