D.I.Y. Neck Knives....

Intro: D.I.Y. Neck Knives....

Okiedokie....so you have some spare time and a dull circular saw blade layin' in the floor of your "shop"....

Here's how to fashion a quality neck knife, better than any Chinese-made garbage you get at the hunting store...with stronger materials, and cheaper, to-boot.....

Remember this: MOST neck knives on the market are made from low-quality, Chinese steel, are half or less tang, and cost between $19 and $50....
Quality saw blades are high-carbon steel, tempered to resist breakage and wear, and cost nothing to save from the garbage

Hope you enjoy the 'ible, and please check out my website www.htwtusa.com!

STEP 1: Tools & Materials....

For this project, you'll need a few basics....

*angle grinder with cutoff wheel or metal band saw, etc...
*bench grinder...
*drill and steel-cutting bit...
*disc or belt sander...
*sharpening stone or implement...
*tool wax...
*550 paracord...
*scrap kydex or plastic sheet (old plastic Nintendo sleeves work well, also)...
*plastic tool hande dip...
*carbon- tempered circular-saw blade (no cheap stamped steel garbage)...

STEP 2: Designing Your Blank...

When choosing a design....go for form and function...the coolest looking knives are often crap in the real world.... For a symmetrical design, use a piece of paper -folded in two- for your template....draw a 1/2 profile of your desired blade blank, and cut it out. When it's unfolded, you'll get a truly symmetrical template.

Once it's satisfactory, choose a good spot on your saw blade, and super-glue it to the surface...

I also draw around the template with permanent marker, so if the paper comes off, I'm not without a map....

STEP 3: Roughing It...

Grab your gloves, glasses, ear plugs, dust mask, and angle grinder with cutoff wheel and get to hacking.....you can be pretty rough at this phase, just remove as much material as possible, "feathering" the rough edge, so that the final pass with the bench grinder will be easier on the metal, your hands, and the grinder....

Just remember: The inside of that little black line is your "limit-ine"....go past that, and you're no longer within the parameters of your perfectly symmetrical blank....

STEP 4: Cleaning Up the Blank....

Now take your blank to the bench grinder and clean it up until it follows your profile marks...

Keep a pot of water handy, to quench frequently....or you'll disrupt the temper of the blade steel by getting it too hot...my rule of thumb is: If you can't handle it with bare fingers, it's already way past too hot...

Then drill two holes in the center of the profile, both at the front and rear of the handle...I used a 3/16" steel bit, then smoothed the holes with a Dremmel and tapered stone, so they won't fray the paracord wrap.

Once the shape is right, and the holes are drilled and smoothed, let it rest lightly on both sides against a belt sander or disc sander with some 180-200 grit, to deburr and remove tool scratches...

Now's also a good time to pre-form your blade edge, though I would wait for sharpening until the last step, for safety.

STEP 5: Handle Wrap...

Before wrapping your handle, I'd recommend giving the blank a good oil bath and a rub-down with some tool wax, to guard against corrosion, especially from sweat, when worn...

Then, grab about 5 feet of 550 paracord and feed it through the front hole. From there, cobra wrap toward the rear hole, pass your strands through, in opposite directions, of course, tie a square knot, and clip and burn the ends about 6' or so from the knot.....

STEP 6: The Sheath and Neck Lanyard...

Grab up whatever plastic derivative you've scrounged, and fashion your sheath for a tight fit.....

I follow the shape of the blade with a pattern of holes, then stitch it together with paracord gut strands....then I dip the whole thing in plastic tool coat and wait overnight. Then I install a neck lanyard to fit.

I also insert and epoxy a cut-to-fit piece of business card magnet-backing, for blade retention when suspended from the neck...

Last order is to grab the stone and a piece of 1500 grit paper and put an edge on it that'll mow hair!

STEP 7: Rinse and Repeat...

You should be able to get at least 3-4 blades of this size from one saw blade, when laid out properly...

Mix it up and build your own blade...this one will last a looong time...

If you're planning on making more than one of a design...perfect a blank, mark it as such, and use it over and over again to jig nice clones...

Thanks for checking out my fourth "instructible", and don't forget to come visit my site at www.htwtusa.com .

Comments

[ShoneDemonscales]

Ok, in Texas and most other states, the legal length for a knife is 5" it cannot be double bladed and yes a serrated blade still counts as blade. The mans palm this is some BS that people try to use as a benchmark. cops will whip out a tape measure, keep it below 5 and only one side of it can have an edge. :) happy hunting

[qwerty2008]

California allows any size fixed blade knife and up to 6" concealed knives

[DamascusSword247]

To clarify, it is legal to carry a knife that's longer than four inches. It becomes illegal though to carry any knife or weapon when the intent is to intimidate or cause bodily harm. Thats the rule in washington

[HTWTUSA]

What he said...and remember: that's specifically for your EDC blade...I have an Arkansas Toothpick and several Kabars which exceed these length limits, but they are reserved specifically for outdoor activities and S&P...

Carrying anything bigger than five inches around with you every day is asking for one of two things: Trouble, or discomfort...xD

[ZaneEricB]

Very Very Very nice!.... I'm gonna take a swing at this...maybe this weekend! Thanks!!

[grawson]

Turned out great. Made my own design and ran with it. Needs a sheath!

[HTWTUSA]

I figured it would be kind of silly to post another "instructible" for a knife made with the same process, but thought you guys might like a looksie at my latest design, anyway, so....enjoy.......it just goes to illustrate one of the many adaptations which can be made with this simple platform and process....

[CementTruck]

My next dull saw blade will be reincarnated as a "Karambit" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karambit.

[deadpooltacos]

karambits are pretty awesome knives, you definitely need to make one.

[HTWTUSA]

Definitely a great application of this process...I would love to see the finished project.

[triumphman]

The "Blade" movie ?

[harmsc12]

Looks like something a Klingon would use.

[triumphman]

Riddick wants one of these! "It's a personal grooming device"

[imakeknives]

SWEET! that looks str8 out of a Riddick movie!

[abadfart]

i was about to say the same thing  

[crayzclown1]

EPIC! It reminds me of a spyderco...

[rocksalt2342]

...have you read 'the dirt eaters', by any chance?

[HTWTUSA]

nope

[rocksalt2342]

well, you should. It describes a sword just like that, except a bit longer.

[HTWTUSA]

i'll haffta check it out...