A real photographer visits the shop

We have done water jet before but profiling and drilling are critical training tools for apprentices. No better way to get used to a grinder than full days profiling to a scribed line.
 
Nice set-up Andy. You certainly are squeezing maximum production out of your space. Since I also tend to work in "batches" I really enjoyed watching your process and I noted a few things you are doing that would make me more efficient. Do you mind if I borrow a couple of your set up ideas for my shop?
Kevin
 
That many shipments lined up every week would be a nightmare for me. I would literally have trouble sleeping. How do you keep up with it all and not make errors?
 
Daniel Rohde said:
what kind of masks are your guys wareing?
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We wear 3M 6000 series full face masks. The filter is kinda by whats available. The minimum I buy is the P100 particulatge filter. But we are right next to a stinky chicken plant. So sometimes we buy the carbon filters that also do P100 particulate filtering.

Kevin Cross said:
Nice set-up Andy. You certainly are squeezing maximum production out of your space. Since I also tend to work in "batches" I really enjoyed watching your process and I noted a few things you are doing that would make me more efficient. Do you mind if I borrow a couple of your set up ideas for my shop?
Kevin
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Ha! None of it is mine to give. You can use any part, of course. Even batches, Jerry Hossom told me to work in batches. The best thing we do fast compared to how I see other guys doing it is handle stackup, drilling and glueup method. And thats a lot of the process. If you can cut your materials straight and flat, or buy micarta and work it flat, you can do it all at once and save a lot of time. If you can come by Blade Show a day early, come to the shop while we run around panicking everything to where it should be. I'd love to show you around. By that time maybe the shop will be bigger! I hope so.
 
I really enjoyed the tour as well and have started using the Starbond CA for my liners at your recommendation. So far it is working well. One question though: What surface treatment do you give to the G10/micarta liners before you glue them? Do you rough them up? And if so, would you share your process for roughing up the thin liner material?
Thanks
 
We rough up the liners w 60 grit paper wrapped around a sanding sponge. We flatten the micarta on a surface plate. Be sure to flatten the slightly concave surface and not the slightly cover surface. You can determine which is which quickly. Swirl the piece a few times on each side. On one side the scratches will be in the center and the other wI'll have scratches around the edges. Flatten the side w the scratches around the edges. Much easier.
 
Great pics

I've got 2 questions too. Years ago your stuff inspired me to start making these things so thanks.

1) Is there a reason to quench spine first (less warpage..?)

2) Do you taper your tangs after heat treat or before and when you drill your handle material for the tapered tangs do you use a shim at the butt of the knife or drill both scales at the same time?

Thanks for your time
 
Shaw Blades said:
Great pics

I've got 2 questions too. Years ago your stuff inspired me to start making these things so thanks.

1) Is there a reason to quench spine first (less warpage..?)
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We quench the spine first because thats the way they sit in the oven because I want the edge toward center of mass becase in my mind thats the most regulated temperature area. Now, thats all mental hypothesis and is not science. So, because they are already facing up, I want to get them to the oil smoothly and quickly. Flipping the knife is clumsy and prone to droppage. The truth is that because all of that is 01 steel, I have ~10s to beat the pearlite nose and there is no rush and it just doesn't matter which end you dunk first. Its such a stress free quenching steel that my method could be totaly wrong and it would change things for the 01. Its pretty easy. As to warpage, once the knife comes out of the oil (no more bubbles) we clamp it in between two aluminum plates. It cools to room temperature straight, and so it is straight, no warp. Again, this could be simply because of the low maintainance 01 quench requirements.

Shaw Blades said:
2) Do you taper your tangs after heat treat or before and when you drill your handle material for the tapered tangs do you use a shim at the butt of the knife or drill both scales at the same time?

Thanks for your time
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We taper before HT. I've seen it done both ways. We loose some tapered tangs to warp but its just too much belt time for me to do it post HT that I don't enjoy it. Plus, it ruins the finish on the flats if you don't absolutely nail it. Which is very hard to teach and expect from employees. In our shop, Adam hollows out the tang to a scribed line to the tang. Then Allen starts the taper with 80 grit and I take it from there. We do about 25 a week. We loose 4 or so during the process and another two ish during HT from warp. The aluminum plates don't help much with tapered tang knives because only the flats touch the plates. Really it just had to be right before HT. I don't account for the tapered tang at all during drilling. I tape the scales together, tape the blade to that and drill through all at once pinning the holes as I go. You're talking about maybe a 1.5 degree triangle and we just clamp it shut.
 
Right on.

The flipping thing does feel clumsy when going from the oven to the oil.

Looking forward to trying your method of drilling the scales. That is always a stressful time for me.

Thanks for the reply.
 
Totally awesome Andy!

I have checked quite a few times for recent photos of your shop... I remember you moving into this space and building benches, putting in the air lines, etc. So this was really great to see.

You've reached a level of success and production in this craft that I can't even imagine. Proof that HARD work and grit pays off. Congrats Andy!

Thank you for sharing this here. :cool: :thumbup:
 
It's good practice to dunk oil quench steels spine first. The spine has more mass. It's helpful to give it a head start so different areas of the blade are going through the different transformations at closer to the same time.
 
NickWheeler said:
Totally awesome Andy!

I have checked quite a few times for recent photos of your shop... I remember you moving into this space and building benches, putting in the air lines, etc. So this was really great to see.

You've reached a level of success and production in this craft that I can't even imagine. Proof that HARD work and grit pays off. Congrats Andy!

Thank you for sharing this here. :cool: :thumbup:
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Thanks Nick. I'm looking forward to a new location. We need a lot more 'clean' spaces. We've ordered the first round of production knife parts, and right now will need to assemble them in the main shop. That means wearing masks the whole time, and working in the noise and elements. There are 9 of us in the shop now and the crew is all trained and are excellent quality people. They are each going to manage a model in the production line and earn 'comissions' for each finished run. I'm really excited about this new additional business plan. Especially since it'll allow me to slow down a bit on the handmade stuff. We won't be stopping that though. I would like to cut from 50/wk to 30. 30 is a comfortable easy week.

Nathan the Machinist said:
It's good practice to dunk oil quench steels spine first. The spine has more mass. It's helpful to give it a head start so different areas of the blade are going through the different transformations at closer to the same time.
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I love when my thinking works out even if it is for a different reason than I did a task a certain way in the first place. Thanks Nathan.
 
Fiddleback said:
Thanks Nick. I'm looking forward to a new location. We need a lot more 'clean' spaces. We've ordered the first round of production knife parts, and right now will need to assemble them in the main shop. That means wearing masks the whole time, and working in the noise and elements. There are 9 of us in the shop now and the crew is all trained and are excellent quality people. They are each going to manage a model in the production line and earn 'comissions' for each finished run. I'm really excited about this new additional business plan. Especially since it'll allow me to slow down a bit on the handmade stuff. We won't be stopping that though. I would like to cut from 50/wk to 30. 30 is a comfortable easy week.
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That's awesome...inspirational even.
 
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