Hello, I dont know why I want to build my own knife but I got a itch and I have to scratch it, I am in the research stage right now. Ive bought 2 books, David Boye step by step and Knife craft, my question is this, I already have a industial drill press that I scored for nothing, but I can't go any further without a belt sander, I can't decide on what to get, I read that alot of people start out with a 6x48 belt sander, or should I spend the 400 and get the grizzly G1015, or spend 100 dollars on one of those small 1 inch by 48 belt grinders, I guess my question is for the least amount of money what can I get that will allow me to make a few nice knives and if I like it I can then spend the coin on a nice belt sander. Thank You

P.S I'm in Rhode Island just in case someone has moved up with there equipment and have something lying around collecting dust

howdie and welcome to our world,,to answer your question you can do a lot of shaping with a car body grinder or a smaller "peanut" grinder,,then use a file and sand paper to clean it up.
for an all-around bullit proof belt grinder that can do hundereds of jobs by changing nose attachments,,and cheaper then most,,a "KMG" belt grinder is outstanding.
after you get one whether you make knives or not,,you will wonder how you got along without it.

read as much as you can in this fourm,,and visit the newbee fourm,,you can pick up a lot of info from there.
Skip

You don't need a bunch of fancy equiptment to get started. Like Skip said, a body grinder is a powerful tool to get you down to where files and sandpaper can take over in short order. Lots of makers use them to rid the blade of scale and to set bevels. Look around the garage and you can adapt other tools to work. The link below helped me when I first started. Let us know how it goes. Got questions? Ask away. Don't forget to visit the Newbies Arena(clickhere) (http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=18). Lots of good folks very willing to help.

http://hossom.com/tutorial/jonesy/
Click here^

I see you've already been directed to the newbies arena. And I gather form the equipment you ask about, you're planning on stock removal not forging. The next question is folder or fixed blade? Have you considered a knife kit to start with (buy the parts and assemble them)? What Steel? Home heat treat or farm the heat treat out?

You can do a lot with files and sand paper (so far that is most of what I've use, of course I forge to shape first). A good file and some clamps will be the cheapest way to try but may put you off as it is different work from a sander/grinder.

Rember the search feature is your friend.

ron