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The Newbies Arena Are you new to knife making? Here is all the help you will need.

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  #1  
Old 07-09-2010, 02:00 PM
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michael_schaap michael_schaap is offline
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Knife Vise

I have seen various knife vises. One from TX looks kinda nice though $100. I was wondering if any of you have a vise that you find to be a favorite?

Michael


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What.... just take some metal, grind away anything that does not look like a knife and there you are. Whats the problem now?
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  #2  
Old 07-09-2010, 02:42 PM
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I have one of the TKS vises it was designed by Chuck Ward and IMHO is one of the best out there.I use mine almost daily.
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  #3  
Old 07-09-2010, 04:09 PM
Ed Tipton Ed Tipton is offline
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Michael....Without knowing what equipment you have to work with, it's hard to offer recommendations. For example, do you already have a good general purpose vise such as a Wilton machinist vise. I have three Wilton vises in my shop, and because of that, I made my own knife vise that works with them. My knife vise cost me about $1.00 to make, and it works just fine. On the surface, I would suggest you spend your money on a good shop vise rather than spending so much on such a simple device. You will find many times when you will need a general purpose shop vise. All you really need for a knife vise is something that will hold the knife securely without marring or scratching the blade.
Also, if you don't already have one, I highly recommend a small welder. Almost all of your tools that you will need can be fabricated quite easily if you have the general shop tools to work with.
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  #4  
Old 07-09-2010, 04:37 PM
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michael_schaap michael_schaap is offline
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I can certainly see your point. I do have a general purpose vise that I have bolted to a piece of wood. I can move it around and it has certainly proved it usefullness even though it is pretty simple. What I'm thinking of is this. Once I sell a bunch of things I plan to carve a notch out of this second bedroom where I can put a work table at. This general vise would certainly be bolted to the table. How I have been using it with knives so far is lining the jaws with heavy leather. The one at TKS looked handy but I was wondering what you guys use to decide if it would be worth the $100. I could get a drill press for $100 or a few other things. The music equipment I plan to sell will go for about $350. Simple gas forge looking around $75-90. Table... bout $50. I've got some basic equipment but I'm looking around to see what would complement to get the most bang for the buck.

At any rate I guess the question is now is the general vise good for what I'm doing now or do people find a specialized vise like at TKS usefull. One person seems to think it is very usefull and I'm looking for other opinions. Like yours

Michael


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What.... just take some metal, grind away anything that does not look like a knife and there you are. Whats the problem now?
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  #5  
Old 07-09-2010, 04:57 PM
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michael_schaap michael_schaap is offline
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Oh forgot... I've mentioned this in other threads, but I do live in an apartment. Hense why I have a vise that I bolted to a piece of wood that I can carry around. This is just totally new to me while living in an apartment I have felt that this is just beyond what I can do. This is just not true and I know that now. I've been 'waiting' for something a little more solid like a house or condo to present itself and it just does not look like it's going to happen anytime soon.

So... basically.... it's time to stop dreaming and start knife making within my means right! Exciting for me at any rate

Michael


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What.... just take some metal, grind away anything that does not look like a knife and there you are. Whats the problem now?
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  #6  
Old 07-09-2010, 06:22 PM
Ed Tipton Ed Tipton is offline
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Michael...I don't think that apartment living in and of itself is much of a deterent to making knives....with a couple of considerations.
Anvils either make beautiful music or one hell of a racket...depending upon your point of view. Grinders are both noisy and are extremely dirty. While anvils and grinders are two things you will become very familiar with, perhaps if you check around, you can find an alternative location...or maybe a balcony if you have one (for the grinder). A small propane forge, toaster oven, quenching tank, etc. are all consistant with apartment living if you open the windows.
Here is a listing of tools I would recommend for you at this time. You can decide for yourself what the priority is...but these are things that will make your hobby more fun: drill press, bench grinder, angle grinder, hand files, tongs, vise grip pliars, bench vise, belt/disc grinder, chop saw, metal cutting saw, lots of hand or paper towels, good lighting, hammers, anvil, bucket or pans, suitable substitutes.
Check out the local flea markets, garage sales, auctions, and let your friends know you're looking for stuff. It's all "out there", it's just a matter of being there at the right time.
Many a fine knife has been hammered out on a piece of railroad track, and files have put the finishing touch on many as well. This list is not meant to be "all inclusive" by any means, but it will take you a long ways down the road, and as said, it will make your hobby more fun. Few people can find enjoyment in hand finishing a knife with a file and sandpaper...but it can be done, and it will forever more be a testament to your patience and dedication...and you will value the final product. I used to know a machinist who was a remarkable man...and he had the best tool box I had ever seen. His most prized posession in that box was a 1.000" cube of mild steel that he had been required to make with a file from a 2" round bar of mild steel when he was an apprentice. That 1" cube of mild steel was not for sale. You couldn't buy it...but he was willing to part with a tool for the right price....he just wouldn't sell that cube!!!!
There are some purists who insist on doing it "the way they used to do it". For my part, I believe those old time workmen were far too smart not to use the best tools available to them in their time. If there had been angle grinders available 200 years ago, those old time smiths would have #### sure used them. They did the best they could do given their environment...and I think they'd expect the same from us if they could just tell us.

