Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, Revised

This is an interesting book that takes a bit of a different tact when it comes to blacksmithing blades and knives. The title says it all. This is the fifty dollar knife shop. So, a whole lot of the material covered in this book is about simple forges, simple tools, and putting together a shop for knife making. So predominantly this is about the tools of blacksmithing. And about 20% of the book is about the actual process of making knives. You get two methods including the forging method and the stock removal method that doesn't require a forge. This 20% is very informative though -lots of pictures, diagrams and explanations of blades, blade shapes blades in the process of being forged and how to do it. If you want to make knives on a tight budget this is a great resource. - well, even if your budget is bigger you should still get this book. It's a great resource.

This is not a good book, it is a great book. I have been making knives for several years and have purchased different books over that time as points of reference. I've learned different valuable things from each of the different books. The $50 Knife Shop is head and shoulders above the rest of the knife making books in my collection (with the exception of Forging and Finishing the Brut De Forge Knife by Joe Keeslar.) Get the $50 Knife Shop first, then Keeslar's book, and you'll likely need no others. The $50 Knife Shop takes you from start to finish on making a knife. It is comprehensive in that it has directions on everything from how to make a Single Brick Forge, to heat treating, grinding, making heads on pins, making a belt grinder and disc grinder, even a section on how to get a tight handle fit with a hidden tang knife using rubber bands. I always used gravity to keep my handles straight, until seeing the color photos in the book. I could go on but you probably won't read any farther, and I'm ready to get out to my shop. There are really good books available on the craft of knife making, but I recommend these two without reservation. With the $50 Knife Shop you will be able to make a very good and serviceable cutting tool. (I wrote cutting tool simply because the "K" word is more than likely offensive to some people, and may soon become politically incorrect to use.)

I have been wanting to try my hand at making knives for a long time and did not know where to really start. I have read all sorts of forums and websites but they all say pretty much the same thing, and involves buying a lot of expensive equipment to start with. That's not something I was looking to do. I saw this book on many sites as recommended reading and decided to buy it and read over it. I like the fact that the author made a good list of things you should have in order to start making knives. But to call it a $50 knife shop is a bit of a stretch. The author explains how he pretty much lucked up and got a lot of stuff for free, got things cheap at yard sales, and already had some of the items. It cost him $50 to put his shop together 40 years ago also. Listing items you paid $50 that long ago is a little misleading. I would say this is more of a $150 knife shop if you are lucky. Fortunately, I already some of the stuff he listed. As others have stated, there is a lot of the author mentioning all of the contraptions he has built cheaply using washing machine motors and stuff like that. There are a lot of pictures, although they aren't the best quality. Overall, I would say that this book does what it is supposed to do, and that is give you a basic idea of how to put together an entry level knife making shop on a budget, It also explains the difference between different types of forges, stock removal, and gives a lot of good tips. This is not a "Exact steps to make a knife" book. It is an overview. A guide. If you go into it knowing that, I believe you will get more out of it and will not be disappointed.

Great book, proves you don't have to be rich to have a good working shop to make knives and other useful objects from metal. This book is high on common sense, something that is increasingly lacking in our high tech world. The book can be used by a beginner who doesn't even have a hammer and by intermediate and advanced craftsmen, who want to try their hand at forging or shaping a knife. I recommend it to anyone of any skill level. Personally, I think he spends a bit too much time in the junk yard, but then that IS the title of the book. He shows you how to collect tools, what you NEED to have to make knives and how to do it on a budget. Useful for both young and old, male and female.

First of all to answer a question I see popping up. Will this knife book tell you everything to do? No. Will it get you started down the path to START making knives? Yes. There is no single book that will ingrain the knowledge of how to make a knife, only experience will do that. This book gets you off your behind, gives you some directions to start so that you can figure out if knife making is for you, and start working on your own methods beyond the basics given in the book without breaking the bank with expensive machinery, etc. Altogether one of the top starter books in my collection. I would also suggest picking up a copy of The Art of Blacksmithing to learn more of the basics of blacksmithing.

Ce livre part d'un bon sentiment. L'auteur fier de ses réalisations nous montre comment avec très peu de moyens et beaucoup de récupération, on peut se monter un mini atelier de coutellerie. C'est très bien mais l'auteur qui s'est formé tout seul n'est pas un coutelier, il n'a pas appris les secrets de la coutellerie, ne connaît pas les tours de mains des artisants français qui jusqu'au années 40 maîtrisaient encore toutes les étapes pour fabriquer une lame sérieuse. On retrouve dans ce livre des techniques issues du monde industriel et réadaptées au monde artisanal. ça marche, c'est satisfaisant, mais il faut bien se rende compte que ce n'est pas de la vraie coutellerie. D'autre part on va trouver plus de renseignements sur différents blogs de forgerons amateurs. Il faut juste savoir dans quel but on achète ce livre. Si c'est pour se lancer en se disant cela ne me coûtera pas cher, oui c'est bon. Si c'est pour découvrir comment nos maîtres artisants faisaient vous avez tout faux.

Bought for my son, whose gotten into amateur knife-making and blade-smithing. Was a great intro book, and designed for someone who wants to get started without spending a ton of money on fancy equipment.

I bought this hoping for useful guidance for someone starting out in knife making. It is a good book, although it's somewhat dated. It is really is as you'd expect: a guide for those who don't have much cash to splash on their hobby, with tips for building your own tools and equipment. I'm fortunate to have a little extra money to hand so didn't follow up on the author's advice, but I can see that others would find this very helpful.

Interesting book and his project shows more than any what can be done with limited resources very well . Some good ideas and worth the download on that point . Interesting in general from the experience of a master Smith with so many years under his belt it should it be overlooked

Das Buch beinhaltet nicht nur einen Leitfaden, wie man einen bezahlbaren Einstieg in die Messerherstellung findet, sondern auch alle wichtigen Informationen zu den unterschiedlichen Techniken des "Heat treatment", sowie Hintergrundwissen und Anregungen, die auch für Fortgeschrittene Schmiede interessant sein dürften. Es wird auf die beiden Herstellungsarten des Schmiedens und "stock removal" eingegangen und zum Abschluss gibt es noch Anleitungen zum Eigenbau von Bandschleifern; immer mit der Low-Budget-Philosophie, aber basierend auf Jahrzehnte langer Erfahrung und Eigenbauten, die ebenso lange durchgehalten haben. Außerdem ist das Buch sehr verständlich und unterhaltsam geschrieben. Ich bin begeistert!