Making a knife with basic hand tools - Pt. 2 of 3

[@patrickfreeman8816]

I used this video to make a beveling jig. Worked Fantastic! Thank you for providing DIY instructions that don't require a bandsaw, scrollsaw, lathe, planer, TIG welder, and a photon torpedo for a so-called DIY project.

[@Beerzy]

I am currently working on my first knife. I cut out a knife I liked in 1084 then put it on my TSPROF K03. Instead of using a stone I cut a bastard file down with 45 degree angles on each end and used that. The bevels came out perfect. I also used a file guide for my plunge line. So far I'm pretty happy.

[@nol1379]

One degree angle is 1/4 inch in height for 11 1/4 length from pivot point. Figure this out many moons ago, while as sophomore in high school in 1970. Verified by protracter by the drafting teacher. I was drawing out rocket trajectory thru whole flight till impact. I am now 63 and just going to watch part three to see your video, thanks for doing this way. You be a vocational teacher, great job of showing how to make your own knife and do you know out to make a ghost gun for your self.

[@planecrazyish]

Thank you so much for this video!! I want to get into basic knife making, and this is absolutely perfect for me. There can't possibly be a better, easier, more affordable way to get into this. The simplicity of this system, is pure genius. Great job !

[@wrenchmantooly5169]

I like that! Love how people can show off what works for them which helps others! Gonna make a knife out of a $200.00 cold cut saw blade that someone broke at work! Gonna make a Ulu knife and cutting board for my father who loves knives and cooking! 😀 Thanks again for the info and tips! God bless you!

[@davidkuhns8389]

OK. I have watched No 1 and No. 2. Today I went out and bought a piece of O-1 tool steel. I have made a couple knives from old files and saw blades and haven't been happy with how the blades came out. I am going to follow your process when No. 3 comes out. Can't wait.

[@Simplelittlelife]

+David Kuhns right on! I'm stoked to hear how it turns out for you! I'll hopefully get part 3 up next week. Cheers!

[@shinoobsoman9269]

You are Great..🙏🙏♥️♥️ i am an Indian

[@billscott39]

Thanks for all the help.I don't have much money, to work with on a fixed income.

[@krom26]

thanks mate. I just started in knife making and was wondering on how to get an even bevel. This is such a game changer.

[@ernestmatthews9867]

Really like the jig idea. Makes it more interesting to make a knife now

[@mdirtydogg]

Brilliant explanation. Even a dull mind such as myself could understand it. Thank you.

[@kimlinden3652]

It's like therapy. Garenteed relaxation if your doing this. I used to spend hours in my parents garage to work on very different kinds of stuff. It's a sad thing that neither my parents or I have had a garage for years anymore.

[@andrewgoldstein1606]

Nice video. Simple technique for a jig. Enjoy your videos. Thanks

[@wrightwc1]

I watched a video a while back on another channel about making a jig like this, but it seemed a lot more complicated and technical. I really like the way you presented this. I knew that is how I wanted to try to start making knives and now you have shown how simple it can really be. Thank you and I am really enjoying your channel.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Hey thanks! I really appreciate it! It really does mean a lot and I'm glad you enjoy! Cheers!

[@XxLilSwagger20xX]

Hey SLL!, I wanted to get into knife making for awhile now but it's a little complicated because I'm only 14, but your videos continue to inspire me to keep getting out there and make some blades. So thank you for inspiring me and showing me new tricks of the trade. Cheers!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Oh wow man, that's awesome! It's hearing that I'm helping someone out that makes it all worth it:) And, I love hearing young people getting into it! That is so rad! The future belongs to the young people who are willing to work with their hands and get dirty. That's what I'm convinced of. Keep up the knife making and I wish you all the success you could ask for. Cheers, Jeremy.

[@wrenchmantooly5169]

Way to go young man! There ain't nothing thatl put hair on your chest and help you learn the tools of trade like doing and teaching yourself!

[@rickykilmer1331]

Great idea. Simple and precise

[@smithcreations7200]

Thanks you so much because right now I have the tools and have made 2 knife blanks but needed a way to put a bevel on them and this helped a lot

[@Simplelittlelife]

+Smith Creations right on. Glad to give you an idea and I hope they turn out great for you. Cheers!

[@A5566z2]

Thank you very much it's helps me a lot to starting do some knife making

[@MrBrokenwrenches]

This is a brilliant solution. I can't thank you enough for making the video. This will save me so much on initial investment. Brilliant!

[@watermain48]

Great series so far. Thanks for sharing it...

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you!

