Whether you’re a beginner or a professional knifemaker, you need to know how to cut knife blanks for your projects. These pre-shaped blades are ideal for cutting tangs, file work, or engraving.
There are a few different ways to cut knife blanks, but a few things you need to know. First, make sure the lines and shapes of your blade are at least 1.5 times the material thickness apart.
Laser Cutting
Laser cutting uses a high-powered beam of light to cut materials into custom shapes and designs. The process can be used for a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, wood, gemstones, and paper.
Lasers are produced as either pulsed beams or continuous wave beams. The choice of one depends on the requirements of a particular application, as well as the material properties being worked with.
During a laser cutting process, the high-powered beam of energy is focused into a small spot, called the focal point. The beam’s intensity is then transmitted through the workpiece, heating or melting it as it passes.
Waterjet Cutting
Waterjet cutting is a very efficient and versatile cutting process that can be used to cut a wide variety of materials. This technique uses a high-pressure stream of water with a granular abrasive to produce smooth, burr-free edges.
It can also be used to create a variety of shapes, holes and precise edges for different types of products. For example, pink fiberglass insulation, rigid foam board insulation and boats all use waterjet cutting to create cleanly cut sections.
Unlike other cutting techniques, waterjet cutting is completely dust-free and does not emit any strong odors or fumes. This makes it an environmentally friendly option and more manufacturers are using it for a wide range of applications.
Waterjet cutting also offers an increase in operating efficiency because you can switch between materials without changing tools. This allows workshops to cut materials quicker, thereby increasing their profitability. Additionally, it requires little edge treatment or secondary finishing after the cut is made, which means you can get started on your next project sooner.
Pre-Cut Blanks
Pre-cut knife blanks are a great option for both novice and professional knife makers. They allow you to complete your project faster and eliminate the need to create a knife blade from scratch.
A good quality pre-cut knife blank can be purchased for a fraction of what it would cost to create one from scratch. Besides being affordable, pre-cut blanks also reduce the risk of a bad cut.
A variety of different styles, sizes, and colors are available. You can even style them to match your outfit or theme! These blanks are perfect for all sorts of projects, including keychains, pendants, and more.
Final Words
A good knife maker will use a number of techniques in the pursuit of a winning finish. They might even contract out the profile cutting to a shop with state of the art equipment. Depending on the budget they may opt for a hacksaw, file, belt grinder or two, or a oxy-acetylene torch. Some of these methods are esoteric and most of them have been around for a long time. The most expensive method entails using a large sized, high speed steel tool that is in the tens of thousands of dollars. The best part about this is it can be used to profile a number of different blanks, allowing for the best of both worlds quality and cost. The resulting products are some of the most functional and visually appealing knives we’ve ever laid hands on.