What's on YOUR workbench right now?

[fatdaddypreacher]

i needs to get me a new fed ex man

 

[Sp8ctre]

Not guitars, but the only thing I build these days...both completely from 1084 bar stock, ground and heat treated by me.

 

[Thrill]

That would make a great finger board after Ive screwed up all the rest of it LOL

 

[Skyjerk]

Not guitars, but the only thing I build these days...both completely from 1084 bar stock, ground and heat treated by me.


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Dude! I was just about to post my knife updates thought I was the only smith around here

looks nice

you do realize this craft is every bit as habit-forming as building guitars, and even more expensive

 

[Skyjerk]

One good knife update deserves another.

a pair of survival/camp knives I’m just wrapping up. This is pre-heat treat but they are now hardened, tempered, and sanded to 800. They are Damascus, from the same 100-layer bar I forged for the cover and neck plate on my bass build.
I’ll be making scales and etching this weekend

this is my full collection of in-progress blades. The two blackened ones to the right are these same two right after hardening.

a katana, a wakizashi, a kukri, three 8” chef knives, 2 survival knives, and 3 different hunks of damascus. The shiny one is 40-layers twisted and ground clean and am sending to @Ripthorn and he’s going to make a bunch of knobs for us.

 

[Sp8ctre]

One good knife update deserves another.

a pair of survival/camp knives I’m just wrapping up. This is pre-heat treat but they are now hardened, tempered, and sanded to 800. They are Damascus, from the same 100-layer bar I forged for the cover and neck plate on my bass build.
I’ll be making scales and etching this weekend

View attachment 556373

this is my full collection of in-progress blades. The two blackened ones to the right are these same two right after hardening.

a katana, a wakizashi, a kukri, three 8” chef knives, 2 survival knives, and 3 different hunks of damascus. The shiny one is 40-layers twisted and ground clean and am sending to @Ripthorn and he’s going to make a bunch of knobs for us.

View attachment 556374

Beautiful work! Looks like you are more advanced in the craft than I am. I just started up in April of this year. Strictly stock removal for me although I did buy an anvil and a small gas forge...

 

[Thrill]

Thats so cool. I want to try forging, but I need a forge and all the other stuff that goes with it and I just dont have the money after buying all kinds of woodworking tools.

I did play around with some metal and a small torch and a little baby anvil I had for some other stuff. Made this little mini katana. Forged it out of a sewing needle and made the scabbard and handle out of some maple and ebony. Turned out ok considering it was my first time smacking hot metal and I was just screwing around on a weekend while I watched tv and what not. One day I wanna get a proper forge and anvil and make some real stuff.




And since its a guitar thread, heres the Tele Ive been working on. First time with all the hardware on (minus the vintage style tuners).

 

[bad565ss]

2 piece Ash Strat just about finished.
Made on one of my CNC routers that I build as a side business.

 

[Skyjerk]

Thats so cool. I want to try forging, but I need a forge and all the other stuff that goes with it and I just dont have the money after buying all kinds of woodworking tools.

I did play around with some metal and a small torch and a little baby anvil I had for some other stuff. Made this little mini katana. Forged it out of a sewing needle and made the scabbard and handle out of some maple and ebony. Turned out ok considering it was my first time smacking hot metal and I was just screwing around on a weekend while I watched tv and what not. One day I wanna get a proper forge and anvil and make some real stuff.




And since its a guitar thread, heres the Tele Ive been working on. First time with all the hardware on (minus the vintage style tuners).

you’re better off not getting into blacksmithing and knife making. You think woodworking tools are expensive? Ha!

After all the woodworking tools in my shop, when I started buying smithing tools my wife nearly killed me

 

[Ripthorn]

Machining is pricy, too. There are lots of similarities between woodworking and metalworking tools, but the metalworking ones are all about 5-10x the price of woodworking tools. I was fortunate and inherited a bunch.

