Knife making tools: what you need, by method and budget Ad

The knife making tools you need depend on two choices: how you shape the blade (grind it from flat bar, or forge it hot) and how much you want to spend. You can make a good first knife with files, a vice, a drill and about £150 of kit. You don't need a £1,000 grinder to start, and most experienced makers say you shouldn't buy one until you've made a few knives.

This guide is for beginners in the UK, the US and anywhere else who want a straight answer on what to buy, in what order, and where the money is wasted. It covers both methods, every budget step from hand files to a 2x72 belt grinder, and the kit you should never skimp on.

If you'd rather have a list built for you, the tool-list builder (coming soon) asks your method, budget, steel and country and gives you a shopping list in the right order.

Knife making tools at a glance

The totals marked "estimate" are our own, built from dated item prices in the sources below. Grinder prices are retail prices seen in October 2026.

Stock removal or forging: which method needs fewer tools?

Stock removal means cutting the knife's shape out of flat bar steel and grinding or filing the bevels. It needs fewer tools, less space and no fire beyond what you use for heat treatment. Almost every beginner should start here.

Forging means heating the steel and hammering it to shape, then finishing it with the same stock removal kit. So forging doesn't replace grinding tools; it adds a forge, an anvil, a hammer and tongs on top of them. Blacksmiths call these the core four.

If you're not sure, start with stock removal. A forged knife still ends up on the files or the grinder, so nothing you buy for stock removal is wasted if you move to forging later.

What tools do you need to make a knife by stock removal?

The core list is short. Forum veterans on both sides of the Atlantic give almost the same answer: files, a file guide, a decent vice, clamps, a drill and bits, a hacksaw, and lots of abrasive paper [1] [2]. One long-time maker put it simply: "a few files and a side grinder are all you really need to begin" [3].

Here's the stock removal kit by workshop stage:

• Layout: printed template, layout fluid (or a permanent marker), a scribe, a square and calipers. A height gauge or a drill bit trick marks the edge centreline [4].
• Profiling: hacksaw with bi-metal blades, files, and later an angle grinder or belt sander.
• Bevels: a 10" or 12" (250–300 mm) flat bastard file and a file guide (jig).
• Drilling: a pillar drill (drill press) is best; a hand drill works with care. Cobalt bits cope better with hard steel [5].
• Heat treatment: a heat source, a magnet, quench oil and a container with a lid, and a kitchen oven with an oven thermometer for tempering. Or post the blade to a heat treater.
• Handle: scales, pin stock, slow-setting epoxy, clamps.
• Finishing and sharpening: wet-and-dry paper from 120 to 600 grit or finer, a combination whetstone and a strop.
• Safety: eye protection, hearing protection, a proper respirator and a fire extinguisher (see the safety section).

Use our free 1:1 knife templates for the layout stage. The First knife template is designed to be finished with only a hacksaw, files and a filing jig.

How much do knife making tools cost? The stock removal budget ladder

Each step up the ladder adds speed. The big jump in productivity comes at the 2x72 grinder, not at the steps in between.

Step A: hand tools (about £100–200 / $100–150)

A US maker estimated "$100–$150 for everything" if you scavenge [1]. We found no single UK source for a total, so the £100–200 range is our estimate from item prices. This is the route our how to make a knife guide follows.

What to buy: Bahco 5-piece Ergo engineers file set, 8"Tooled-Up or Nicholson 10" mill bastard fileJantz, a hardened file guide with carbide facesAmazon (or make one), a Draper 45230 100 mm engineers bench viceTooled-Up (about £60 direct from Draper in October 2026 [6]), two or three G-clamps, a Bahco 319 hacksawAmazon, and an assortment of wet and dry paper, 120–3000 gritAmazon.

Good files matter more than anything else at this stage. Kevin Cashen's advice was to "buy the best you can afford, since cheap files cost more over time" [2].

Step B: add an angle grinder (+£40–80 estimate)

A 115 mm (4½") angle grinder with thin cutting discs and 40-grit zirconia flap discs speeds up profiling and rough bevels. Flap discs are cheap: a 10-pack of 40-grit sold for $12.86 at Home Depot in October 2026 [7].

The catch is control. UK makers warn that an angle grinder "can ruin a blade quickly if used carelessly" [8]. Use it for roughing out, then go back to files for the final bevels.

Typical picks: Makita GA4530R 115 mm angle grinderAmazon (UK) or DeWalt DWE402 4½" angle grinderAmazon (US), plus 40-grit zirconia flap discsAmazon and 1 mm metal cutting discsAmazon. More in our angle grinder guide.

Step C: a 1x30 belt sander (£84–102 / $68–210)

The Clarke CBS1-5B (1" × 762 mm belt, 250 W) is the classic UK starting machine at £84–102 [9] [8]. In the US the WEN 1x30 has sold for about $68 on deal (undated) [10], and Vevor's variable-speed 1x30 was $209.90 in October 2026 [11].