[@-I-Use-Punctuation]

Fantastic

[@ashrafurrahmanahmed3666]

Only found your channel last week and already watched so many, you've been such a great help and inspired me to get into knife-making. Thank you so much for all your videos and guidance. Keep up the great work!

[@ColdFuse96]

Thanks allot! I’m just now getting into knife making, so I don’t have any fancy power tools like belt sanders, so this really saved my life with putting bevels on knives. This was really helpful!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Right on! So glad to hear that, thank you! I hope you have a blast making knives! 👍

[@huntersnoeberger7706]

Same here, I recommend picking up a cheep angle grinder for like 20-30 dollars. I use a cut off wheel to cut the shape out and a soft pad for everything else.

[@wanderingthewilderness]

good inexpensive tips. much appreciated

[@Simplelittlelife]

excellent, I'm glad they're helping you! And thanks for the kind words, much appreciated!

[@doctordev97]

If you use some plastic shrink wrap like the type used for wrapping battery cells on the tube you mount the file to it should prevent that squeaking noise while filing

[@AdrC680]

I love this video, nice suggest and you keep everything simple. Thanks

[@Simplelittlelife]

Glad you like it and you're welcome:) Cheers!

[@jamesjones8474]

I am just getting into learning how to make my own knifes. These three videos are fantastic. I do have a question, seems as if there are many different answers. Do I need to heat treat the metal if I am using an antique file or rasp? As in a ferries file or rasp. Thank you.

[@colinblankenship2401]

Thanks for sharing

[@daleparker2149]

Thanks for sharing!

[@Simplelittlelife]

+Dale Parker You're welcome. Cheers!

[@KinuGrove]

great video

[@ixamraxi]

_"you're going to have to experiment with heights to figure out the angles"_ Or you could do it with math too! Arctangent of the opposite (height) divided by the adjacent (board length) should give you the exact angle. Conversely, if you want to know what height to use for a desired angle, just take the tangent of the angle you want and multiply that times the length of your board, and that will give you the height needed to make that exact angle. tan(DesiredBevelAngle) * BoardLength = HeightNeeded or arctan(Height/Boardlength) = BevelAngle *Note* Make sure your calculator is in degree mode, else you will need to convert from radians. If you do arctan of 1 and get .78 something instead of 45, you're in radians.

[@gabrieliuszenkovas1246]

the desired height is from the top of the board?

[@gabrieliuszenkovas1246]

And shoul i use mm cm or m ?

[@ixamraxi]

Sorry for the delay in responding Gab, the unit of measure is irrelevant because the equation spits out the answer in whatever unit you used, if you input inches it outputs inches, if you input mm it outputs mm, use whatever units you're comfortable with. Besides, mm, cm, and m are the same, just move the decimal place over. :) I suppose height would ideally be measured from the blades final edge, but from the top face of the wood is certainly close enough. You could add a millimeter or so to the calculated height if you were terribly concerned about it, but the angle will not be sufficiently different to harm your edge geometry, so I wouldn't worry about it impacting your results in any meaningful way.

[@gabrieliuszenkovas1246]

Wow, really have to thank You for the info wich You have put time in and helped me a lot. :)

[@willsmith2860]

*which. also You doesn't need a capital Y. you're welcome.

[@edhogue7943]

That was a great & simple jig thank's

[@Simplelittlelife]

You're welcome. Cheers!

[@lightweightprepperuk9027]

The bevel angle maker is so simple but ingenious

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thanks! I can't take credit for designing it, there are lots of guys that I saw this from but it does work well so might as well pass it along. Cheers!

[@giacomobattisti7943]

Thanks a lot man for these super usefull tips! i had all these tools (even some more) but i didn't know how to really use them! Now i'm really inspirated!

[@DaniPita5]

thanks for this video.

[@Simplelittlelife]

+Daniel Pita You're welcome! Cheers!

[@booshwaa2]

I've wanted to make a knife for awhile. great video. it makes me want too make a knife.

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thanks. You totally should!

[@thetrantulacavern3497]

+Simple Little Life what type of metal do you use?

[@thetrantulacavern3497]

+Simple Little Life to make the nife ?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Leo Ramirez I use O-1 tool steel. Cheers!

[@ferencicc87]

Great. Thanks dude!!!

[@Ziyaadoo]

awesome video boet...watched part 3 1st wished i watched this before hand. You have inspired me to go and try to Make a knife of my own. Ziyaad from South Africa!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Oh sweet! Glad you found it useful and I hope you do give knife making a try! It's a lot of fun!

