Reddit Reddit reviews Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, Revised

We found 21 Reddit comments about Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, Revised. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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21 Reddit comments about Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, Revised:

u/hivemind_MVGC · 18 pointsr/somethingimade

All it takes to clean up your finish work is a rasp, a bunch of sandpaper down to 1200 grit, and time.

I suggest checking out these books:

http://www.amazon.com/Step---Step-Knifemaking-You-Can/dp/0615116590/

http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/

http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Knives-Richard-Barney/dp/087341389X/

These were all invaluable to me when I was learning fit and finish. They're also all probably available through your local library.

If you do decide to buy some tools, you can get a TON of fast, efficient work done from just a cheap belt sander ($50 at Harbor Freight) and a cheap benchtop buffer (get a washing machine motor from a junkyard and built one, or spend $80 on one). Those two tools alone will make a WORLD of difference in your finish work.

u/BillDaCatt · 9 pointsr/Blacksmith

As was said by others in reply to your other question, sword making is not something to be taken lightly. I admire your interest, but the wording of your questions seems to imply that you don't really want to learn how to make a sword but that you would like to assemble a sword.

Please understand that questions about sword making are asked almost exclusively by people who are so new to blacksmithing that they have no business making a sword. I suspect that you fall into that category.

Nearly everyone with an interest in blacksmithing has an interest in swords and other blades. And as we learn about how they are made we quickly realize that swordmaking is very serious and potentially dangerous business. I, for one, will help anyone who asks about what it takes to make a sword. But I will not help anyone actually make one.

Just like a gun, a sword is a weapon; and weapons can be surprisingly lethal to both the person holding it and others who are nearby. A poorly made sword can be equally lethal but has the added danger of being either unbalanced or fragile or both. They are also a danger while they are being made; especially if power tools are involved. A large blade that catches on a wire wheel or a sanding belt can cut or stab you very severely before you even have time to react. So please understand that when we see questions about swords coming from novices, we cringe. Making a sword is serious business and is not to be taken lightly.

A blacksmith takes the time to research how similar swords were made and discover what tools materials are needed to accomplish that goal. He or she also works out a plan of each step from start to finish. Many even work for a year or more as an apprentice for an experienced blacksmith to learn how. At the very least many hours are spent reading books and studying both photographs and in person examples of handmade swords.

There are thousands of books on swords both old and new. Many of them focus on certain styles of swords and not all of them go into detail about smithing a sword, but many of them do. You can also find thousands of pictures both online and in reference books on arms & armor at your local library. If you live near a reasonably large city, there might even be a local museum nearby that has some swords on display. Also read as much as you can on blacksmithing and metalworking in general.

By the time you are ready to make your first sword, you will have already built multiple smaller blades and other items while improving your skills, and you will have made thousands or swords in your head.

Here are some books on blacksmithing that I think you will find useful: http://www.hct.ac.uk/Downloads/craftpublications.html

You should also read A book or two on modern knife making. "Wayne Goddard's $50 Dollar Knife Shop" is highly recommended by many people here.

I'm not saying you can't make a sword or even that you shouldn't make one. If that's your dream, don't let anyone stop you. But I would strongly encourage you to start small and work your way up.

TL;DR: If you really want to make a sword, I suggest you read it!

u/Makerzero · 5 pointsr/knives

Books. Do your home work. There is a lot of different ways to make good knifes and lots of ways to make junk. If you understand how you want to make a knife you'll know what tools you need. So is it forged or material removal? How do you want to deal with the tempering? I can go on but I think you get the idea. Here is a place to start http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344738903&sr=8-1&keywords=50+knife+shop

u/platypod · 5 pointsr/Bladesmith

As /u/Ermott stated, if you've got a few years of free time, there is no shortage at all of information to be found online.

If you specifically want a book for reference, here's the list. (I own and have read, and re-read every book here.)

Stock removal knife macking -
Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, revised
How to Mack Knives, by Barney and Loveless

When you're ready to move up a few notches in complexity -
The Tactical Folding Knife, by Terzuola

If forging is more your thing -
The Complete Bladesmith, by Hrisoulas

An overview (and extremely interesting) look at how different modern mackers go about macking knives -
Blade's Guide to Macking Knives

And finally, the condensed Q&A for everything the aspiring knife macker could ever want to know -
The Wonder of Knife Macking, by Goddard
The second edition of this books has mixed reviews centering on poor editing, I've read and recommend the first edition, though slightly dated, for it's solid insight into so many areas of knife macking.

