This article tells you how to grind, shape and polish an everyday carry knife. My goal here is to take a chunk of steel and make a cutting tool out of it—a knife that functions well, holds an edge and is somewhat pleasing to the eye. This is my way, adapted from many hours of reading books, watching movies, making knives and making mistakes and works for me.
Think whether your knife will be for camping, hunting, for on the farm or just day-to-day use. You don’t need a knife with a ten-inch (250 mm) blade to cut the string on hay bales while feeding out. The design for this article is my everyday carry knife, a four-inch (100 mm) dropped hunter—an all-round knife whose blade is ample, large enough to skin that buck and small enough to carry all day without getting in the way
I choose 01 carbon steel for my design. It’s a good-wearing steel, easy to sharpen and available at your local steel depot. It is also easy to heat-treat at home with no special tools or equipment—just a heat source, a magnet and your kitchen oven (when the good woman is away).

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