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Old 04-29-2003, 01:28 PM
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Don Cowles Don Cowles is offline
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A sermon for newbies (with bibliography)

If you've got the knife bug like the rest of us, we are delighted to have you here, and want to help in any way we can. There are a couple of things you can do for yourselves that will make your way much easier, and smooth the road along the steep learning curve.

When I was a much younger man, I was given the responsibility of uncrating and setting up a new Bell & Howell 16 mm movie projector at a school where I was teaching. When I got it out of the box, I couldn't help but notice a large tag attached to the machine. On it, in big red letters, it said, "PLEASE! BEFORE YOU TRY IT YOUR WAY, TRY IT OUR WAY. READ THE DIRECTIONS."

I have never forgotten that advice, and it has saved me a lot of the potential grief that is involved with learning by trial and error.

BEFORE you build your first knife, read everything you can get your hands on about knives and knifemaking. Print out everything at the Bob Engnath website, and study it until you have it memorized.

THEN start to make your first knife. You are much less likely to have to throw it away if you do things in this order.

Some things, of course, will require some explanation, and some questions will occur to you that are not covered at all in the literature. That, of course, is why we are here!

Happy knifemaking!

This list was taken from the old CKDF board:
BOOKS

How to Make Knives, by Robert Loveless/Richard Barney. *
Great overview of the different knifemaking methods including stock removal, forging, flat grinding, and sheaths.

Step by Step Knifemaking, by David Boye. *

Custom Knifemaking: 10 Projects From a Master Craftsman, by Tim McCreight. *

Knifecraft : A Comprehensive Step-By-Step Guide to the Art of Knifemaking, by Sidney Latham. *

Knifemaking: A Complete Guide to Crafting Knives, Handles and Sheaths, by Bo Bergman. *
This book deals exclusively with Scandinavian style knives.

Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, by Wayne Goddard. *

The Wonder of Knifemaking, by Wayne Goddard. *

Knife Talk: The Art and Science of Knifemaking, by Ed Fowler. *

The Hand Forged Blade: An Introduction to the Working of Modern Tool Steels, by Karl Schroen. *

Introduction to Bladesmithing, by E. Jay Hendrickson @

Basic Forging and Pattern Welded Damascus Steel, by Jerry Fisk @

Notes From Bill Moran's Classes on Knifemaking 1985 and Damascus Steel @

From the Past, by William Moran, Jr. @

The Complete Bladesmith: Forging Your Way to Perfection, by Jim Hrisoulas. *

Master Bladesmith: Advanced Studies in Steel, by Jim Hrisoulas. *

Pattern Welded Blade, by Jim Hrisoulas. *

Damascus Steel, by Manfred Sachse. *

On Damascus Steel, by Leo Figiel. *

Mokume Gane in the Small Shop: The Complete Guide to Diffusion Welded Mokume, by Steve Midgett. *

The Tactical Folding Knife, by Bob Terzuola. *
Instructs on how to build a locking liner folder.

How to Make Folding Knives: A Step by Step How-to, by Ron Lake, Frank Centofante, and Wayne Clay. *
Instructs on how to make lockback folders.

How to Make Multi-Blade Folding Knives, by Eugene Shadley and Terry Davis.

Practical Heat Treating, by Howard Boyer. *

Heat Treater's Guide, by Unterweiser, Boyer, and Kubbs.

The Razor Edge Book of Sharpening, by John Juranitch. *

How to Scrimshaw and Carve Ivory, by Blackie and Michael Collins. *

The Art of Engraving, by James Meek. *

Build Your Own Hydraulic Forging Press, by James Batson. @

Handbook of Management and Organization for the Knifemaker, by Jerry Fisk. @


VIDEOS

Center Cross Video, by Gene Osborn
www.centercross.com

Loveless Legend, by Robert Loveless. *
Great visual on the Loveless method of making knives.

Hollow Grinding, by Johnny Stout.@

Flat Grinding, by Harvey Dean.@

Forging Damascus: How to Make Pattern Welded Blades, by Jim Hrisoulas. *

Mokume Gane in the Small Shop, by Steve Midgett.

Fowler Knife Making Techniques, by Ricky Fowler.

The Design, Construction, and Function of the Using Knife, by Ed Fowler.

The Wire Damascus Hunting Knife, by Wayne Goddard.

Making of a Knife, by William Moran, Jr. @

Damascus, by William Moran, Jr. @

Handles, Guards, and Sheaths, by William Moran, Jr. @

Knife Care, by Jerry Fisk @


WEBSITES

Abrasive Comparison Chart
www.ameritech.net/users/knives/grits.htm

Cryogenics
www.cryogenius.co.za/Cryo...icle1.html

Bob Engnath
www.engnath.com/public/manframe.htm

Bruce Evans
www.homestead.com/beknive...ives5.html

Don Fogg
www.dfoggknives.com/index.htm

Heat Treating
www.knives.com/heatreat.html
www.taosnet.com/ebear/met....html#anne


Terry Primos
www.primosknives.com/

Supply Index
www.cancom.net/~hnilica/material.html


Bob Warner
www.warnerknives.com/



OTHER MEDIA

Don Cowles' "Knifemaking Technique" CD
Contains over 800 pages of answers to most every question you can imagine.
www.cowlesknives.com


* Available at www.amazon.com
@ Available from American Bladesmith Society at www.americanbladesmith.com


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Last edited by Don Cowles; 04-29-2003 at 06:07 PM.