I hope this helps you, don't forget to come back and post photos of the knives you mack!

u/BmpBlast · 4 pointsr/DnD

Awesome! Glad to see another person interested, smithing is fun! Getting started is actually pretty easy as long as long as you aren't planning on crafting gorgeous blades right off the get-go. You really only need a few things:

  • A forge (these can be built surprisingly cheap if you are inclined)
  • Coal or charcoal to fire the forge (not bricket charcoal)
  • A smithing hammer
  • An anvil (can be as simple as a piece of railroad)
  • Steel (I recommend starting with 1095, railroad spikes, or rebar).
  • A bucket of oil or water (depending on the steel) to quench the blade in.
  • A magnet. Those ones on the long extending stick are the best. (This is for checking the heat of the steel when tempering it)

    An anvil can be pricey, even used, if you get a real one but a piece of railroad can be obtained pretty cheaply though not always easily. Don't pay more than $2-4 a pound for an anvil if you buy a used one. The heavier, the better but starting out it should at least weigh 60+ lbs, preferably 150+. Don't try to use a jeweler's anvil or a cast iron anvil. There's some good videos covering types of anvils and where to find them. Everything else will be easy and cheap to obtain.

    You can find all the info you need to get started by searching YouTube for knife making or knife smithing. Walter Sorrells in particular has a good channel with some high quality videos. He focuses more on making knives from steel blanks than on forging, but he does have a couple of good forge videos and happens to have spent some time studying under Japanese smiths so he has some decent info on forging Japanese swords and knives if you are interested. Honestly, for a normal knife/sword the forging isn't that hard, it's the finishing part that takes all the time, effort, and skill. (Not to downplay the skills of most medieval smiths, they had to be much more precise in their smithing than we do today because we have power sanders and grinders to quickly fix mistakes). Most YouTube channels will focus on smithing knives instead of swords and I recommend you start with the same even though swords are awesome. It's the same techniques and process, but knives are cheaper to practice on and swords are more difficult to get right.

    If you want or prefer a book, there are a few good ones for sale on Amazon. The Backyard Blacksmith, The Complete Modern Blacksmith, The $50 Knife Shop, How to Make Knives, and The Wonder of Knife Making are all great beginner books (only the last two deal with actually making knives). When you get some practice under your belt, Jim Hrisoulas has a couple of books on bladesmithing that are designed for experienced smiths who want to build better blades and deals with swords specifically.
u/biggreenfan · 3 pointsr/Blacksmith
u/noobian1000 · 3 pointsr/knives

This book was what started it all off for me in knife making. It was tremendously helpful in answering a lot of beginning questions and giving valuable advice on how to begin.

u/y2knole · 3 pointsr/blacksmithing

i did a quick google to see if leaf springs were ideal and they are so i put out feelers for some of those.

And also in the course of that found recommendation for the $50 knife shop book so I bought him that on amazon. link: https://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482254778&sr=8-1&keywords=50+knife+shop

Thanks folks You both got me exactly what I needed!

u/Rotten_Mango · 3 pointsr/forgedinfireshow

there are tons of resources online to learn blacksmithing/bladesmithing

youtube,
iforgeiron.com,
/r/bladesmith

the list goes on and on but those are the best IMO


also books abound on the subject

it you want to get started cheap look into
https://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495550648&sr=8-1&keywords=wayne+goddard+50+dollar+knife

but keep in mind this was $50 in the late 80's early 90's (whenever he wrote it) so it might be a bit more unless you can find and scavenge some of the things you will need. which isnt as hard as it sounds actually

Edit: formatting

u/chodemessiah · 3 pointsr/knives

What you're referring to is usually called stock-removal. I'd look into Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop

It outlines both forging and stock removal techniques as well as ways to make the necessary equipment on the cheap. (It actually used to be called the $25 knife shop, but it has been updated a good deal and since then the dollar has gone through a good deal of inflation)

What kind of tools do you have right now?

u/F1ghtmast3r · 3 pointsr/lexington

I learned from YouTube. Also a great start is this book. http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956

u/JOBAfunky · 3 pointsr/Blacksmith
u/blaisetheginger · 2 pointsr/knives

You might work on making one for him. It makes it that much more special. I'm actually about to start making a garden knife for my dad as a father's day gift. Texas Knifemaker's Supply has some good steel for fairly low prices and a hacksaw and a bastard mill file along with some good sandpaper and a dremel if you have it can make quick work of the 440C or the ATS34. They are very comparable. Unfortunately they are already annealed so they can dull tools fairly quickly. But that also means the finished knife only needs to be tempered which can be achieved with putting it in an oven at 450 F for 1.5 hours 3 times. You can also buy scales and pretty much any tool or supply you would like from them.

