How to design a knife in Fusion 360! (Knifemaking CAD Tutorial)

In this video I show you how to design a knife from start to finish in Fusion 360! To download the knife template used in the video click here: bit.ly/3BYC1qX
If you learned something from this video and would like to help me make more like it, please consider becoming a Patron: / goughcustom
Hope you guys enjoy the video! If you have any questions let me know in the comments!
If you'd like more frequent updates come join me on Instagram: / aaron.gough
My amazing patrons helped support me while I made this video, huge thanks to:
Taylor Walker
PJ
于翔 劉
Hans Mjöberg
Nicolas Ficca
Alkas Baybas
Nick @JacobsBlades
#Fusion360 #Knifemaking #Tutorial

[@Vincere.academia]

Awesome video! You don't need the first rectangle to get the right dimensions of your reference image, you can insert the canvas, right click it in the tree and select "calibrate". Then you can adjust the scale of the canvas by clicking two points on the image and writing the distance between those points. Fusion360 will scale the whole canvas to fit those dimensions automatically. Hope this is useful!

[@GoughCustom]

Awesome bud, thanks for the tip! I had not noticed that 'calibrate' function before! Always great to learn something new!

[@leonalfaia8979]

You are going to save my semester

[@T4TUNA]

This helped me tremendously. Thank you so much for explaining F360 usage in this context!

[@proudbangladeshi99]

I just love your knives, because it don’t has any pointed tip.

[@RileyKnifeandTool]

I always like seeing how other makers use different features and techniques to get to an end goal. I'll have to watch this a few times, but you definitely showed me some tips that I need to start using. Thanks!

[@weswerblades6497]

Fantastic tutorial Aaron! I have been looking for something like this for years.

[@jammbbs1688]

This made it so much easier in skef taught and I have a job I have to make 9 knifes in 6 days and jigs for the knives to be made on plus the scales I honestly think I'm not able to do all I was asked for but I warned the client and they are nice people so they realize I'm doing my best

[@heretolearn1354]

I'm new to 3d modeling, and I just wanted to say this has been the best video showing how to use fusion!

[@alexcroteau8726]

Great Stuff Aaron! Just what I was looking for to get me going in Fusion. You've really worked this out and it shows, lots of design philosophy tidbits along the way too that got me thinking! Cheers Alex

[@Haceldama777]

Thank you for this video! I've been modeling my knives in illustrator and having someone else create the 3D models. After watching this video I'm very confident I can create my own 3D models. Again, thank you!

[@RealCoolUsername]

Great tutorial Aaron! Very clearly explained and detailed. I finally have the knowledge required to design my dream knife: the double-bladed katana.

[@GoughCustom]

Is that like one blade on each end of the handle Nic??? Sounds practical! 🤣

[@RealCoolUsername]

@@GoughCustom Precisely! Just think of the utility!

[@GoughCustom]

@@RealCoolUsername I can imagine you spinning like a hurricane slaying zombies on all sides!

[@rodym1681]

Thank you man for this video it was so helpful I really appreciate your work

[@Lurifaks707]

Thanks for this vid! I learned a lot from it!

[@Phiz787]

Thank you for this tutorial. I was able to get past something I was stuck on! Had to learn to use planes which are constructed beyond the actual geometry to make the sweeps work.

[@dougcrist9908]

Great video!! You are absolutely correct in watching your first video before this one. Your extremely fast but good of repetition. Look forward to the next step taking this to production.

[@artiombeknazaryan7542]

Awesome tutorial. It was very clear and comprehensible even for a person like me who started learning Fusion360 2 days ago ))) i'm great fan of blades and finally came to an idea to create my own. Thanks!

[@robertwilson9947]

Aaron, this is just fantastic for someone learning CAD. Thank you.

[@GoughCustom]

My pleasure! Hope it was helpful!

[@XsDVIDEOS]

You are a legend . Thank you so much

[@formosa41]

Awesome video! I imagine I'll be watching this one multiple times. I'm just starting out with all this stuff. I was gifted an older cnc so I figured I'd do something productive with it. It's a smaller mill that I may have to do some upgrades to, but works as-is. Knives seem like a good choice of what to make.

[@GoughCustom]

That's an awesome gift to receive!! Knives are a lot of fun to make, but be warned they are *not* an easy project on a CNC mill! The workholding for knives tends to be very complex compared to practically anything else you could make lol! I would recommend some simpler stuff to get started, and then get into knives once you're feeling a little more comfortable with making parts!

[@septemknives]

Thank you so much for the very detailed video.

[@НЕКРОМАМОНТ]

Good to see you back, Aaron!

