Make a 2-bladed pocket knife from pvc and hacksaw blades

[John G]

Thanks Bob, and I also like little kits like you describe. Just this afternoon I replenished my car's all-purpose emergency kit, with the help of my buddy (a former EMT.)
I think this hacksaw knife project is interesting, just like I found making knives as the ancient Americans made them, from stone and branches and natural cordage, interesting. I've restored old guns for fun, and gone camping with no more than a sleeping bag, canteen, and knife (I make a terrible dandilion stew.) Someday I will make a so-called real knife. I may even build a gun with my own hands should the opportunity present itself. Challenging yourself can be fun.

Like many of you I like how things work, and hope to never stop learning. There is so much I don't know.

 

[Eleven Mike]

Well I guess I'm one of the "apparent detractors," but if I truly needed the contents of a survival kit, I would hope to God I had something better than that hacksaw novelty knife in there.

Not trying to be a stick in the mud, if you want to do it just to do it, I guess that's one thing. There's nothing wrong with tinkering around with such projects, it's just that for realistic use, or especially for a survival situation, I would try to procure something better for myself. That's not snobbery, that's just common sense. Why go into the woods with a jimmy-rigged hacksaw blade folder if you can just as easily pack a decent knife? Again, not knocking the idea of tinkering with little projects like these, but I wouldn't carry or pack one.

Gotta agree with that one.

 

[kBob]

John G & 11M

I am sure 11M is familure with the term layered defense, certainly us old 11B types are.

You preplan fall back positions and rally points.

It would be remarkably unusual to find me with out a knife some what better than the PVC progect. I typlicy go light at church by only carrying two knives, but normally like a lot of folks around here have some sort of little folder in my front left pocket, a larger lock blade clipped to my front right, and a leatherman slipped over my belt.

WHen I was in the Infantry one member of my squad was tasked with carrying one of those frameless hacksaw blade holders with a good blade in it in his gear, just as I carried a cresent wrench, file, cap crimping tool, and double sided sharpening stone in mine, another guy carried vise grips and another carried a reversable screwdriver. One guy wore a TL 59 linemans kit with wire cutting/stripping pliers and a pocketknife as well.Not one of those tools was likely to be the best for all job we might find. Most might only be better than nothing.

The point being if all else failed they were there and available.

I see this PVC knife as something like owning an NAA mini revolver. Lot of better guns out there, but a five shot rimfire in the hand beats fill in the blank latest gunshop commando tactical assault pistol in the safe at home.

I have no doubt my Savage 110 in
.308 is a heck of a lot better rifle than my Mosin Nagant M1944, but guess which one is more likely to be bouncing around behind the seat of my pick up?

This PVC knife if I get around to it, will not be my first line of defense.

Shoot discouraging folks from building this home project may well mean they never get exposed to the build it yourself knife bug. You guys may be stiffling the next Bo Randall!

-Bob Hollingsworth

 

[Eleven Mike]

I get your point Bob. I don't think we're saying that every knife you keep in your bug-out bag or glove box needs to be a Randall. I think what we're saying is that you are probably better served buying an Opinel or similar, than depending on this knife. For any layer of defense.

Doesn't mean you shouldn't make it just to have fun. Maybe use it as a letter opener or something. Or like Tourist said, keep it by the front door, to open up the UPS boxes.

 

[John G]

I agree, this project will not create a first line of defense weapon. But making it could still be worthwhile. Note the title is not "make a top-shelf folder." Have fun, use some tools, create something.

(by the way, another former infantryman here, eleven bravo one papa)

 

[theotherwaldo]

I made similar knives for survival caches. I used sections of window-screen-frame extrusions for the handles, aluminum roofing nails for hinge rivets, and cut the blades rather long - each was almost half of a hack-saw blade.

They were packed in PVC containers, along with survival blankets, fire starter, fish hooks and line, band-aids, honey, and a few other odds-and-ends and stashed along trails that we commonly used.

I wonder how many are still there?