Could be an "Instructables"

  Instructables is a website that features 1,000s of D.I.Y plans and ideas.  There are also many, many videos to support the ideas, which range from fantastic to useful. I subscribe to the site and have tried a number of things and been inspired by many more.

  Today's blog could easily be an "Instructables" post. 

  This project began when I found the broken end of a Bosch Jig Saw  blade while clearing up some shop space. Bosch blades are good, but nothing is indestructible. When I found the bit of blade I thought of the many You Tube videos I've watched of people making knives. So I thought, what the heck.

  I took the piece of jig saw blade, held it with Vise-Grip pliers and shaped it by grinding on my bench grinder. I bought my bench grinder a few years ago and while I only use it a couple of times a year I would be at a loss without it.

  When I replace my current grinder I will buy a low speed version since I nearly always am using the grinder for light duty rather than heavy stock removal.

  When grinding some as small as the jig saw blade it is important to keep water on hand to cool the steel. You can burn and ruin steel very quickly when grinding.

  Once the bevel was shaped with the grinder I made some final adjustment with a file. The next step was to make a handle.  In this case I just cut a kerf in a piece of dowel and slid  the blade into it. Initially I dropped a bit of Super Glue into the blade to help in stay in place while I wrapped the blade end of the dowel tightly with wire. The dowel was pretty small and it is difficult to get wire to stay tight and lay flat.

  Over coming the wire problem is the only innovation to this situation I claim for myself.  I coated the wire and end of the dowel in a liberal layer of plumbers two part epoxy and let it dry. The epoxy is dense and hard and dries stolid workable. Once the epoxy dried I smoothed and rounded it to provide a slightly larger grip as well as secure the blade in place.

  Once the blade was secure in the handle I continued to sharpen it until I got a serviceable pencil sharpening knife from a cast off bit of blade.

  I would make another knife like this if I found another bit of jig saw blade.  Having discovered that I can get a usable little knife blade for my efforts for the next knife I will fuss about the aesthetics a bit more.  

 cheers, ianw

P.S. I may try this next.  Make a two blades knife from a hack saw blade.