[@GoughCustom]

Thanks mate! Seems like there's always too much to do and too little time!

[@nickmartin1688]

Thanks for the awesome video Aaron, it cleared up questions I hadn't even thought to ask yet. I'm now reverse engineering photos of some of my favorite knives as practice.

[@GoughCustom]

Awesome mate, that is a great way to practice!

[@IvanIsayev]

very nice tutorial! Thanx

[@chrisj4570g]

AMAZING! Ive put off modeling knives because I wasnt sure how to add the bevel. Or how to "sculpt" the scales. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

[@GoughCustom]

No worries at all Chris! Hope the video was helpful mate!

[@taraanormal]

Thank you for such a clear explanation! Subscribed and looking forward to checking out your other videos. :)

[@jeffreyryals1861]

Aaron. Thank you so much. I learned a ton with your Lego brick video. This is a great next step in the learning evolution. Bravo. Cheers.

[@GoughCustom]

You're very welcome Jeffrey! Thanks for watching!

[@markfennig7010]

Awesome video!

[@RatelLaw]

Thank you for sharing

[@sudo_nym]

I’m always pleased to see you drop a video, Aaron. Another great job dude!

[@GoughCustom]

Thanks very much mate! I hope it was helpful and thanks for watching!

[@sudo_nym]

@@GoughCustom 🤜🏻💥🤛🏻

[@russtuff]

Wow, this is fantastic. Thanks!

[@GoughCustom]

You're very welcome Russ, hope it's helpful mate!

[@sbpv-tv]

Awesome! Thanks for the great tutorial! 👍

[@GoughCustom]

You're very welcome mate, hope it was helpful!

[@dayannahkali]

That was perfect, thanks man !

[@GoughCustom]

No problem!

[@rustyanvil51]

This is a fantastic tutorial. Thank you!

[@GoughCustom]

You're very welcome mate!

[@mlopezrossi]

Dear Aaron, many many thanks, I was exceptic (afraid really) to use Fusion, you really showed in a very clear way that it is easy to work! Many many many thanks again!

[@GoughCustom]

You're very welcome mate!

[@charlesroberts9675]

Thank You, great video/instruction.

[@GoughCustom]

You're very welcome mate!

[@bibinsagaram]

Awesome video! I had some problems while designing bevel for my mini folding knife video. I used surface tool to make bevel which was super hard. This is so easy! Thanks a lot ! 👌

[@GoughCustom]

That sounds very difficult indeed! Glad I was able to be helpful!

[@Lurifaks707]

I was trying to make a bevel with chamfer function and I have been so frustrated. this video helped me a lot!

[@7knudson]

Very cool! Thank you!

[@GoughCustom]

You're very welcome Mike! Thanks for watching!

[@bootsandgear]

For the 2 rectangle lengths toggle back and forth using the tab button.

[@samotron138]

Thank you for this tutorial. Big fan.

[@GoughCustom]

Cheers Samuel! Hope it was helpful!

[@Jellooman]

Thank you!

[@GoughCustom]

You're welcome mate!

[@a61u]

You made it easy great thanks a lot 🙏

[@GoughCustom]

Glad I could be helpful mate!

[@quiltyqq]

Hey Mate, love your content, New Sub from Australia. Q

[@fartoot321]

Awesome video ... i learned a lot from you thank you i dont know how to create the toolpath and export the Gcode I am new to fusion 360.

[@Ensomulvv]

Aaron, thank you so much for this video. I design my knives in fusion and have trouble getting the bevels to look the way I envision them. Thanks brotha!

[@Ensomulvv]

And man, I can see where I’ve been doing it wrong lol. I’ve tried sweep a million times and it always has something wrong. Now I know!!! Thanks again

[@GoughCustom]

You're very welcome mate! Really glad I was able to help!

[@alexatmaja4523]

Nice....awesome...!!!

[@GoughCustom]

Thanks Alex!

[@aniballizz1026]

Aaron thanks i really apreciate your work! Can You do a vídeo about the cam for machining the bevel its a little complicate for me to get the right toolphat

[@GoughCustom]

Glad it was helpful! I will definitely keep that in mind for a future video!

[@djhorn1622]

Awesome job! I’ll let you know how I do.

[@GoughCustom]

Best of luck mate! Give me a shout if you have questions!

[@sallykoch3681]

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about your knives. They are simply gorgeous and wonderful work knives. I was wondering if you'd ever consider making a resolute or other model in a convex grind for all us Bush crafters?