Last edited by Ed Tipton; 07-09-2010 at 06:33 PM.
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  #7  
Old 07-09-2010, 08:04 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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I have about 15 vises of various types that I use around here, I luv the darned things. A Panavise is probably the most used vise I have. As for a knife vice in particular, like many others I made my own. This one is just a piece of square tubing with two pieces of steel plate inside for jaws, the jaws have rubber glued to them. This vise rotates on it's long axis and can be locked in any position. It mounts on the Panavise base so that it can be positioned at any angle or attitude:



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  #8  
Old 07-12-2010, 07:28 PM
VaughnT VaughnT is offline
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Me and the old man built my knife vise. I liked the ones that are for sale, but they're all asking a pretty penny for them. With all the scrap in the shop, I just couldn't see buying one when I could cobble one together from the junk pile.

The key ingredient, for me, is the tongue and elevation screw. This makes soooooo much difference when working a blade!



The clamping tongue welded on..... (the lightening holes make working a knife go faster!!)



Here's a shot of the rubber-covered steel tongue that supports the length of the blade sticking out vise.



Here's the nylon screw poking out. It's there to support the very tip of the blade so you don't get any flex.



And, here's an action shot!



And, before you think you can't make it happen because you don't have a lot of cool tools, I used a my vise and a couple pairs of locking pliers for a long time.....



I put a small piece of steel under the blade, and a bit of rubber for traction. It's not ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but it sure was better than nothing.


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  #9  
Old 07-13-2010, 08:03 AM
Kostoglotov Kostoglotov is offline
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A couple of low tech and price options

for hand sanding the blade- find a peice of angle iron, glue a peice of rubber to the one leg, clamp the other leg into the vice and c clamp the knife to the leg with the rubber.

For working the handle - get a 2 X 2 (wood) and cut a slot down the middle 8" or so. insert a taped up blade and c-clamp the 2 X 2 to hold the blade. put the other end in the vice.
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  #10  
Old 07-13-2010, 08:06 AM
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Gotta love the simplicity. Great pics for newbies.
Recommendations on your square tube rig - add a second anchoring screw a few inches back from the first and cushion the foot with leather or gasket material. You won't have to put quite so much tightening pressure as youdo with just one screw and you will eliminate that every-once-in-awhile annoying "shift" that makes you nuts (figured this out pretty quick one long night). Looks like you have enough room inside the tube to add two slabs of leather lined hardwood so you can clamp the blade end securely and use the fixture for finishing up handles as well.


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  #11  
Old 07-14-2010, 09:28 PM
VaughnT VaughnT is offline
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Crex, don't know if I have room to add a second screw, but I'll take a look.

To work the handle, I remove the long tongue and simply clamp the blade between the rubber coated upper and lower jaws. I have to rotate the whole vise in the bench vise, but it works.

If you ever get a chance, mount your big bench vise to a solid iron table that weighs 900#. Talk about stable!!!


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  #12  
Old 07-15-2010, 05:22 AM
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Nothing like a good large vise mounted securely to a lot of gravity. I found the second clamp point stopped the last minute shift of the blade during the final rubout of the second side. You know, the one that for some inexplicable reason desides to put a micro rash on the nicely finished first side. That and, as I mentioned before, with two you don't have to bear down tightening so much as you do on the single. But hey, if it's working for you just fine it's not broke....

I see you're in upper SC, how upper? I conduct a Hammer-in twice a year in Blairsville, GA at the Trackrock Campgrounds. Gotten to be a pretty big event. You are welcome to join us. Unlike most, it's free. I'll be posting the particulars on the Georgia Guild Forum next week for the Fall event. Early October. Give it some thought.

Kostog - keeping it simple, functional and cheap as well. Good stuff. Did the 2x2 thing for awhile but Wound up needing three or four as I do a broad range of blade sizes, plus I was always hunting that slacker "C" clamp. You know how shop help is, turn your back and they sneak off somewhere (I suspect they got a thing going with that screw dropped on the floor and some sort of black hole).


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  #13  
Old 07-15-2010, 10:38 PM
reefera4m reefera4m is offline
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Just another knife vice

Here's one I made and use. Probably a couple of if you don't have the scrap laying around like I did. I use a mouse pad liner for the cushion, gripping ability and durability. I've alos used old conveyor belting with great results.

The stub at the bottom is held in a regular vice and the wing nuts are used to tighten the top plate down. (the other 'tool' is a MIG welding nozzle holder that can be clamped anywhere).

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  #14  
Old 07-18-2010, 07:20 AM
combs6136 combs6136 is offline
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Agree with Ray..

I made mine out of tubing with two hockey pucks to pad the blade..Rotates like Ray's...Easy to do.....carl


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  #15  
Old 07-18-2010, 09:34 AM
terence terence is offline
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i bolt a 12'' 2x4 in my vice and use a couple screws through the tang to hold it to the board.works good
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