How to Make a Survival Knife From a Sawblade

This tutorial is how to make a survival/hunting knife using a few basic materials. It cost me nothing since I already had an old sawblade laying around.

SUPPLIES...

Circular Saw Blade
Dremel Tool with attachments
Safety Glasses


Other Optional Supplies:
Fine Sandpaper
Steel Wool
Steel File/s
Gloves
Wood (for handle)

Step 1: Drawing the Pattern

When drawing the pattern, keep in mind that you should save room for a handle. Besides that the possibilities are almost limitless. I used a black sharpie marker and drew directly on the blade. 

Step 2: Cutting the Blade

This is probably the hardest step. Keep following your pattern and be prepared to go through about 15-20 light cut-off disks (if you use better disks, you will save yourself a lot of time)  If your dremel has variable speed settings, turn it to the highest speed. This step takes a lot of time so take some breaks in between.

Step 3: Sanding

The blade at this point should look pretty crude. If you have a sanding bit attachment for your dremel, it works perfectly. Otherwise use another tool or use rough graded sandpaper and steel wool.

Step 4: Polishing

After the blade is sanded down, it is time to polish it. I prefer using soft grade sandpaper and steel wool instead of power tools. After polishing, apply a thin coat of oil. Motor oil and vegetable oil both work great. The oil will also help prevent rust.

Step 5: Handle

The handle material can be almost any material you want. Wood, plastic, rubber and even string can all make great handles. Mine is made out of a single strand of paracord. If you prefer a more "permanent" handle, take two thin slabs of wood and use two to three rivets to bolt them together.

Step 6: Finished Knife

The finished knife is very satisfactory. It took me two afternoons to make but it was worth it. Its solid and very lightweight. I am thinking about making a sheath to match. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Please rate and comment! :)

If you made a knife like this, put a picture below for others to see.