best equipment for making linerlock folders

J

jrgannon

Joined
Aug 24, 2000
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386
I am looking to outfit a knife shop and would like any equipment recommendations for making small linerlock folders similar in design to the William Henry T-09 Kestrel series. Currently I have no equipment at all and I am starting from scratch.

Thanks,

John
 
i just use basic tools for all my knives,frame locks and linerlocks included,hand tools are files,hacksaw,hammers (smallest to largest).small drill press,6", 1/2 hp bench grinder,2 1/3 hp electric motors (one has a arbor with an 8" buff on it and the other i modified to accept a 1/4 " thick samona 10" sanding disk (used to convert a table saw to a sander).also use a 4 1/2 " diskgrinder,hand drill,dremel tool,vise, etc.I've also made up a small propane forge out of a 20lbs propane tank (lined with 1" of kao wool insulation to keep the heat in,purchased a proper burner setup to avoid any possible accidents).If you want to try and save on the tools shop around at pawn shops,second hand stores and liquidation outlets first,check the paper (you'd be suprised at the deals you come accross at all the above mentioned (missed out on a metal 12" lathe with all attachments,tools and cutters last year for $75.00 cad by about 15 minutes),hope this helps a bit
good luck with the search and remember to check all the tools first before you purchase them,there's alot of junk out there also
 
To begin with, I would say that it is very difficult to give general recommendations for tools, as each knifemaker does the same task in his own unique way.

I've seen knives made with filed that looked great, nice and clean and I've also seen knives made with a heck of machinery and they definitely didn't look like the way they should have, given all the machines and fancy tools.

For a folder who is making folders on a regular basis and wants to work efficiently I'd recommend at least the following:

- beltgrinder (KMG, Bader ...) that has interchangeable attachments
- bandsaw for wood and metall
- mill (a solid tabletop model does the job for folders)
- lathe (see above)
- quality disc sander to keep everything nice and flat ( a surfacegrinder is in my eyes not essential as the disc sander will do just fine, but it's sure nice to have one ;))

Now of course nearly each job one of these machines does can be done by hand (maybe except the ones of the lathe) but that's takes a lot of time and might leave you with quite some frustration.

I will continue this one later on...
 
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