Bushcraft Knife
As someone who has always used knives in various situations, from kitchens to diving, I wanted to create my own. At the time I had no workshop and had limited tools, but then again that has never stopped me. I knew that the steel used in engineering files would give me the perfect material and once I found an old file, set to work on the design.
The shape is designed for bushcraft; i.e. being used in the forest for cutting, hacking and whittling. Once I had drawn out the shape and a template made, I transferred this to the file and with my trusty angle grinder, set to cut and shape the steel. With no vice or bench it was a bit tricky but turned out perfect.
The steel used in engineering files is super strong, but also has a tendency to shatter if dropped or hit. The way round this for making a knife is to temper the steel. Again, having no forge the knife blank was placed in an oven ay about 180 degrees for several hours and allowed to cool. Once this was ready the handle was cut from some lovely mahogany and then fixed, afterwards it took an hour or so to carefully shape the handle to make sure it felt right in the hand. Before a coat of boiled linseed oil to give the handle a layer of protection.
A little sheath was made from some material I had from recovering a motorcycle seat.