I also recommend the $50 Knife Shop as a general guide to knife making as it has plenty of tips for both forged and stock-removal knives.

u/SJToFA · 2 pointsr/knives

If you start with stock removal rather than forging, it's a lot more feasible for an amateur to get into knife making. But $20-30 dollars for the tools and materials to make a knife is not really a realistic expectation. There is a reason custom knife makers charge what they do for handmade knives.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0896892956/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=27M5TD9S3RT9B&coliid=I1502KH7W916KH

u/zurgonvrits · 2 pointsr/Blacksmith

well if you live in a place where you can set up something small for yourself i highly suggest the $50 knife shop so you can at least practice form.

u/bbb2011 · 2 pointsr/oldschool

Actually if you have a backyard it is a surprisingly easy set up. Check out The $50 dollar knife shop which can be downloaded for free various places.

u/TAPforge · 1 pointr/Bladesmith

there is a book called 50$ knife shop that would be a good start. ABANA also has a level one beginning blacksmithing project guide. I would recomend trying that. its helpful.

as for the cheapest and dirtiest way to forge a knife, take a leaf spring or coil spring heat it up to orange color smash it flat on a flat hard surface (an anvil), forge a point on one end and a tang (handle) on the other. you can attempt to forge bevels too, but that part is hard to do correctly. it is absolutly necesary to beale to forge flat and straight. this is also hard to do. you can grind/ file a bevel from a flat, but you cant grind/ file something from crooked to straight.

once you have a straight flat forged to shape blade you take it to the grinder to remove scale. this can be done with a hand grinder or a belt grinder, but scale will eat belts fast!!! so a hand grinder is more cost efective. with the scale removed you are ready to grind/ file your primary bevel. No grinder? then clamp your blade to a 2x4 and get at it with some files. first establish a bevel then draw file it flat. (remember when draw filing right hand pushes and left hand pulls) once you have the blade filed its time to sand all those ugly marks out. i sand to 220 or so then heat treat...

heat treat... use simple steel like OTS (old truck spring/ 5160) heat to nonmagnetic then quench in warm canola oil. take it out and check with a file. it should slide across it like glass. if the file dosent bite you have a hard blade. now go temper it at around 400 deg for 2 hours twice. (4 hr total)

now you have a heat treated and tempered blade. you can sharpen it and test it now. file or grind your final bevel then sharpen on a stone. go chop some 2x4s and then try to cut some paper. if you got a good edge you should be able to chop multiple 2x4s and still have a sharp blade. if the edge chips or rolls something went wrong. go rebevel the edge and re sharpen. test again. Chips mean the edge is too thin or HT didnt go right. fix your problems hear not later. make a good preforming blade before you make it pretty.

now make it pretty, back to hand sanding. start at 120 and work your way to 400 or so. make sure to completely remove the marks form the previous grit sand paper. before moving to a finer grit. careful not to cut yourself when hand sanding. your blade should be razor sharp by now.

in all honesty id start with stock removal and if you still want to forge knives build up to it. for me forging is easy and fun. its the stock removal part thats the hard work. if you dont mind the stock removal part you will be a lot less frustrated...

u/FreedomFlinch · 1 pointr/Blacksmith

Spike knives are great to practice knifemaking on. They will be decorative however since, as you pointed out, they do not contain enough carbon to heat treat or keep an edge. But do work with them; it's free steel and you can practice how to go about profiling a knife on them.

As far as hammers go, I have known accomplished smiths who are happy with the hammer they picked up at a flea market. I've also known those who have made their own, or those that have bought from Centaur Forge or from other smiths.

It seems everyone has their own idea of what works for them. Quality of steel, balance, and ergonomics are obviously the main priorities, but the rest is up to you.
At this stage, just use what's economical until you start refining your smithing style.

Pick up The Backyard Blacksmith and The $50 Knife Shop. If you've got time, I would also invest in The Art of Blacksmithing, mainly for it's ideas on projects and moving metal.

As for your forge questions, I'm not sure what the best answer is as I primarily work with coal and only occasionally work with gas. The gas forges I use are pretty big, so I don't have experience in your model. Maybe try to stick a RR spike in there, close the doors, and see how it does? You can make small knives for now until you figure out the direction you want to take. Hope this all helped, good luck!