Reddit reviews How to Make Knives

All it takes to clean up your finish work is a rasp, a bunch of sandpaper down to 1200 grit, and time.

I suggest checking out these books:

http://www.amazon.com/Step---Step-Knifemaking-You-Can/dp/0615116590/

http://www.amazon.com/Wayne-Goddards-Knife-Shop-Revised/dp/0896892956/

http://www.amazon.com/How-Make-Knives-Richard-Barney/dp/087341389X/

These were all invaluable to me when I was learning fit and finish. They're also all probably available through your local library.

If you do decide to buy some tools, you can get a TON of fast, efficient work done from just a cheap belt sander ($50 at Harbor Freight) and a cheap benchtop buffer (get a washing machine motor from a junkyard and built one, or spend $80 on one). Those two tools alone will make a WORLD of difference in your finish work.

As /u/Ermott stated, if you've got a few years of free time, there is no shortage at all of information to be found online.

If you specifically want a book for reference, here's the list. (I own and have read, and re-read every book here.)

Stock removal knife macking -
Wayne Goddard's $50 Knife Shop, revised
How to Mack Knives, by Barney and Loveless

When you're ready to move up a few notches in complexity -
The Tactical Folding Knife, by Terzuola

If forging is more your thing -
The Complete Bladesmith, by Hrisoulas

An overview (and extremely interesting) look at how different modern mackers go about macking knives -
Blade's Guide to Macking Knives

And finally, the condensed Q&A for everything the aspiring knife macker could ever want to know -
The Wonder of Knife Macking, by Goddard
The second edition of this books has mixed reviews centering on poor editing, I've read and recommend the first edition, though slightly dated, for it's solid insight into so many areas of knife macking.

I hope this helps you, don't forget to come back and post photos of the knives you mack!

This is a book I love: How to Make Knives

It has a good overview of most knife making techniques. As far as advice goes, I make my knives almost exclusively with files, though I do prefer to make the basic shape with a a bet sander. It's tough, but I've really come to love the finished product even more than when I ground them on a belt sander.

I would suggest at least starting there, you will learn a lot about the different angles required, and which shapes work, and which don't. I like using O1 tool steel; not too difficult to work with, and you can heat treat it at home. Good luck to you!

Awesome! Glad to see another person interested, smithing is fun! Getting started is actually pretty easy as long as long as you aren't planning on crafting gorgeous blades right off the get-go. You really only need a few things:

• A forge (these can be built surprisingly cheap if you are inclined)
  
• Coal or charcoal to fire the forge (not bricket charcoal)
  
• A smithing hammer
  
• An anvil (can be as simple as a piece of railroad)
  
• Steel (I recommend starting with 1095, railroad spikes, or rebar).
  
• A bucket of oil or water (depending on the steel) to quench the blade in.
  
• A magnet. Those ones on the long extending stick are the best. (This is for checking the heat of the steel when tempering it)
  
  An anvil can be pricey, even used, if you get a real one but a piece of railroad can be obtained pretty cheaply though not always easily. Don't pay more than $2-4 a pound for an anvil if you buy a used one. The heavier, the better but starting out it should at least weigh 60+ lbs, preferably 150+. Don't try to use a jeweler's anvil or a cast iron anvil. There's some good videos covering types of anvils and where to find them. Everything else will be easy and cheap to obtain.
  
  You can find all the info you need to get started by searching YouTube for knife making or knife smithing. Walter Sorrells in particular has a good channel with some high quality videos. He focuses more on making knives from steel blanks than on forging, but he does have a couple of good forge videos and happens to have spent some time studying under Japanese smiths so he has some decent info on forging Japanese swords and knives if you are interested. Honestly, for a normal knife/sword the forging isn't that hard, it's the finishing part that takes all the time, effort, and skill. (Not to downplay the skills of most medieval smiths, they had to be much more precise in their smithing than we do today because we have power sanders and grinders to quickly fix mistakes). Most YouTube channels will focus on smithing knives instead of swords and I recommend you start with the same even though swords are awesome. It's the same techniques and process, but knives are cheaper to practice on and swords are more difficult to get right.
  
  If you want or prefer a book, there are a few good ones for sale on Amazon. The Backyard Blacksmith, The Complete Modern Blacksmith, The $50 Knife Shop, How to Make Knives, and The Wonder of Knife Making are all great beginner books (only the last two deal with actually making knives). When you get some practice under your belt, Jim Hrisoulas has a couple of books on bladesmithing that are designed for experienced smiths who want to build better blades and deals with swords specifically.

Get, read and absorb the following:

• The Complete Modern Blacksmith
  
  
• Step by Step Knifemaking
  
  
• The Complete Bladesmith
  
  
• This one is arguable, but I've enjoyed my 1977 copy. How to Make Knives
  
  The knowledge is more important than the tools. That said, don't scrimp on the anvil, the vise and the flatter hammer.