[@GoughCustom]

Hey Sally! Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of zero-grind convex bevels... In my experience they tend to be fairly fragile at the edge. I do however really like convex bevels with a small secondary bevel, and I think that I will be trying that as the design for a future version of the Resolute! We will see how it performs in testing once I make a few prototypes. Thanks for the kind words! -Aaron

[@dalefavero5118]

Aaron, thank you for making your videos. I love your work and your videos are educational and entertaining. I have been trying to make your knife in fusion 360 now for 2 nights. I have copied every step, but my sweep command on the handle scale is leaving an uncut section on the very but of the handle. I have been unsuccessful at extending the sweep profile and maintaining the smooth finish. Any and all tips are appreciated, as I am a total newbie at this. Thank you for your awesome content.

[@nouveauwebsitedesign1890]

I am having the same problem. Did you find a solution?

[@EzatRamli]

Hi Aaron...i have problem to make double curve handle...in my knife making..i like tu use micarta for handle...can u make a video knife handle cad tutrial? thanks Aaron

[@GoughCustom]

I will have a think about it mate! I think there's probably 100000 ways to go about making the handles so it's a bit of a complicated topic!

[@TxRedline]

How would you print out the template?

[@mrezra1976]

with all do respect your works are great and awesome why it is not available in any store such as blade HQ and knife center ....

[@GoughCustom]

There are a few reasons: 1) Any store will take a pretty substantial part of the sale as their profit, usually at least 15% but 30% or more is not uncommon, so I would make a lot less money per knife and probably have to raise my prices. 2) I would be trusting and relying on those stores to have customer service at a level that I am happy with, and in my experience that is not always the case. I want to talk directly to my customers as it makes it more likely I will get honest feedback and be able to improve my work. 3) I already have enough demand to keep me busy so selling to places like BladeHQ would just result in them being out of stock more often and probably more unhappy people that want knives and can't buy them... Good question!

[@quartlyfabrications7850]

I already have a very set way I model my knives, but I love seeing the processes other people use. I'm curious though, why do you go through the extra faff of drawing a rectangle when you can calibrate the canvas? (Right click on canvas, calibrate, select two points and state a dimension)

[@GoughCustom]

Cheers Kane! All the extra faff was because I didn't know about the 'calibrate' function at all! 🤣Thanks for the tip!

[@quartlyfabrications7850]

@@GoughCustom that's all good! There's always gonna be new features to find with fusion (:

[@kendarr]

Thanks bud, I had issues with the fucking blade sweep for hours lol, after it, I had an issue with the mirror, it was not working, o decided to make a offset plane in the center of my model, and use it to cu the knife in half to then mirror, and it worked

[@TrPrecisionMachining]

good video

[@GoughCustom]

Thanks mate, glad you liked it!

[@davidparums6498]

This is great, thank you so much. I've managed to design a knife following your tutorial and have moved to the CAM/manufacture section of Fusion. I'm trying to contour my knife, but Fusion is only machining down to the half way line created when I mirrored my knife design. For the life of me I can't find a workaround. Is there a step where I should have flattened/merged my mirrored sections? Any help anyone could provide will be very appreciated as I'm stuck! Cheers, David

[@GoughCustom]

Hey David! When you mirrored the design did you end up with a single body for both sides of the blade, or did you end up with 2 bodies? If you have 2 bodies are they both included in the machining setup?

[@davidparums6498]

@@GoughCustom Thanks so much for your reply Aaron! Turns out I was barking up the wrong tree. It had nothing to do with the body being in 2 parts (as it wasn't), I'd mucked up some settings in another spot. I'm a bit embarrassed haha. Managed to make my first cuts in steel though. Thanks so much for your great content. Your clips have inspired me to get back into knife making. Cheers, David

[@GoughCustom]

@@davidparums6498 Nothing to be embarrassed about, CAD & CAM have an insanely steep learning curve as does machining in general! Getting your first cuts in steel is a big achievement, congratulations!! 🎉

[@user-ke7qu8jj6m]

期待您的视频

[@GoughCustom]

I hope it is helpful!

[@raymundoortiz7269]

How to get one of your knifes from Amazon?

[@LuckySlevin7]

I copied my Resolute Mk 2 a good while back in Fusion and I am using this to help make knifes with my Boy Scout group using your old technique (Files, Saws and Sandpaper) The 3D model lets me make drill pattern guides and scratch patterns for the contour on my 3d printer. Is this cool with you? I am making them anyway... but I won't publish the files I think...

[@GoughCustom]

Hey mate! Sounds like a great scouts project! That's totally fine with me as long as the files are not shared, my logo is not used, and the knives aren't sold! I am always happy for people to tackle their own personal version of my knives, I just have to make sure to protect my designs as well, I appreciate your awareness of that mate!

