Buck/Mayo TNT and a centered blade

[longbow]

Well tried taking my Mayo apart yesterday to no avail. Needed to get a couple of more identical T9's and T6's. Did that and took it apart this a.m. to recenter the blade and just generally clean it. Put it all back together and still couldn't get the blade centered. Matter of fact it was worse than it was in the beginning.

So trying to cypher it out I noticed rather fortuitiously that after putting everything back together and tightening everything in sequence. My own sequence that is, that by tightening the blade stop evenly that this indeed allowed the blade to be perfectly centered into the handle slabs. The pivot adjustment itself did little to align the blade. I think because there is a lip built into the pivot body that allows the pivot to be pushed in just so much distance and then they bottom out. So tightening the pivot screws have little effect on centering the blade. But by using judicous force on the blade stop it brought alignment of said blade dead nuts center between the handle slabs.

Now I love this knife. I compare it most favorably to my Sebbie. I don't say this lightly either. But if Buck builds such a nice knife as this it is a shame that they couldn't just use single torx or hex screws on one side only? The other side could have the standoff and inside them the female post. Would make life much easier. Then also they should use bronze bearings and not teflon. One of my teflon washers was kind of buggered up a bit but still works.

Last but not least Buck should make a full 4 or 4.5" folder of this model. If they do this and keep the quality of components the same they wouldn't be able to keep them on dealers shelves. keepem sharp

 

[Mike Kerins]

Longbow,
My difficulty with the screws on my Mayo TNT (and perhaps my lack of mechanical acuity) prevented me from centering my blade correctly. I'm afraid I'm going to have to send it in to Buck for the adjustment. Several months ago Tom Mayo advised that the blade centering could be accomplished by gently applying torque to the blade in the opposite from the intuitive direction. I tried this but it failed. The failure I believe was mine and I think someone else with more skill may have success. I'm mentioning this here in case the need should arise again, and perhaps it could prevent you from having to dismantle your knife to achieve the same result.
Mike

 

[longbow]

Just try tightening the blade stop on the top of the knife. First tighten the handle screws starting at the back of the knife with identical T6 drivers, and then when you get to the blade stop tighten it. This on mine at least swung the blade to be perfectly centered. It was biased right as you hold the knife up. On mine the pivot adjustment doesn't do anything as for aligning the blade. At least I couldn't make it do anything. If you look at the pivot itself it appears to have a lip on it that bottoms out on the holes in the handle slabs themselves. This little knife kicks butt I'll tell ya that. I have been carrying this far more than any other in the month or so I have had it. keepem sharp