[@RickRabjohn]

I love it! Thanks for sharing..cheers!

[@TheMultisportGeek]

When your finished with the first side, how do you set up side 2 so that the plunge line lines up?

[@ConstructIcon]

Dude! I just got a chance to check out a bunch of your vids. Very well done, interesting & informative! I recent forged a couple of knives & the hardest part for me was the beveling. I'm going to give this a try. Keep up the great work!

[@jonnyd8603]

Great video man looking forward to the next part!

[@Simplelittlelife]

+Jonny D Thank you!

[@Pleumel]

Thank you so.. so.. much man!

[@magnuschristensen1837]

Im going to make this👍👍

[@DaveIngelson]

Great video! I'm just getting started and will try this method. What thickness is the steel you typically use for your knives?

[@ollierieger2055]

I'm a new subscriber! I find knife making so cool but I am to young to do it. I don't have access to and I can't but tools. Please keep making videos on knife making!😀

[@bigfish5419]

Thank you

[@Simplelittlelife]

+Big fish You're welcome!

[@tylernewcomb4509]

How is it possible that you create a video that has 0 dislikes!? Great job, thank you for the clear explanation and awesome attitude towards knife making. when will part 3 be coming?

[@tylernewcomb4509]

Nevermind I feel stupid haha. Thanks again though!

[@Simplelittlelife]

I'm not sure....weird. Maybe the counter for dislikes is broken...sshhhh! Sorry, it did take me a while to get the last video up but, better late than never I suppose. Cheers!

[@OutsideAndStuff]

Another great video! Super simple to understand the process and see the results in action. How do you determine the angle of the bevel? Is it something that you pick up over time? I'm guessing if you know the width of the steel then you can roughly estimate the desired angle? Thanks again, looking forward to part three!

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you very much! Yeah, the angle of the blade is a little bit trial and error, but there are a few tips that can get you really close when you're starting. I'll go over that in the 3rd video that I'm going to start shooting today. Cheers!

[@OutsideAndStuff]

Thanks! Looking forward to it. :)

[@VigilantProvider]

It could also be calculated as a triangle, with the three points being the edge of the board where your knife will be, the point on the base board directly beneath the eye that's holding your jig, and the point where your jig contacts the eye. If you plot these three points on a triangle, the angle at the end of the board will be very close to what the finished angle on that side of your bevel will be (relative to the center line of the blade). Hope I understood your question right.

[@BestVapeReviews]

Great job! Subscribed and liked!

[@Simplelittlelife]

+Richard Fryou thank you very much! Cheers!

[@FALpwn]

a mill file cuts in both directions.

[@chilemad]

Awesome videos!! Very inspiring. What is the best stock material for the knifes?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thanks! Handle material depends on preference but I like to use synthetics because they're so tough. Stuff like G10 and Micarta. Looks good and take a lot of abuse. Cheers!

[@abdrahmanabdullah3113]

brilliant

[@swarozyc6451]

Great job ! I subscribed and liked ! You are incredable craftsmen. Greeting from Mississauga.

[@chrisgomez2094]

Ok. So....what would you say a good "go-to" angle for an EDC knife? I love this video but my first knife came out extremely inconsistent because I didn't know what angle to shoot for. Much appreciated to anyone that can help a newbie!

[@leifcarlson1310]

I have the same question!!

[@aidenbob3594]

thanks

[@melvinbach8949]

where did You buy your o1 steel

[@kyriacosdavis7781]

Is there a certain length the wood and pipe has to be?

[@shock_wave0114]

How long of a board did you use and where do you get your o1 tool steel?

[@richardk6695]

Very cool even though gough custom posted it before

[@Simplelittlelife]

+Richard Kirby Thanks. Yeah he does a fancier job of his, but pretty much the exact same concept. Cheers!

[@-I-Use-Punctuation]

Thinking of making a dagger utilizing a filling jig, is it possible??

[@oathkeeper926]

I would put something like a plastic/metal spacer over that screw...maybe something that rolls with the file...if not your file is going to cut into stop/plunge screw and slowly work the plunge line back towards the tang

[@sudo_nym]

No, you make sure the blind edge (no teeth) of the file is up against the stop screw.

[@SternClub]

@simplelittlelife i want to get into knife making and i was wonder what is the best type of steel to use and where do you get it from

[@SupComRaiden2]

I don't know how many eye hooks you put in by hand but just as a heads up you can make a simple tool to drive them in with an impact gun easily. Get a socket that you don't care about or is garbage and cut two grooves in it that fit around the eye hook. Obviously it ruins the socket but once you twist in more than two eye hooks by hand it's worth having.

