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Knife-making requires more than skill and experience – you need tools actually to make a knife. Before you can continue on your Knife-making journey, you need to make sure that you have the right tools. When you first start, you don't need to invest tons of money to have all the tools you can find. First, start with the tools that you need! However, half of the tools you might be using at first might be in your basement or garage.

Let's discuss some tools you will need and how they perform in production Knife-making, and you can determine how essential each one is to the type of Knife-making operation you have in mind;

This is one of the most useful tools in a workshop. Why? With this tool, you cannot only use it for cutting knives, but it can also be useful for annealing and tempering them.

Also, in cases where you have long steel, however, you just need about ten inches long, the Oxy-acetylene torch can be used to cut the steel.

The workbench is your primary workspace, as a larger percentage of your work in making a knife will be carried out on the workbench. You may also use it as a mounting table for your other tools that you will be using while working.

However, if you are not planning on getting a workbench immediately, you can improvise with a sturdy table. It can also serve the function of the workbench.

Note: It is vital to make sure that your workbench is very firm to the ground so that it does not move around, especially while you are working on something very delicate. You can attempt different means like hammering it to the floor or resting it at the back of a wall. However the case may be, just make sure that you are working towards making it firm on the ground.

There are three main factors to consider; Phase, Voltage, and Amperage. When setting up your workshop, you must consider those three factors before doing your workshop wiring.

You should also consider the amount of power that your lights and motors will use.

Why should you note these?

If your machines are not correctly wired, you run the risk of blowing a fuse or Circuit breaker. You may also ruin a good motor, risk dangerous electric shock, or cause a fire. You can get the electric requirements of each motor on the identification plate.

Phase: Electricity is usually in phases. It could be either in three-phase or a single phase. The three-phase is used to power some production industries, while the single-phase is used for some light industry and residential power. The three-phase is more efficient.

You need to know the type of phase you are using with the machines in your workshop. For instance, be sure to run single-phase motors only on three-phase juice and single-phase motors only on single-face juice. Do not use a machine for the wrong power source. So make sure you know all the power requirements for any machine or motors you want to run in your workshop.

Voltage: This is the measure of electrical pressure available in your workshop. When you know the number of volts running in your workshop, you won't run a motor with lower volts, for example, one hundred and eighty volts.

Amperage: This is a measure of the flow of electricity. You should note that while the voltage in a system is essentially constant, the amperage varies based on the electric fixture's pull. Each circuit in your workshop should be fused to the amount of amperage it can safely carry. A circuit should not have more amperage than it can carry. So to make sure that each circuit is carrying the appropriate amperage, you can check the amperage of each of your electrical circuits to make sure that your total draw of electricity is less.

As a beginner, you don't have to get this tool right away. It is a multi-functional tool, and it is useful in your Knife-making journey. The angle grinder can be used for grinding and profiling your blade. Regardless, it can serve other purposes like cutting steel as well.

This tool is essential for you to make knives as you will need a container for holding liquid to cool down your hot metal. You should have two quenches in your workshop. One of them should contain vegetable oil, and the other should contain water. So when you are working on metal and want to cool it down when you are done, or you need to cool it down a little bit before you continue, you just need to dip the metal into the quench.

Note: If you want to cool down your hot metal with the quench containing oil, ensure that your quench container is fire-proof because it can catch fire when you put the hot metal in it. If the container is fire-proof, you will prevent unnecessary fire accidents. Ensure your quench also has a lid to cut off the oxygen flow if there's a need to do so.

A drill press can be used for making holes in your material. However, if you don't have a drill press, you can use your hand drill in your garage. You just need to purchase a drill press frame with a clamp to hold your hand drill in place. This way you will spend less, and go about your work.

You will need an anvil for straightening the blades you are working with. The anvil surface should have a slightly concave part, referred to as a very shallow mold. It can be used for straightening blades with minimal hammer force.

The fantastic thing about files is that you get to use them for both your metal blade and your wooden handle. Files are very convenient for doing small tasks such as fine-tuning your knife's handle. Having a variety of files around gives you the option of using whatever is appropriate to get the job done.

Without a micrometer, gauging the thickness of the edge of a knife is just guesswork! You might be right sometimes, but you would not be one hundred percent sure. With a micrometer, you will be able to know the exact thickness of a piece of steel.

The Belt Grinder tool can shape a knife handle, grinding bevels, et cetera. Though the Belt Grinder is similar to the Angle Grinder, it is a huge time saver, and it is very flexible and easy to control compared to the latter. One clear difference between the Belt Grinder and the Angle Grinder is that with the Angle Grinder, you have to constantly re-adjust your blade's clamping while you don't have to with a Belt Grinder. If you will invest in one tool as a Knifemaker, I recommend getting a Belt Grinder. It makes your Knife-making experience less stressful!

This tool is a rectangular metal box lined with soft fire bricks on the side and heated by one or more electrical elements. The Electric Kiln can be used to heat a blade evenly and completely while giving off no fumes to impregnate the surface or the steel. Once the electric kiln is heated fully, it should be capable of the knife up to the appropriate temperature within minutes. The tool allows convenient placement and removal of knives.

The forge could be used in place of an Electric Kiln to temper the blades. To use the forge, set the knife in the coals on edge, with the cutting edge directed upwards so it will be heated evenly.