[@nouveauwebsitedesign1890]

Hi, this was a great video and helped a lot; in fact, it's the best. How ever, it stops short because it does not show you how then to create the toolpaths. I do not have the ability to mill blades, so I work on handle designs. I followed your video with great success but I have no idea how to mill the handle. Could you please consider doing that? NO one on KZbin shows you how to do that. I know because I've spent weeks looking for one. If you currently know of one, please send the link. I would really like to create my project and do more. Thanks

[@bootsandgear]

HIt enter not escape to get off the end of the point spline

[@wellhattedgent4253]

Great video, after watching I realized I was doing everything in the most butch way possible 😂

[@GoughCustom]

Haha that's fine, it's all a part of the learning process!!

[@danmoyer4650]

I'm following your tutorial. I have the latest version of Fusion, just updated yesterday. I'm at 9:44 in the lesson. I have Body 1 visible and I select the "Sweep" command. As soon as I do that, the Body 1 goes invisible and I can't turn it back on while in the Sweep command so I can't select edge of the blade as my Path. If I exit the Sweep command, I have to turn on the visibility of Body 1. The Sweep command turns it off. Am I doing something wrong? If so, what? If not, why is this happening?? Thanks for any help from anyone.

[@GoughCustom]

Hey Dan! Sorry for the slow response, and sorry that you're having issues! This would be the sort of situation where I would save my work and then restart Fusion (and maybe my computer) to see if it's just a glitch... Fusion is a really complex program and sometimes it gets stuck in weird states that only a relaunch/restart will fix. I don't have this happen too often, but it's good to know how to fix it when it does happen!

[@timgoffard]

I would love to get my designs realized, but have no idea how I could afford all that equipment!

[@ER-zv1nr]

Can you add the donate button to your channel ?

[@chuckthebull]

This was a great video for learning but for me coming in so green there are certain moves you made so quick (i'm sure your just used to doing automatically) i got lost in how you moved things around ..example being grabbing up the orbit tool..i had to stop and watch carefully how you got to that but then noticed the menu down below and chose that orbit icon..i feel there was some hot key for this but ???? F me where?? and this happens several times and in almost all "tutorials" where the long time users know this stuff intuitively by now but newbies just get lost and frustrated. Granted this is not a slam,, Mind you i think your vid is great but still as constructive criticism (if any one cares) paying attention to those details can help a lot of people who get lost with fission 360 and deters them from using it. then the sweep tool gave me errors (body will intersect itself) i could not figure out and got stuck at that point..and could not follow along your tutorial and had to throw in the towel.. as i went along though watching you then showed that error..so yeah it was good tutorial all told.....

[@user-rw4op1fn4q]

Fusion manufactur ?

[@GoughCustom]

Fusion 360 is made by Autodesk!

[@user-rw4op1fn4q]

@@GoughCustom When will the milling setup be in Fusion 360, please?

[@GoughCustom]

@@user-rw4op1fn4q Sorry mate, I'm not quite sure what you mean? Do you mean when I will be making a video showing how to do CNC milling?

[@user-rw4op1fn4q]

@@GoughCustom Yes . Video of CNC milling .

[@GoughCustom]

@@user-rw4op1fn4q I have done lots of videos in the past showing CNC milling in action, but not really how to set it up. I recommend checking out the NYC CNC channel as they have a lot of info on setting up milling operations in Fusion 360!

[@johnpugh655]

I’ve just viewed your beginner’s tutorial on the Lego brick which was interesting and well presented, for which I thank you. I have recently become familiar with and am now quite competent at using Fusion 360. I am a great believer in viewing tutorials by several different presenters on KZbin, it’s an excellent way of learning through the different ways you experts complete the various tasks. I am a little concerned though that you personally seem to be preoccupied with drawing dangerous looking knives, of all the otherwise useful and interesting subjects you could have selected. A knife such as this one was used to kill in innocent bystander in my otherwise peaceful region purely to steal a designer bag he was carrying and not for its contents. Do you really feel the need to teach us how to draw these, frankly you are so good at presenting and teaching that I’m sure you would have more followers by avoiding knives. I for one will not be viewing this tutorial but I will look out for more sensible subjects that you may do in the future, I have already subscribed to your channel this morning.

[@johnpugh655]

I’ve just found even more knife tutorials of yours, even ones on how to sharpen them! I can’t get my head around this I’m sorry, you really need to address this!

[@benyaminkanemu4496]

I like your explanations .May I have your email please? I would like to ask questions.

[@GoughCustom]

Hey Benyamin! I can answer simple questions via comments here on KZbin!