Customer Reviews

Custom Knifemaking

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you want to be Bob Loveless, this isn't your book. If you want to make a decent knife but have no idea where to start, this is your book. If you want to make a few knives and use your hands for every step, start with McCreight's book. If you have already made a few knives and konw what you like, you might find useful information here, but it might not be the one to start with.

I started here. I now own almost all of the knifemaking books on the market and all of them have useful information. This is still the one I go to for inspiration when I want variety. The 10 different projects are presented from the viewpoint of a jeweler who wants to make a few knives with many techniques adapted from silversmithing, rather than the more usual machinist-knifemaker books that start by telling you to get a milling machine and a belt grinder. For beginners and people who want to use their hands, this book is very good.

The knives are a little rough (your first few will be rough, no matter what book you use, so don't worry about that), but functional. The hollow-handle survival knife is probably the one that needs the most revision. I just don't trust the soldered attachment of tang to handle.

In all, I suggest this book to more people than any other. After this one, I would send folks to David Boye's book, then to Blackie Collins' (yes, I know it is out of print, but look for it). The Loveless book is the fourth on my personal list. It required a machine shop to make a knife like Bob Loveless and that is just out of the scope of a beginner. McCreight on the other hand, has a book that is specifically for beginners. Start here.

As books for the beginning knifemaker go "10 projects" is an excelent place to start. Tim McCreight has done a good job of selecting a variety of interesting projects of different skill levels for the novice. Each project is designed to bring a new aspect of knife making to light, and in doing so present a very rounded beginning. I have only two problems which I think the book fails to address. First, the depth of information concerning cutlery and its production could fill several volumes. I believe that Mr. McCreight would have been better served to concentrate on the stock removal method first, so that the finishing and grinding aspects of knife production could be understood in full. Then proceed to the forge and show the transition therefore giving a distinct break and an opportunity for the student to explore the skills involved. The second difficulty I have with this work is that some of the instuctions are difficult to follow and require alot of practice to pull off successfully. Other than that is is a well written and comprehensive work. and although not my first choice for a beginner it is a valuable tool for projects and tecniques.

Ten projects from a master craftsman provide enlightening details on how to make a range of knives - and remain unique instructions, keeping Custom Knifemaking: 10 Projects From A Master Craftsman active on the list of recommended picks even years after publication. From kitchen paring knives and forged camp knives to pocket knives and wilderness skinning knives, Custom Knifemaking provides tempering, soldering, and fitting details available in few other references.

This book is a great introduction to knifemaking with good projects arranged in order of difficulty. It keeps things simple and easy to understand without previous experience in metalwork. While it may not have much discussion on the different properties of different steels, I don't feel that including that information would really serve the purpose of the book, which is basically to teach a complete beginner how to make a knife. It does get into more complex techniques at the end, such as forging and pattern-welding, if you want to get a little more invested in the craft.

Also, this book is great for an intro to basic metalworking skills such as cutting, filing, drilling, sanding, soldering, and forging. It covers about everything we did in my first semester of Metals 101 (with the exception of more complex soldering).

Getting into knifemaking as a way of hobby or extra money can quickly turn into a expensive undertaking just for materials. Tim offers a way of starting out with inexpensive materials and very good instructions on producing expert quality at an affordable price. Tim gives good diagrams and pictures on a good assortment of folding and fixed blade knives. Very good step by step directions. All in all a very good book. Thanks Tim.

This book has 10 different custom made knife projects that are easy to follow, and give in depth information about not only how to make a knife, but also how to use common materials and tools to make your creation.

I bought this book when it first came out in 1985.I think it is an excellent book for beginning knifemakers.It covers very well the tools and techniques of knifemaking. Then it offers 10 different projects step by step to make many different and very useful knife designs.I have just purchased one for my young nephew. I have several other books by Tim McCreight that are excellent.

This is my favorite of the 3 books I got on knifemaking....Well written......For the laymen....A lot of cool projects/knives...

Being a blacksmith wanting to break into bladesmithing, I bought this book, along with several others on the subject. I read it, along with all the others. I've had some time to work into the craft and I've come to a few conclusions. Tim McCreight is obviously a talented craftsman and knows how to manipulate metal. He's not a bladesmith, however. Most of the techniques provided will indeed produce a knife and practicing the techniques offered may very well help an aspiring bladesmith work his way into the craft. There are a few issues to watch out for, however. The most obvious of these is that in the heat-treating stage, McCreight advises that the blade be swirled around the quenching liquid in a stirring motion. This is very likely to cause warping. There's also very little discussion about the qualities of various types of steel, and the author generally refers to whatever "tool steel" you can get. The book might well have benefited from a short discussion about the various properties of common blade steels (o1, 5160, W2, etc) and pointed the reader to other sources where he could learn more.

At the end of the day, this is an alright book to have, but not one I'd recommend to a beginner. One of Wayne Goddard's books is probably the best start, and once the aspiring bladesmith has the physics of bladesmithing down, he can pick up a copy of this book on the cheap for the exploded diagrams of furniture and fittings, which were well done. Again, in short, this is a book for the beginner that has already spent some time with a hammer in his hands.

I am a Beginning Knife Maker. I intend on doing mostly Handles, however, after reading the book, I must say, it has sparked my interest in fabbing a knife all together.
I thought the book was absolutely the BEST. I had many questions that I so far haven't found in any other text. The 10 projects shed light on all aspects of the build. My questions were answered. Many tips and drawings as well as illustrations.
You should be set straight after reading this one.
Great for a Beginner and as a Refresher 101 for the Intermediates.
I checked it out of the Library- liked it so well, that now I intend on purchasing it to have as a reference book.