Stock Removal Knifemaking
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A rewarding hobby that makes for excellent gifts
This project began when I inherited an old, beat-up belt sander from my great uncle. Some of the electronics were messed up, so I took everything apart, repaired some connections, and got to work.
I traced my design onto the sheet and drilled out all my handle pin holes and my sharpening choils.
I used a stamp set to personalize the gifts and distinguish my work.
I then polished the blanks with the belt grinder and used epoxy to glue the handles on, with brass pins to hold it all together. I clamped them and let them cure overnight.
After some research, I decided to use 1084 carbon steel for my blades because of its relatively easy heat treatment process.
I then used an angle grinder to cut out my blanks and shaped the general blade profile on the belt sander. I also had to fashion a spindle sander out of the drill press because the belt sander was too large to reach the curves of the handle.
Next I heat treated the knives by heating the steel until nonmagnetic and quenching in oil, followed by a tempering step in the oven.
Next I unclamped and shaped the handles but I had to return to Atlanta for the Fall 2026 semester, putting the project on pause.
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