Knifemaking Intro - One Day Class

Come learn the art of making a knife. The purpose of this class is to introduce the process of basic knife making using the tools available at ShopSpace. In class, students will learn to layout a basic knife design and bring it to life via the stock removal method. Students will complete a knife from start to finish to take home. ShopSpace provides all of the materials and tools.

In the first half of the class, you will cut out your design on a 1½" x 8” piece of high-carbon steel and grind the basic shape and bevels. Following rough grinding, handle wood will be selected and prepared. Heat treating will be performed to harden the blade.

In the second half, you will finalize the blade grinding, secure the handle to the blade, and finish up the surfaces.

This will be a fast paced class and time and design parameters will be observed so that every student has time to complete his or her knife in the time allotted. This class will be taught by a ShopSpace instructor—they may or may not be a professional bladesmith, but they will be trained and qualified on the proper use of ShopSpace equipment and the steps for this class. You are encouraged to design a basic knife before coming to the first class. Your design should fit within a 1.5” x 8” x ⅛” thick piece of steel. Keep it simple! You should not expect to make a perfect knife the first time. Adding complex details will cut down on the time you have to shape and refine your blade and handle. There will be a book of designs available during class to help inspire you if you don’t come to the class with an idea.

Due to time constraints, discussions about alternative processes and technical factors may be abbreviated to fit the time allotted. We may require that additional discussions to be taken offline in order to keep the class moving.

Please note that you must have taken either the Fabrication Intro or Forging Intro class before you can register for this course.