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 .