What's going on in your shop?

9d84cfd03df472f78861d028856dc584.jpg


The leather looks better after another sanding at 600 grit, another coat of dye and a quick buff.

Try as I might, I cannot keep from getting dye on the spacers. Acetone, denatured alcohol, sanding- all help a little but won't remove the dye completely....grrrr!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Have you tried using some beeswax on your spacers to keep the dye off of them? I think that might work better than something like painters tape - but that might work too! I love the shape of the guard and the copper spacer you put in there.
 
9d84cfd03df472f78861d028856dc584.jpg


The leather looks better after another sanding at 600 grit, another coat of dye and a quick buff.

Try as I might, I cannot keep from getting dye on the spacers. Acetone, denatured alcohol, sanding- all help a little but won't remove the dye completely....grrrr!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Maybe try some clear nail polish on the spacers before dying, then take the nail polish off with acetone.


Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk
 
I've been real busy CAD designing, working on a web site, running jobs for customers, fiddling with knives, AND still trying to finish up the shop.

My latest small project is lights. I have a bunch of florescent lights...tried a bulk pack of LED which are 4 tubes for 100+ dollars. They are bright but I don't care for the color (my bad choice on kelvin probably). but definitely not in the budget... So I bought a bunch of porcelain bases($2.37 ea.)...yeah...those old looking things. Tre-panned holes in the reflector of an 8ft florescent and made 8 mounts. I put 60 watt replacements (9 watts actual) bulbs in for a nice, warm(use the soft white), bright 480 watt equivalent fixture that only burns 72watts actual! I can get a 6 pack of 60 watt LEDs for $12.88....while I would like the 100 watt replacement bulbs they are about $20 for a 4 pack. That works out to $5/100watt (5 cents a watt) as opposed to $2.15/60watt (3 and a half cents a watt) ..... 480 watts is pretty nice light and much cheaper per watt.

Thought some of you other light hungry cheap-skates would like this....

I keep turning on the light to see if i'm imagining how sweet it is....LOL!:biggrin:

IMG_1093.jpg
 
I had to use some vacation time or i would lose it so what does a part time hack knifemaker do with his time off...of course spend an hour or better behind a bandsaw cutting out knives.
I have only done one hidden tang and never a kitchen knife....thats about to change.
efee77b8675dd8dc0819fec0aaf9d7ed.jpg


Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
 
Nice! I've got to get a better band saw. I've just been using an angle grinder to cut mine out and it's a pain!
 
Dang, Justin, you're going to be a busy beaver finishing out that group. Like John said, I like that chef's knife too. As soon as I finish up this folder that I'm working on, I'll be starting on a four piece kitchen set for my son who's getting married in August. It should be a fun project.
 
Thanks guys! Yes Im looking forward to the chefs knife it would be nice to have a knife I made in the kitchen and can use daily.
CJKnives - I couldnt do without that bandsaw makes life so much easier.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
 
Thanks guys! Yes Im looking forward to the chefs knife it would be nice to have a knife I made in the kitchen and can use daily.
CJKnives - I couldnt do without that bandsaw makes life so much easier.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

I can imagine! I've got a cheap Ryobi bandsaw but it barely cuts wood and micarta and even with a new blade - it won't track straight no matter what I do! So I've got to get a better one. Cutting out blades with an angle grinder sucks! - especially this last batch of 13 knives!
 
I can imagine! I've got a cheap Ryobi bandsaw but it barely cuts wood and micarta and even with a new blade - it won't track straight no matter what I do! So I've got to get a better one. Cutting out blades with an angle grinder sucks! - especially this last batch of 13 knives!

What's a decent one to get for metal


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
What's a decent one to get for metal


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Everything I've heard is to get some kind of portable band saw. I've been looking at a Milwaukee or DeWalt portable - but just haven't gave in and spent the money yet.


