This is a short instructable showing you the steps to make a gut hook knife.

Step 1: Materials and Tools

The Materials

Blade - Steel 3/16" - I've seen people use lawn mower blades or you can purchase the steel off eBay and temper it yourself. The steel came off an 5000lb piece of switchgear that I acquired from a jobsite.

Wood
Finish Nail

Tools

Metal Bandsaw
Sharpie
Pencil
wood Glue
Grinder
Vice
Sand paper 80-6000 grit
Hammer
Drill and bits

Step 2: Design

Choose a design and start by drawing onto the steel with a sharpie.

Step 3: Cutting and Shaping

- Once you have your final design drawn, cut the steel using a metal saw such as a bandsaw.

- Grind a slit for the gut hook. If your design requires holes in the blade, drill them now.

Step 4: Grinding and Sanding the Blade

- Place the knife in a vice and grind the blade to desired shape. Don't make the blade to thin or the metal will start to fold on itself.

- Sand the blade from 80-6000 grit

Step 5: The Handle

- Trace the handle using a pencil on the desired wood.

- Cut the wood a little bigger than the metal handle so you can sand it flush later.

- Once cut, drill holes the size of the finish nail into the wood and metal.

- Cut the finish nail 1/8" bigger than the wood and metal put together.

- Glue the wood onto the metal.

- Hammer the Nail on an anvil or hard surface. Be careful not to crack handle! This makes the nail flare on both sides to fasten the handles to the metal.

Step 6: Sharpening and Finshing

- Let the glue dry

- Shape the wood around the metal handle.

- Once sanded, clean the wood and finish it with stain or preferred finish.

- Enjoy!