It's useful for profiling and shaping handles. For bevels, makers are blunt: one called the table gaps "dangerous and frustrating" [3], and Ed Caffrey said buying 1" machines is "just throwing that money away" [12]. If you buy one, treat it as a stopgap. See 1x30 vs 2x72.

Step D: a 2x48 or a bench grinder conversion (~$649 in the US)

The Kalamazoo KZ448 2x48 is a proper made-in-USA machine at $649 from Jantz [13]. In the UK, 84 Engineering's Shop Mate 48 and the Multitool 2x36 bench-grinder attachment fill this slot, but we couldn't find current prices [14].

A 2x48 is fine "if you verify belt availability first" [3]. Contact wheels and accessories for it are limited, which is why most makers skip this step.

Step E: a variable-speed 2x72 (~$780 upwards)

The 2x72 (50 × 1830 mm belt) is the standard because belts and accessories are cheap and easy to find. One veteran pointed out that 72" belts cost little more than 48" ones, so they're cheaper per inch, and that a 2x72 resells for most of what you paid [3].

Vevor's 2x72 with a VFD (variable frequency drive, for speed control) sold for $779.90–1,099.99 in October 2026, depending on the bundle [15]. In the UK, the most-cited in-stock option is the 84 Engineering grinder from Multitool Products [16]. Premium US machines run from about $1,900 to over $3,500.

Our belt grinder guide compares every size in detail.

What tools do you need for forging knives?

Forging adds the core four (forge, anvil, hammer, tongs) plus usually a leg vice. Experts rank spending in this order: knowledge or a class, known steel, quench oil, the core four, then files and a grinder [17] [2].

All tier totals are our estimates from the item prices cited: forges [18] [19], anvils [20] [21], hammers [22], tongs [23]. Induction forges start at £1,800 inc VAT for a 15 kW unit, plus a water chiller [24].

A few points that save money and grief:

• Avoid cast-iron "anvil-shaped objects". Cheap cast-iron anvils are brittle or soft; any solid steel block is a better first anvil [20] [17]. Buy cast steel or forged, never cast iron.
• A cheap gas forge is fine, but seal it. Forum opinion rates Devil Forge as a bargain first forge that still needs a seal coat [19].
• UK gas fittings differ. EU regulators don't fit UK propane bottles, so budget for a UK regulator and a long hose [25].

Our forging pillar, forges guide and anvils guide go into each item.

What should you buy first?

Buy in this order, and stop at each step until the tools you have are actually holding you back:

1. A course or a day with a maker. It's the most common advice from experienced smiths, and it stops you buying the wrong things [2]. Find one on knifemakingcourses.co.uk in the UK.
2. Known steel. Buy 1084 or 80CrV2 from a knife supplier, not mystery scrap. Cashen put known bar at $10–20 [2].
3. Good files, a vice and a drill. These stay useful for the rest of your knife making life.
4. Safety kit. Eye and hearing protection and a proper respirator before any power sanding.
5. A heat-treat plan. Either outsource it or buy a magnet, quench oil and an oven thermometer.
6. Speed tools. An angle grinder first; then save for a variable-speed 2x72.
7. A heat-treat oven, last. Only when you move to stainless steels or make knives in volume [29].

If you plan to forge, the core four go in at step 6, before the grinder.

Which knife making tools should you never skimp on?

Four things, according to the most experienced voices on the ABS forum [2]:

• Files. Cheap files dull fast on carbon steel and cost more in the end.
• Known steel. Mystery steel wastes hours of work when it won't harden.
• Quench oil, or outsourcing. In Knife Steel Nerds' tests, canola couldn't fully harden ¼" (6.35 mm) 1084 or 1095. Parks 50 was the pick if you only buy one oil [30].
• The respirator. A paper dust mask is not enough for G10, micarta or carbon fibre dust [31].

We'd add one more: a grinder with good tracking, if and when you buy a grinder. A cheap machine that won't hold a belt straight teaches bad habits [2].

Which knife making tools can you make yourself?

Several tools are good first projects, and making them teaches the skills you need for knives:

• File guide. A classic first workshop project; carbide-faced versions are the bought alternative [8].
• Tongs. Laser-cut tong blanks cost about $12 a pair and only need finishing [23]. A first pair can also be forged from ¼" × 1" bar [32].
• Punches and chisels. "Easily made and good practice" [17].
• A two-brick forge for heat treating small blades: two soft firebricks (under £5 each in the UK) and a propane torch [33]. See DIY forge.
• A centre scribe for marking edge lines, for under $10 [4].
• Hardy tools from worn jackhammer bits [32].

A full DIY 2x72 grinder is also possible: one maker built a 3-speed version for about $300 and a variable-speed one for about $500 (2022) [3]. It's a project for someone who can weld and wire a motor safely, not a first job. See DIY belt grinder.

How do you heat treat without expensive kit?

Heat treatment is where most first knives fail, so plan it before you buy anything else. There are three routes:

Sources: outsourcing [33] [34]; ovens [35] [29].

Your steel decides the route. 1084 and 80CrV2 can be hardened at home with a torch or forge and a magnet. O1 needs a soak at temperature, so it wants temperature control or outsourcing [36]. Stainless steels need an oven, stainless foil and quench plates, or outsourcing [29].