[@starng6648]

Thanks for the video! could you please tell me how long your piece of wood is

[@Simplelittlelife]

+Star Ng yes indeed. I just went out and measured and the wood is 25 1/2" long and the rod that I used is 30 1/2" long. I didn't measure either of them when making it, they just ended up that length. As long as the rod is long enough to get a full stroke of your file you'll be good. Cheers!

[@donaldroybal275]

What's is the best steel to used as a beginner. I understand my knives at first are not going look the best.

[@lukesticklen6955]

I would recommend starting with a piece of 1075 or 1080. Easy to work with and to heat treat. Heat to non magnetic and quench in canola oil followed by 2 temper cycles in a standard oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 hours. Take it out and let it cool to the touch and then put it in for another 2 hours at the same temperature. Then good to go. Jeremy does videos on this also. The more you Google the more you will learn so much out there. Good luck. Can also use truck spring steel as well and treat the same

[@dantesmith4833]

Excellent work, but l didn t see a device to Hilda the knife into place so that it stsays in place while filing it

[@rasmusvestergaard7573]

Hey SLL I wonder if i can use UHB20C steel which is almost the same as 1095 because where i live i can't find any shops selling 01 steel. I have made 3 knives already from a sawblade so i have decided to get some proper steel. I am very inspired by you and really think your videos are inspiring to watch. I am gonna make this file jig for my up comming knife projects. Keep up the good work Cheers from a 14 year old Danish knifemaker

[@erfanhayati1069]

thanks man thats was reaaly great! I have a Question due : can i co half way with angle grinder and put a rough bevel and finished it with the file jig? that way I dont spend many time filing and I get a clean bevel too! is that possibble?

[@checkarpeat]

Erfan Hayati I tried both filing it all the way and starting with the angle grinder, if you have a steady hand you could definitely use the angle grinder. But I think the result was a tiny bit better when I filed it all the way by hand. Hope I could help

[@LocustxXxLocust]

Now this is more like it. No angel grinders or big machine drills. I could start today, if I actually could afford any tools.

[@Mason-fp6iy]

+Simple Little Life Where do you get your steel from? Your vids are awesome keep up the great work!

[@raykemry954]

Rub dry bar soap on threads of eye screw it will thread in like butter.

[@luisermert]

does the back and forth thing with the file also apply when working with wood?

[@kimgrandalen161]

Where did you get that non-slip mat you use on your workbench? I need one! 😀 Love your channel!

[@ModifiedAmerican]

How does one measure tofind the angle they need to bevel a knife? I’m wanting to get a 22 degree angle, but how do I find that specific angle?

[@frankEDC]

Rly nice man u watched many of those Videos but all the Others building Something Like a T shape but i dont know why haha

[@jamesmueller1029]

Would a screw eye that is close to the rod's size ( diameter) give you more control ?

[@Simplelittlelife]

yes it would. Less slop. Just make sure that it allows the range of movement need to make the size of blade you want to make. Good point. Cheers!

[@JTD19881369]

also... i need to ask what files you use? I got a Nicholson set as a gift it has an 8 inch mill a 10 inch mill and a more agressive half round one... the mills don't seem to remove stock that quickly the steel I'm working on may need to be annealed though... it seems to have harder bits

[@Simplelittlelife]

+JTD19881369 Nicholson are great files. Mill is usually what I do the final filing as it gives a nicer finish, and cross-cut files and more aggressive files are really good for rough-hogging the material off. Maybe a little annealing would help. It couldn't hurt anyway. Cheers!

[@Nanchi]

do you have a video on how to make a knife beveling jig for grinders I have a 1x 30 and a 1 x 42

[@thetrantulacavern3497]

what type of metal do you use to make a knife?

[@Simplelittlelife]

I use O-1 tool steel. Cheers!

[@thetrantulacavern3497]

+Simple Little Life thanks!

[@xrtglobalinc.4705]

Where can I get the metal and for how much?

[@terryhall393]

I maybe over thinking but how do you know where to set the ig up to get the right angle or is angle not that big of a deal

[@petergoestohollywood382]

"Pythagoras" Do some quick calculations and you spare yourself hours of finding out the best way by try and error. You know the bladethickness, you know how broad you want your bevel. That and maybe some calculator is all you need. If you put in a ringhook with a longer thread, you can adjust the angle easy by screwing it up or down.