 

[Skyjerk]

Machining is pricy, too. There are lots of similarities between woodworking and metalworking tools, but the metalworking ones are all about 5-10x the price of woodworking tools. I was fortunate and inherited a bunch.

ive already earmarked for a benchtop mill and a benchtop lathe probably in 2023. Just don’t have the room for more stuff.
I do intend to get a surface grinder in 2022…

 

[Sp8ctre]

ive already earmarked for a benchtop mill and a benchtop lathe probably in 2023. Just don’t have the room for more stuff.
I do intend to get a surface grinder in 2022…

Belt Grinder nearly $3K not including extras, Heat Treat Kiln $2.5K...surface grinder next. This is not mentioning all the other tools such as Drill Press, Metal Cutting Bandsaw, Forge, Anvil, Hammers...oh did I mention the need for dozens and dozens of 2x72 belts...

Then you need steel stock, handle materials, a Rockwell hardness tester...it never ends, but it sure is fun and satisfying to turn out a hand made knife!

 

[Skyjerk]

Belt Grinder nearly $3K not including extras, Heat Treat Kiln $2.5K...surface grinder next. This is not mentioning all the other tools such as Drill Press, Metal Cutting Bandsaw, Forge, Anvil, Hammers...oh did I mention the need for dozens and dozens of 2x72 belts...

Then you need steel stock, handle materials, a Rockwell hardness tester...it never ends, but it sure is fun and satisfying to turn out a hand made knife!

View attachment 556521

making stuff rocks. Steel or wood. Unfortunately in both worlds you gotta pay to play

nice lookin blade

 

[dcomiskey]

One good knife update deserves another.

a pair of survival/camp knives I’m just wrapping up. This is pre-heat treat but they are now hardened, tempered, and sanded to 800. They are Damascus, from the same 100-layer bar I forged for the cover and neck plate on my bass build.
I’ll be making scales and etching this weekend



this is my full collection of in-progress blades. The two blackened ones to the right are these same two right after hardening.

a katana, a wakizashi, a kukri, three 8” chef knives, 2 survival knives, and 3 different hunks of damascus. The shiny one is 40-layers twisted and ground clean and am sending to @Ripthorn and he’s going to make a bunch of knobs for us.

View attachment 556374

Ooh! I may have to hit you up for a large chef knife like that!!

 

[lee1964]

Technically not a workbench, more like a shower set up as a spray booth so I can control temp and humidity.
A boys gotta do what a boys gotta do when you no longer have a full workshop

Lee

 

[rockstar232007]

This was, yesterday...

My '95 Hamer Slammer Pacer. Due for a good douching/string change:

And, this one, currently (mid-'80s-early- '90s Squier M-80). Same deal:

 

[FLICKOFLASH]

 

[Brewdude]

This was actually last weekend, but I finally got a chance to use the FB radius jig/tool I purchased. I like probably most people don't love hand sanding a radius into a FB, especially with ebony, but aside from it physically not being tons of fun I always found it difficult to get the radius perfect end to end as I had a tendency to go heavier on one side or another even when alternating directions. This is a nice aluminum version of a jig I have seen others on here make, it is built by a company called Guitar and Woods in Portugal and I am super thrilled with how well it works.

My only gripe is I wish it had a port for a shop vac as it sent pieces of sharp ebony all over the place even with me holding my vacuum next to it. The good thing is it runs so smoothly that you can guide the router with one hand and use the other for a vacuum to get a good portion of the mess. The roller bearings follow the radius extremely well and it is an effortless operation. I did two small passes to get to the desired 6.5mm thickness, but it could probably do it in one, and then I'll finely sand it by hand to get it totally finished.

 

[Skyjerk]

Testing out a new brand of UF glue. My old brand (Weldwood, by DAP) is no longer being manufactured, so I need an alternative.

for this test ive prepared a couple joints with a scrap piece of mahogany the same as I would any other with hand planes.

glued and clamped. When fully cured I’m going to crush it in my 50-ton hydraulic press and see where it fails.

also need to see if it cures as brittle as the DAP

 

[fatdaddypreacher]

if you're not happy with it, say so. i can go by where i used to work and see what we used. when that stuff dried it was like glass. we used it in the vacuum press for veneer work. almost every time i unloaded the press i would bleed somewhere from a sharp edge of the run off. hell, i bet you could build a knife out of it