Thanks guys! Yes Im looking forward to the chefs knife it would be nice to have a knife I made in the kitchen and can use daily.
CJKnives - I couldnt do without that bandsaw makes life so much easier.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

Justin, what kind are you using?
 
the 4x6 horizontal/vertical bandsaw from HF is one heck of a workhorse for the money. They go on sale from time to time, or use the 20% coupon offer.

For wood, i picked up the 9" grizzly for about $200. It's been a great saw for cutting scales. I used my metal bandsaw to cut scales for a long time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Speaking as a retired contractor, I'm a hard core Grizzly fan. I would buy there long before I would bother looking at other brands.

The biggest problem I've had with Grizzly is waiting for them to wear out-- I wanted to replace a jointer, and argued with myself for about three years, hoping it would die, and then I could justify the upgrade I wanted to make. It never did die, and I ended up just sellling it.

For metal cutting, any of the 14" Grizzlys "wood" bandsaws would work, in my opinion. If you need more bandsaw than a Grizzly 14", you'll be busy enough that you'll need a bigger shop with three phase power anyway, and then powerful machines will get even cheaper. That'll be a whole different discussion.
 
Last edited:
Everything I've heard is to get some kind of portable band saw. I've been looking at a Milwaukee or DeWalt portable - but just haven't gave in and spent the money yet.




Justin, what kind are you using?
The one I have is a harbor freight porta band. It is definetly not as nice as a dewalt or milwakee but it was cheap and has worked great so far besides it being the loudest thing ever!
Just make sure to throw the blade that comes with it in the trash and get some good ones at lowes or home depot.
5ef92b93a88c3946e9d9f1dcd02e77be.jpg


Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
 
the 4x6 horizontal/vertical bandsaw from HF is one heck of a workhorse for the money. They go on sale from time to time, or use the 20% coupon offer.

For wood, i picked up the 9" grizzly for about $200. It's been a great saw for cutting scales. I used my metal bandsaw to cut scales for a long time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The one I have is a harbor freight porta band. It is definetly not as nice as a dewalt or milwakee but it was cheap and has worked great so far besides it being the loudest thing ever!
Just make sure to throw the blade that comes with it in the trash and get some good ones at lowes or home depot.

Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk

Thanks men! I've got some Harbor Freight tools and a lot of them are good for what they are and for the money. I started out on a HB 1x30 belt grinder and it still sits on my workbench beside my 2x72 I built. I still use it a lot for shaping handles. But I just hadn't heard anything about their bandsaws so I didn't know if they were worth looking at or not. I'm definitely not opposed to going that route. Especially if you pick up their extra warranty for a few bucks that will replace it no matter what for a few years!

Speaking as a retired contractor, I'm a hard core Grizzly fan. I would buy there long before I would bother looking at other brands.

The biggest problem I've had with Grizzly is waiting for them to wear out-- I wanted to replace a jointer, and argued with myself for about three years, hoping it would die, and then I could justify the upgrade I wanted to make. It never did die, and I ended up just sellling it.

For metal cutting, any of the 14" Grizzlys "wood" bandsaws would work, in my opinion. If you need more bandsaw than a Grizzly 14", you'll be busy enough that you'll need a bigger shop with three phase power anyway, and then powerful machines will get even cheaper. That'll be a whole different discussion.

As far as Grizzly tools go - I almost bought one of their 2x72 belt grinders before I built mine. I've never known a lot about Grizzly made stuff, but it's good to get an opinion from someone who is knowledgeable about them. I may have to check them out also.

I don't know what to do with this Ryobi! It's just terrible. I was cutting some micarta last night with it and it wouldn't even track straight to cut some 3/8" micarta in a straight line! So I ended up with parallelogram looking pieces of micarta because it keeps wanting to cut to the right. It's frustrating.
 
I'm off from the day job today, so I'll be trying to finish this knife up. Droppint with stacked leather, micarta and antler. 5/32" thick 1084 steel. 4" blade, 8.5" OAL
ab90ec2f9986c12fcb305353ae492892.jpg
 
Back
Top