blade for making knife

[Brian Deakin]

I am in the process of making a marking knife, I was thinking of using a piece of bandsaw blade to use for marking the knife blade

Can anyone please advice on which type of bandsaw blade would make the best choice as a blank for the blade



regards Brian

[Stephen Pereira]

What kind of a knife are you making?

A bandsaw blade is pretty thin and by the time you grind off the teeth there isn't much left.

You might consider a hacksaw blade..even better a power hacksaw blade.

[Richard McComas]

Quite a few years ago I bought and expensive three knife set of marking knives from Garrett Wade. They pretty much set in a drawer and when I want to mark something I reach for my trusty exacto knife.

Fine Woodworking did a review of marking knives including the exacto knife and concluded the exacto knife worked as well as any of the marking knives reviewed.

[Peter Quinn]

I use a cheap little Swiss chip carving knife mynself, but a guy at work has made them out of strapping irons from the packs of wood, heavier BS blades, sazall blades, just about anything in the .040"-.060" thickness. They are plenty rigid even at that thickness as there isn't a lot of projection nor a lot of down pressure needed for marking. I think something in the 3/4" width seems about right. His look like Japanese style marking knives but work from both sides, almost like a large exacto blade.

[David Thompson 27577]

Peter mentioned the use of sawzall blades -- great idea. I'd probably start with "The Ax", a Lennox-brand sawzall blade. Good thickness, great stiffness......

(I have no affiliation.........)

[george wilson]

Wouldn't hurt to check your spelling. Never heard of a MAKING knife.

[Justin Bukoski]

I save my dull jigsaw blades to grind for marking knives.

[Russell Sansom]

A good source for small tools is old small files. I don't know anything about modern file metallurgy, but some of the steel I've inherited from grandfathers and great-grandfathers have made remarkable tools. I've had good luck annealing them, working them to shape, then re-hardening and tempering.

[Brian Deakin]

The piece of bandsaw blade I have is 1.5 mm thick(carbon steel) This similar in thickness to the blade on a Blue Spruce marking knife
see below

Blue Spruce Toolworks marking knives and awls are the finest marking tools available. The single bevel, spear-point marking knife blades are made from hardened and tempered A2 tool steel to take and hold a keen edge for razor sharp layout lines. The small marking knife is now available with two blade thicknesses. The standard blade is a very thin 1/32" thick (0.8mm) and is designed for small dovetails in stock up to 0.8 inch (20mm) thick. The small marking knife also is available with an ULTRA-THIN .020 inch ((.5 mm) thick blade for marking single entry dovetails. The large marking knife has a 1/16 inch (1.6mm) thick blade and can be used with stock up to 2 inches (50mm) thick.

Further I could use an old hacksaw blade ,a piece of carbon steel band saw blade or a piece of m42 bandsaw blade
I note that Blue Spruce use A2 steel is it worth going to the trouble of obtaining a supply of this

Which one of these materials would make the best blade

regards Brian

[Brian Deakin]

I am making a knife similar to the Blue Spruce marking knifes

regards Brian

[Bill McDermott]

Following an idea I picked up somewhere along the line, I made mine from a spade bit. You can buy an individual bit at any hardware store. It was not much work to file it into the shape I wanted; a single-bevel, dual-edge, spear point. Easy to sharpen and holds an edge well enough for a marking knife.

The main reason I recommend considering this is the ease of handling. Just drill a hole in an interesting chunk of scrap wood. Epoxy the round tang in the round hole. Then have some fun whittling a custom shaped handle.

I've attached a photo. White Oak Marking Knife (scrap from the banister project). The other one is some sort of metal working reamer from Grandpa Mack's bench drawer full of odds and end and a bit of Holly from my brother's back yard. It's my Marking Awl.

Love these quick and easy home made tools.

[george wilson]

Unless you are experienced and equipped with a proper heat treating oven,you aren't going to harden A2 without ending up with a soft surface on it. Why not just make the blade out of an old HSS jointer knife? If you put a long bevel on the blade,the 1/8" thickness won't matter. I'd rather not have a marking knife made of thin,flexible metal that might bend and side track off into the wood's grain.

[Brian Deakin]

Thank you for your reply I will do what you suggest and obtain an old HSS planer knife

regards Brian

[Brian Deakin]

Thank you for all your replies .I will use an old HSS planer knife as suggested by George

regards Brian