# Choose a dremel or an angle grinder for knife making?



## milkbaby (Oct 6, 2016)

After making a few sayas by hand tools only, I decided to try making knives. Steel and wood are ordered and I'm gathering up the tools that I plan to use. Going to do stock removal making.

I was planning to use a hand saw to cut the blade out of the metal and files to set the bevels. I would also be using these tools to cut and shape wood for the handles (going to start with wood scales and full tang handles but eventually want to try making wa handles). But I got to thinking that for less than $100, a dremel or angle grinder could help speed things up a lot.

As I prefer to only buy one of these power tools at the moment, which one do you think would be the most useful for making knives?


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## chefcomesback (Oct 6, 2016)

Belt sander


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## Matus (Oct 6, 2016)

If you do not have a drill press, than I would start there. The next logical tool is belt sander. You can get a small one in 1x30" size for under $100. 

Actually - if you check out my signature, than you will find a few articles on this very topic - I have started with knifemaking (stock removal) this spring 

I think it is super cool to make knives yourself - so have fun!


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## Matus (Oct 6, 2016)

I forgot to mention - I did not need dremel really yet (it would be a 'nice to have') and angle grinder will make sense once yo will want to cout out several blanks out of steel at the same timie. I did that once and needed 30 minutes to produce 8 roughly cut blanks. But at that point you want to have a belt sander as you will need to 'clean' those roughly cut blanks. Again - 1x30" will do that job with ease.

In principle you can build a simple jig to grind blades by hand with a file (I have an article on that too), but I find that it is more suitable for outdoor knives than kitchen knives, it does allow for a very exact work and has less steep learning curve than a belt sander and it is MUCH easier to make a consistent, nicely looking bevels on outdoor knives. I used it for one kitchen knife and it worked, but there the belt sander - even if a small one - is the better and faster tool.


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## jessf (Oct 6, 2016)

Ive got a first gen dremel still going strong and i've used it sparingly for knife making. Really only for choil contouring. Best choice between the two options you posted is the grinder 100%


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## milkbaby (Oct 6, 2016)

I had been investigating the Harbor Freight belt sander that's about $70, but the majority of reviews are terrible. A lot of people say that only two or three pounds of pressure against the belt are enough to stop it.

Is there actually a cheap belt sander under $100 that will work?


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## Matus (Oct 6, 2016)

You have to live with that - you only get about 1/3 hp from the grinder. I have pretty much the same one and of course it can not hog the steel away like a 3hp machine. But it can be used for a knife or two per month. Later you will want at leat 2x42" and ideally 2x72", but those cost much more (Grizzly being the cheapest alternative for about $600)


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## milkbaby (Oct 6, 2016)

OK, i just went to amazon and see the Grizzly 1x30 for about $110, it's in my cart. There's the Wen 4 x 36 for only $80, so I'm guessing there's a trade off there in quality and/or power?


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## jessf (Oct 6, 2016)

The problem with the 1" models is they use a larger flywheel than the motor can spin when you place force against the 1" wide belt. At the same time my cheapo 2x18" handheld belt sander has less hp but a smaller flywheel and a wider belt. I can push pretty hard on that before it even slows down. If you want a belt sander and dont want to invest in a big unit, a $100 handheld will do the trick and offer a wide range of belt grids and abrasive options without having to order online, generally.


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## milkbaby (Oct 7, 2016)

I ended up buying the Grizzly before I read your reply, jessf. Thanks for the explanation, I am always wanting to learn as much as possible! 

Thanks to Matus (awesome blog!), chef/Mert (awesome knives!), and jessf (awesome WIP thread!) for sharing their knowledge! Jessf's "The tusk" thread, which is still ongoing, was a major inspiration for me to get into trying to do this, thank you!

I'll have more questions when all my orders arrive! :bigeek:


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## jessf (Oct 7, 2016)

Have fun.


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