A Beginner’s Guide to Making Knives: Part 1

Knifemaking is a very rewarding, yet painstaking, process. Incorporating different skillsets like metalworking, woodworking, and artistic design, to name a few, it gives as much as it is given. For those who want to take the first step into making knives, here is a good guide for you.

Step 1: Making a sketch of your knife

Creating a sketch of your knife project will give you a better picture of how the project will come out. We recommend using a graphing paper for this, as it helps in making the sketch as straight as possible. Make the sketch size as close to the actual output, so construction will be easier.

Keep in mind that while creativity is encouraged in designing your knife, it should still be functional and practical. If this is your first project, try a simple design first. This will help you perfect the basics of knife making. Also, take this time to perfect the knife’s design at this stage; it is easier to make changes here rather than making changes on the actual steel.

Another thing to remember is the length of the knife’s blade. As this is your personal project, you can make it as long or as short as you want to. The longer the knife, however, the more unwieldy it becomes and the more steel it would need.

Once you have the blade measured up, next you need is the tang. This is the part of the blade that connects to the knife handle. There are three types of tangs you can choose from:

  • Full Tang – the tang has the same shape and length as the actual handle. The handle materials will be attached to each side of the tang, with rivets holding them in place. This is the easiest and strongest of the tangs and is the preferred method for beginners.
  • Partial Tang – the tang is shorter than the handle and is hidden inside of it, secured with rivets. This is mainly seen on Japanese swords and is the most difficult to make.
  • Through-Tang – the tang is hidden inside the handle like the partial tang, though it goes through the handle (hence the term “through-tang”) and is secured with a nut or by other methods.

After making the sketch, next will be getting the right materials to make your knife, which we will discuss next time.

Check out Auslet’s wide selection of knife blanks here.

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