Be careful with forge heat treating. Larrin Thomas found that only about 20% of the forge-treated 80CrV2 samples sent to him performed well, mostly because they'd been overheated [37]. Heat to non-magnetic and no hotter.

More in our heat treating guide and quench oil guide.

What safety kit do you need for knife making?

Every shopping list should include this, whatever the budget:

• A P3 (UK) or P100 (US) cartridge respirator, such as the 3M 6200 half mask with 6035 P3 filtersAmazon (UK) or 3M 6200 with 2091 P100 filtersAmazon (US). Grind or sand G10 and micarta wet, and clean up with a damp cloth and a HEPA vacuum, never by sweeping [31].
• Sealed goggles over glasses. Belt breaks have knocked glasses off [38].
• Hearing protection, such as 3M Peltor Optime III ear defendersAmazon.
• An ABC fire extinguisher [38]. Hot sparks, oil quenches and wood dust don't mix.
• Natural-fibre clothing for forging, because polyester can melt onto skin [39].
• A carbon monoxide alarm for any gas forge, in the forge area and in any room next to it. A smith died from carbon monoxide from his gas forge, and Kevin Cashen found dangerous levels in a room next to his forge while the detector by the forge stayed silent [27].

Belts and abrasives: the cost nobody budgets for

Belts are a running cost, not a one-off. One UK builder said his abrasive belts had cost more than his whole grinder [40].

A sensible 2x72 starter set in the UK is the CIBO 10-belt knife maker set (80 ceramic, 180 and 320 flex ceramic, Trizact A30 and A16) at £82.38 ex VAT [41]. In the US, Preferred Abrasives' 12-piece Firestorm kit was $102.84 [42]. Prices seen October 2026.

The usual progression is ceramic belts at 24–120 grit for removing steel, then flexible ceramic or aluminium oxide at 180–400, then Trizact or fine aluminium oxide for finishing. Use belts "as if they're free": a dull belt makes heat and slows you down [5]. See belts and grit progression.

Which steel should a beginner use?

Start with 1084 or 80CrV2. Both are forgiving to heat treat at home with simple kit, and both file easily when annealed [43] [37]. In the UK, O1 sold as precision-ground gauge plate is widely available and easy to finish, but it needs a soak at temperature, so outsource it or use a temperature-controlled forge [36] [44].

Avoid old files, springs and saw blades for a first knife. You won't know what the steel is, so you won't know how to harden it [2] [45]. Our steel guide and steel selector go further.

Build your own knife making tools list

The tool-list builder is coming soon. You'll pick your method, budget, steel, knife type and country, tick the tools you already own, and get a list grouped by workshop stage, with each item marked essential, recommended or "upgrade later".

It follows the rules in this guide: steel decides the heat-treat kit, budget decides the grinder tier, and safety kit is never optional. Until it's live, the three budget shop builds give you complete lists at £150, £500 and £1,500.

FAQs

What tools do I need to start making knives?

For stock removal: files, a file guide, a vice, clamps, a drill, a hacksaw, abrasive paper, known steel and safety kit. Add a heat source, a magnet, quench oil and an oven thermometer if you heat treat at home. That's enough to make a good first knife. Everything else, including a belt grinder, speeds the work up but isn't needed to start.

Can you make a knife without a belt grinder?

Yes. Plenty of makers start with files and a drill, and the forums recommend it. Draw filing with a good bastard file and a file guide gives flat, controlled bevels. It's slower than a grinder, so it suits small knives with a scandi or flat grind. Our how to make a knife guide uses only hand tools and a drill.

How much does it cost to start knife making?

About £100–200 ($100–150) for a hand-tool setup if you already have a drill and a bench. A variable-speed 2x72 grinder adds roughly $780 upwards in the US. A starter forging setup is around £400–900. These totals are our estimates from prices seen in 2025–2026; see the budget builds for itemised lists.

What is the most important tool for knife making?

Once you're past the beginner stage, most makers name the belt grinder, and specifically a variable-speed 2x72. For a first knife, it's good files and a heat-treat plan you trust. A beautiful grind on a blade that didn't harden is still a failed knife.

Is a 1x30 belt sander good for knife making?

It's useful for profiling and handles, but poor for bevels. The belt is narrow, the platen is small, and spare belts are limited. Many experienced makers advise skipping it and saving for a 2x72 instead. If you already own one, it's a perfectly good tool for shaping handle scales.

Should I forge or use stock removal for my first knife?

Stock removal, for most people. It needs less kit and less space, and the same tools finish forged blades later. If forging is what draws you in, take a forging class first. Experienced smiths suggest learning hammer control on simple projects such as hooks before blades [39].

Do I need a heat-treat oven?

Not to start. Simple carbon steels like 1084 and 80CrV2 can be hardened with a torch or forge, a magnet and oil, then tempered in a kitchen oven. An oven at £2,400+ makes sense when you move to stainless steels or make knives regularly. Outsourcing at around £8–10 a blade is the middle path.

Sources

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