Some GREAT shop-time with my son

[BRad704]

Noah, my 7yo has been asking me for months to make him a knife. I finally talked to his mom about it, and she said as long as I taught him to be safe and that a knife is a TOOL, not a TOY, she was cool with it.

So last Sunday, I told him to cut the Wii off, we are going to the shop. So we talked about a design, and agreed on one. I drew it on the steel, Noah drilled all the holes around the profile, he held things in place while I chiseled out the shape, he had his hands in there while we ground to profile, and then he drilled all the holes in the tang. I will do the grinding and send it off for HT (CPM154CM, anyone wanna hook Noah up on HT? ) He has already picked out paduk for the handle because he likes the bright orange/red color. and solid brass pins because he doensn't like the mosaics I showed him... LOL...

 

[JShirley]

Good design. Sounds like a terrific time.

 

[BRad704]

Thanks... Nice solid spear point with a simple kids/woman sized handle...

You can also see what I mentioned about drilling and chiseling around the profile.

 

[Sam1911]

Wow! That's really cool!

That looks like a pretty labor intensive way to establish the profile, but I can't say it's any moreso than mine, which tends to involve a lot of angle-grinder work to rough things out.

Should be something he can really use, too!

 

[lemaymiami]

I suspect that young man will remember his first knife a lot longer than I remembered mine. Great work, and you get my vote for working with your son.....

 

[BRad704]

Thanks Sam! He is excited, but NO ONE could be happier than ME over this little project!

And it's really not "that" labor intensive, and there is less noise and less sparks and less chance of slipping and gouging into your good steel. Been there, Done that with the angle grinder.

 

[hso]

Band saw

 

[BRad704]

I have a craftsman 12" and i just don't like how it heats up the material while it cuts. maybe I have never found the perfect blade for it, but I've tried and I only use my band saw for cutting handle material and kydex now...

 

[Sam1911]

Yes, that would be nice. I have a list of tools I really would like to pick up one of these days...

I'm not sure the little table-top band saws that would be most convinient for me right now have enough power to cut metal on a routine basis.

'Sides, making do with what I've got is ... how shall I put this ... cheaper!

 

[BRad704]

A lot of guys SWEAR BY the cheap-o sit-on Harbor Freight band saw... You might wanna check it out. I am just content with what I'm doing for now.

 

[Fergy35]

Good looking design and great to see your son out there doing it with you. My son is now 18 and I wish like heck I had started making knives when he was younger. He has done a little bit in the shop with me and drew the design of the one I am working on for him now, but he is so busy with school, football, girls etc. that we don't get much of a chance to work together anymore.

 

[Fred Fuller]

Good work, Brad.

lpl

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Looks like a great time with your son. Good looking knife.

 

[Bobson]

...Brad, I love your knives, man. Just looked at The Chisel and loved it, but I like this one even more. You do some great work.

 

[Piraticalbob]

If he's careful with it, that knife could last most of his lifetime, if not all of it. Much nicer than my first knife, lost long ago.

 

[BRad704]

Thanks guys...

And PBob... He lives with his mom and only gets to be over every other weekend. this knife is one that will stay at my house and I'll be able to keep up with it for him. He has 2 younger half-brothers at him mom's and I wouldn't want him having it around other kids, if I'm not there too. By the time he's old enough to just have it full time and keep up with it, I don't see him losing it. #fingerscrossed

 

[USAF_Vet]

Looks like he had a good time. My kids don't have the attention span for something like this.

I'm making a couple knives for my kids for Christmas if I ever get around to finishing the Kukri I started.

As for roughing out the shape, I've rigged an angle grinder cutting wheel onto my bench grinder. I find I have a lot more control with the mounted grinder and cutting the steel by hand than with the steel mounted and cutting it with a hand grinder.

 

[JTW Jr.]

I got the bandsaw from HF when it was on sale for $149 and had a 20% off coupon , added a Lenox Diemaster II bi-metal blade and it rocks.

Great father and son time no matter how you slice it.....

 

[TomADC]

Brad704, never had any sons, but I'm close to my oldest grandson now 25, we fish, shoot etc. Your pictures remind me when he was young. Good memories I wish I'd put more on film.
Great job Dad!!

 

[Gunnerboy]

you have a lucky son, all my dad ever built with me was endless miles of fences, i didnt get choice in that one either.

 

[BRad704]

Endless miles of fence can still build strong work-ethic.... If I needed fence built, he'd be out there with me.

Last month he was helping us paint the barn/giant shed/workshop and then dragging limbs to the burn-pile. I don't think he gets ANYthing like it at his mom's, so he is actually excited about the "helping with manly stuff" aspect.

JTW, I see what you did there.... clever clever.... lol

 

[hso]

I'm not sure the little table-top band saws that would be most convinient for me right now have enough power to cut metal on a routine basis.

A cheap porta band clamped in a vise and with the trigger pinned for hands-free operation is a trick used by some makers on a budget that can't afford a powerful bench/floor band saw.

 

[DC Plumber]

OUTSTANDING.

My son will be 7 in November. He helps me reload ammunition and all sorts of projects that 99% of kids will never ever see. Looks like you're a good dad that wants his son/kids to be well rounded.

It's too bad more people can't/won't do the same, regardless of the project. These are times to cherish.

 

[BRad704]

Thanks DC...

Only getting them (I have a daughter also, 9) every other weekend, I don't want them to ever think back on our time and say "oh, we just sat around watching tv"... I want our time to mean something.

I got it ground to about 0.030" last night. Since it is stainless, I'll have to farm-out the heat treating, and I will probably wait until i have a few more of these CPM154CM blades done to send a batch.