Fitting guards?

[L6steel]

Why is it such a biaaaaatch fitting guards to blades?
There has got to be some little trick to it to make it easier!
You guys got a handy jig or something you use?
You just sling the parts in a magic box and say a spell and wala, it comes out assembled?
If you guys know any and I mean any little tips or tricks that make guard fitting easier, please post em here!
Thanky!!!

[RokJok]

Michael, how are you making the slot in the guard? The reason I ask is some folks have trouble making the slot linear (i.e. drilled holes wander off of the slot's centerline).

One tip to getting the slot straight when using the "drill-holes-then-file" method was to use a chisel instead of a center punch to start the holes. That way the hole centers will all be in a line.

(edit to add) Found it! Credit for the chisel line starting goes to BFC user Lynn:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/sh...85&postcount=6

[Terry_Dodson]

The best thing i have found so far is the HARDENED FILE GUIDE i got from Koval Knife Supplies:
http://www.kovalknives.com/arbors.htm#fileguide

put that where you want the side to be file if down flat, flip it over do the other side, man it makes pretty short work of it and keeps it straight too.

[TJ Smith]

If you have a mill . Mill the slot 1/64 smaller than the tang.
Also taper the tang from the guard location to the end and drive the guard on the last little bit.
If you don't have a mill I can't help ya.
Take Care
TJ

[L6steel]

RJ, I use a mill to make the slots.

TJ, I use your method. Tim Herman taught it to me and I've found it the best way.

I should have posted this thread differently I guess. What I meant for it to be is what are the best ways to do the job and what are the neat little tricks that make it easier. I had a maker once tell me he mills the slot a little smaller than the blade thickness then surface grinds the blade till it fits the guard perfectly. Ohhh to have a surface grinder!!

[Dan Gray]

Originally Posted by L6steel

RJ, I use a mill to make the slots.

TJ, I use your method. Tim Herman taught it to me and I've found it the best way.

I should have posted this thread differently I guess. What I meant for it to be is what are the best ways to do the job and what are the neat little tricks that make it easier. I had a maker once tell me he mills the slot a little smaller than the blade thickness then surface grinds the blade till it fits the guard perfectly. Ohhh to have a surface grinder!!

if you go just a tad under size on the guard slot and taper the tang just a little it will give you a little time and material to work with as you fit it up.
also you can peen some small gaps in at the face of the guard and re surface that after.. on bigger blades I made a file jig to put in a shoulder.
there are a hundred little things you can do to help ..with your mill you have an advantage now that many don't. but it's still not a mystical machine.

[Bruce Bump]

I use a mill and make the slot slightly oversized and squeeze it closed onto the blade with my 30 ton forging press (12 tons would easily be enough). No filing needed on most of them except for the sheffield double guards just for the square ends of the slot for length.

[Lynn]

Thanks for the credit RokJok but I was just quoting Wayne Goddard's suggestion about using a 'long' center punch.
A couple other things I have started is to file a 2 or 3 thousands notch where the guard is to stop. That doesn't sound like much but it covers any small imperfections. The back of the tang is always more narrow and thinner than where the guard fits. It may not be by much but just enough for the final fitting of the guard to be a hammer fit. A piece of hardwood (look for really hard pieces of pallet wood) with a kerf cut large enough for the tang to fit inside can be used to hammer the last 1/4" or so.
One other thing I do, because I don't have a press, is to use a hammer on the sides of the guard. If the fit doesn't please me I back the guard off where it goes a 1/4" or so and give it a couple of good whacks on the edge. That wouldn't work if you've finished the guard. Because I usually have "design opportunities" (some people would call them mistakes) I don't complete the guard before fitting, except for the front which is hard to get to after completion.
Just what I do,
Lynn

[Chris Meyer]

Greetins,
Tim Zowada has a nice tutorial on fitting guards. He turned it into a PDF and posted it on his web site. I found it helpful, especially the pictures of the "squashed pipe tool" that he uses to drive the guard on with. The link for the PDF is http://tzknives.com/articles/GuardFitting.pdf

-Chris

[jhiggins]

I mill mine too. I use a smaller end mill than the slot needed, and very slightly trim each side until perfectly-matched. Bruce, I like your method though. Next knife I make, I will try that.