General Zod
TGT Addict
Why even own an anvil if you don't paint "ACME" on it? Also, consider where the name "Coyote Falls Forge" came from...
Looking for a Meat Cleaver
- Thread starter Hoji
- Start date
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Why even own an anvil if you don't paint "ACME" on it? Also, consider where the name "Coyote Falls Forge" came from...
General Zod
TGT Addict
After working a steel plate that massive, I'm pretty impressed with myself too.
General Zod
TGT Addict
The current state of things...
General Zod
TGT Addict
↑↑↑ Here's how it looked after the last forging session - what I started with tonight. Click the link. ↑↑↑
General Zod
TGT Addict
It's 1095 high carbon steel and it's 1/4" thick. I bought a 12x4 inch plate and cut the excess off with an angle grinder, annealed it, then hand forged it from that point - which so far consists of cutting a slot, then expanding the slot to form the handle, which I've worked gradually into its current position.
By the time I'm done it'l likely be 3/16" thick and the blade may be slightly longer than it currently is. I'm also planning to put a bit of a radius on the cutting edge like a good cleaver should have.
GZ,
Thank you Sir for your reply.
Some years back, under the tutelage of a master knife maker, I made 4 knives, thus I have some idea of the skill and labor it takes to make the cleaver your creating.
I'm rough guessing it took 20/25 hours of effort to make each knife I made.
I used 440 Vandium steel and Micarta for the handles.
Making a knife from plate steel is a damned hard job and I'm guessing making a cleaver an even harder job.
I put a hollow ground edge on each knife, but frankly so much time has elapsed since I made the knives, since I gave them all away, I don't recall the thickness of the steel.
I know, when you've completed making the cleaver it'll be a fine and valued creation.
Thank you Sir for your reply.
Some years back, under the tutelage of a master knife maker, I made 4 knives, thus I have some idea of the skill and labor it takes to make the cleaver your creating.
I'm rough guessing it took 20/25 hours of effort to make each knife I made.
I used 440 Vandium steel and Micarta for the handles.
Making a knife from plate steel is a damned hard job and I'm guessing making a cleaver an even harder job.
I put a hollow ground edge on each knife, but frankly so much time has elapsed since I made the knives, since I gave them all away, I don't recall the thickness of the steel.
I know, when you've completed making the cleaver it'll be a fine and valued creation.
General Zod
TGT Addict
Thanks, I appreciate the compliment. My first completed knife - the 15" Bowie I showed the progress of in my knifemaking thread - probably took me 60 hours all told. There were a LOT of mistakes and 'learning experiences' along the way. I'm making fewer mistakes now, but the sheer mass of the steel is proving to be a challenge with this cleaver. It's fun, though. Grinding the bevel will probably be a multi-day process. Hoji's bonechopper will be my third completed knife.
General Zod
TGT Addict
Sunday video:
General Zod
TGT Addict
Sunday was a day of cleaning up the previous work's rough edges and working a good curve into what will be the cutting edge. There's video coming as soon as I learn to use my new editing software.
General Zod
TGT Addict
I'm pretty pleased with it. Annoyed that I'm not able to spend as much of each weekend working on it as I'd like, but it's getting there.
Freaking cool!!
General Zod
TGT Addict
I began surface grinding today, and I plan to edit last weekend's video tonight to have it posted to YouTube this weekend. Just FYI. What's left to do?
-Rough surface grind, including the bevel and final profile shaping..
-Drill out pin holes for handle hardware.
-Stamp the touchmark on the cleaver so we know whose fault it is.
-Two normalizing cycles - heating the cleaver up to non-magnetic temperature and letting it air cool until it can be picked up.
-Hardening - heat it up to 1550° and quench it in oil, pray there are no cracks or warps.
-Tempering - two hours at 400°, cold rinse, two more hours at 400°, cold rinse.
-Final grind and polish on flats and edges, and bringing the bevel closer to its final geometry.
-Rough handle shaping, including the metal hardware (I'm thinking brass for this one).
-Handle attachment and shaping.
-Final grind on the bevel
-Sharpening
-Finishing with hot beeswax to protect the metal and make the walnut handle scales pretty.
-A few minutes' worth of leather work to make a guard so the bonechopper won't kill anyone when I ship it.
A lot of these steps can be done within the same day, while others require more time. But...this is actually the home stretch.
-Rough surface grind, including the bevel and final profile shaping..
-Drill out pin holes for handle hardware.
-Stamp the touchmark on the cleaver so we know whose fault it is.
-Two normalizing cycles - heating the cleaver up to non-magnetic temperature and letting it air cool until it can be picked up.
-Hardening - heat it up to 1550° and quench it in oil, pray there are no cracks or warps.
-Tempering - two hours at 400°, cold rinse, two more hours at 400°, cold rinse.
-Final grind and polish on flats and edges, and bringing the bevel closer to its final geometry.
-Rough handle shaping, including the metal hardware (I'm thinking brass for this one).
-Handle attachment and shaping.
-Final grind on the bevel
-Sharpening
-Finishing with hot beeswax to protect the metal and make the walnut handle scales pretty.
-A few minutes' worth of leather work to make a guard so the bonechopper won't kill anyone when I ship it.
A lot of these steps can be done within the same day, while others require more time. But...this is actually the home stretch.
General Zod
TGT Addict
Definitely more than I ever thought. And of course I"m taking the longer route, too. Even starting with a piece of flat steel, there's still a lot of forging involved before getting to the grinding. Nothing against the guys who start with pre-made blanks - they still put in a lot of effort and turn out real quality. But the longer process is incredibly satisfying and there's a huge payoff when I get to hold and cut with the finished product before sending it on to its new home. Eventually I'll be to the point where I don't always start with a flat piece of steel...but I'm not there yet. I believe my next step up will be using leaf springs - they'll take a bit more work to get down to a thickness that makes a good blade..
General Zod
TGT Addict
The heat treat is everything. Make or break...literally.
Axxe55
Retiretgtshit stirrer
AND THAT IS WHY THE TYPE OF STEEL USED IS IMPORTANT