[@JTD19881369]

got my blade beveled!.... how ever didn't make a jig... i used a flat work bench some clamps and a wooden dowel.. the file was sitting on the dowel and I used it like a roller... i call it the pre wheel bevel jig.. anyway.. its done and now it's time for heat treating.... can I heat treat in a BBQ grill?

[@Simplelittlelife]

+JTD19881369 Right on! Nice work pal. That sounds like a cool way to make the bevel. The thing I really like is you found a way to get it done. That's the biggest things with putting up videos, is I want people to make sure that they don't let not have exactly what I have or am talking about before starting. Nice ingenuity! I think yo might something with a little more heart than a BBQ though. You cold give it a try, but I don't think the flame will be as hot as it needs to be. Basically you want the steel hot to the point that it's not magnetic. O-1 that happens at 1414 degrees F (or somewhere right around that). You can use a small propane torch for soldering and even better is those little bottle touches that are will with brazing fuel. Those get nice and hot. Cheers!

[@JTD19881369]

+Simple Little Life I was thinking about jamming the blade into my chimney started with a bunch of coals and hooking up the blow dryer to the bottom and making like a blast furnace... I'll update if it works I'm grilling tonight anyway.. quench in canola? I have some canola left.. also lots of used motor oil if that stuff works?

[@Simplelittlelife]

JTD19881369 sounds good. I'm interested to hear how it works for you. The chimney would work well. I use canola oil because it has s lower viscosity (it's thinner) and I think it keeps better contact with a hot blade, which helps cool the blade better. I forget some of the other reasons for canola oil, but when I was getting into knife making I did a bunch of research and did find that it was really good option, and quite a bit getter than motor oil. Cheers.

[@hmingthanacolney2974]

How do you index the knife when you are working on the other side?

[@niallkeane3794]

What steel will you use and we're can I buy it i still don't think normal steel from the hardware store is good but steel could all be the same help me out please

[@rodrigoteresa7944]

Henry The dog I think he gets it from Knifemaker.ca His carbon steel he uses is O1 tool steel His stainless steel is 154CM His high-end stainless is CPM 154

[@james3181]

would a Bench grinder work as well

[@ssahinaaltay]

Hı it would be enough if the length of the metal bar is 1 times the length of the file, right, sir, thanks.

[@zachariahrussell2490]

how long did it take you from start to finish to file the bevel on?

[@Simplelittlelife]

If I remember correctly it was about 45 mins each side. Cheers!

[@dylanstrickland546]

Where would be a good place to get the steel and all that would home depot be a good place

[@cankeco]

great vids, why O1?

[@Simplelittlelife]

Thank you. It’s a great steel and especially for those just getting into knife making.

[@cankeco]

@@Simplelittlelife but why? Some say 1084, and I got too much 1095 which is touchy I'm learning.

[@Simplelittlelife]

They’re all good but I find O-1 to be the easiest to heat treat and the most consistent in the HT process. Some say that 1095 is a bad beginner steel. I use all of them and I will always recommend O-1 for beginning. Some disagree with me but I can only speak from my own experience. 👍

[@mastermachetier5594]

How do You decide the angle to use?

[@stevenstone349]

Do you have a video on making a convex blade?

[@davidaxman]

If the guide-rod were to be bent ever so slightly the result would be a convex bevel

[@dylanworkman5445]

Convex grinds will be very difficult without a power sander

[@bigdaddyhalpin4645]

I wanted to make a bushcraft knife for my self can I use steel at Home Depot yes I never make a knife be for

[@FALpwn]

Big daddy Halpin 1090 is a good beginner steel.

[@maxmustermann8192]

You could try to use a sawblade or a lawnmower blade for example.

[@elishalough5062]

What is the thickness of the O1 you use?

[@theodorebelmont2181]

You could replace the screw eyelet with two screws/nails

[@johnathanmobley6228]

just put two screws on either side of the rod to hold the one end

[@VIDEOEPPO]

I like this idea. Now I have to figure out how to use my angle grinder to make a bevel....hmmmmm!

[@jacobpahl972]

If you have a bastered file it can cut it both directions

[@jamespappas8205]

Too damn simple... wish I would have seen this last year

[@jaspertipper9649]

Don't some files cut in both directions?

[@Simplelittlelife]

No

[@brucebarnes9138]

How do you know at what angle to make the bevel

[@Simplelittlelife]

To start with I think it’s just some experimenting. Around 8 or 10 degrees and you can adjust as you’re going when you start to see how the angle is. Then after a few you get a sense for how to set it up. 👍

[@brucebarnes9138]

@@Simplelittlelife Have you ever done a single bevel like a chisel