- 1). Draw a design for a simple knife on a piece of cardboard. Account for both the blade and the handle. Cut out the cardboard design approximately 1/8 inch larger than how you drew it, as this will account for the inevitable loss of material once you begin sanding the knife down.
- 2). Trace your cut-out onto a used high-carbon or stainless steel circular saw blade with a permanent marker. Use a rotary tool with a cutter bit to cut out your design from the saw blade. You can also use a cutting torch or band saw if those are more accessible.
- 3). Smooth down your knife with a belt sander; get rid of any rough snags that formed when you cut out the design from your saw blade. Make long, even passes along the sander to ensure that you don’t take too much material off any one specific area of the knife.
- 4). Fit the metal handle portion of your knife with two pieces of hard wood that will serve as the handle. Do not worry about shaping the wood at this point; simply use a metal and wood bonding glue to attach all of the pieces.
- 5). Secure the handle by first drilling at least two rivet holes with a drill press at even intervals into the handle, going through one piece of wood, through the steel in the middle and finally drilling through the other piece of wood on the opposing side.
- 6). Insert brass pins into each of the rivet holes so that they extend on either side of the handle. Using a pair of pliers, bend the pins back against the wood. These pins act as the primary source of securing the wood and metal together.
- 7). Use the bench sander to grind down the brass pins and wood of your handle to form the shape that you would like your handle to take. Work slowly at this stage, constantly making observations as you sand further down. Hold the handle after every adjustment until it fits your hand.
- 8). Grind an edge into the blade using the belt sander and extremely fine sandpaper. Hold the blade at a steady angle and make long sweeping passes along the sander to form the edge. Use a whetstone to sharpen your knife.
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