Cable folder- boy's shop project

M

MSCantrell

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Mar 12, 2005
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This month's newsletter from the Michigan Artist Blacksmith Association had a reprinted article from many years ago. It was the plans for a folding knife where this handle is cut from sheet metal, and the same piece forms the handle and spring.
One line caught my attention, something to the effect of "this project is unusual enough to keep any boy interested." I'll say! Can you imagine a time when a bunch of high school boys wouldn't be falling over themselves to make pocketknives in shop class? Maybe back in the day there was none of the allure of the forbidden like today.

In any case, I pounded one out of what I had on hand- 1/16" mild steel sheet and a cable blade.
It's real rough, no extra time spent on aesthetics, just seeing if it works. The answer is yes, with some reservations... it doesn't walk OR talk like it should. So the next go-round, I'll make the handle of spring steel and heat treat it, and see if that helps.

Here's the photos! Neat, huh?

Mike

100_0715.jpg

100_0714.jpg
 
Great project for a shop class! I made a black powder cannon in my machine shop class when I was a junior in HS (1968) and a display box for my black powder revolver in wood working as a sophomore. The pistol was at school for three or four months.

My son's Ag mechanics class teacher this year, told me that he used to require all his students to carry a knife. He taught them how to use, sharpen and care for it. Now they get in trouble if they draw a picture of one…..Times change and not for the best IMHO.
 
Hmathews said:
Great project for a shop class! I made a black powder cannon in my machine shop class when I was a junior in HS (1968) and a display box for my black powder revolver in wood working as a sophomore. The pistol was at school for three or four months.

My son's Ag mechanics class teacher this year, told me that he used to require all his students to carry a knife. He taught them how to use, sharpen and care for it. Now they get in trouble if they draw a picture of one…..Times change and not for the best IMHO.
Click to expand...

Are your kids at Statesboro High or SEB (or somewhere else?). I went to SEB in 98, 99, 2000, so that's been ten years ago, and they were just getting started on all that Zero Tolerance business. I remember a kid got in trouble when he left his rifle in the rack in his truck and came to school. They talked about expelling him, and they kinda went back and forth, but in the end they didn't kick him out. I expect things have gotten worse since then and nowadays there would be no second thought about booting the poor guy.





Sword and Shield, it says it's from the January 1921 issue of The Industrial Arts Design Magazine. And it's got a Google watermark on the images, so it's out there. We're about to head off to a shindig, or else I'd hunt around and find the link. But it's out there. :)
 
I have one left at Statesboro High. He'll be a senior next year. My other two went to Bulloch Academy. The AG teacher came from SEB. Great Guy.

When I was Chairmen of the Board of BA, I would get the head master to send out notices during hunting season to remind the guys to leave the guns at home rather than in their truck. We had the drug dogs come to the school every year. The law enforcement guys would also check for knives. When they found some, actually a lot, and asked me what to do with them, I said give them back to the people they took them from. We don't have rules against carrying one with a blade less than 3" long.

If you ever get back down this way give us a call. We like visitors at the shop, especially knife making visitors.
 
Mechanical drawing class, 68-69 the pencil sharpeners that sharpen the lead
real long so you can hone the pencil point down fine enough. Our instructor " If
you don't want to walk up to the front of the room to use the sharpener just use
your pocketknife". Guess we were all expected to have one.
Ken.
 
Sword and Shield said:
Here's the article, if anyone wants it- along with the rest of the magazine.

I don't happen to have any 1/8" stock handy... wonder if some cutoffs from that machete I'm going to cut apart are thick enough.
Click to expand...

Thanks for looking that up. :thumbup:

Not just schools, but the workplace too. Hell, I can't even look at this forum at my employment, the nanny bot says, "Forbidden-Weapons". It's a world full of frightened pansies. Pretty sad. I always wonder what people are afraid of. I'm pretty sure the only thing that scares me is a zombie outbreak. And honestly - that's not very likely.
 
There was a day when it was not unusual for a teacher to be opening a box, and she ( they were all women) would say, "Does anyone have a knife?".....followed by about 15 'CLICK' sounds. Today the 'CLICK' would be the handcuffs closing.

Salesmen ( they were all men) used to give the people they visited a small pocket knife ( called office knives) when they called on a customer. Some people had a desk drawer full of them. They had the name of the supplier on the celluloid scales. Today you are lucky if you get a ruler from a salesperson.

The time was when a boy couldn't wait until his birthday or Christmas to get his first knife. He would carry it everywhere - and often loose it when it wore a hole in his pocket. He would proudly show it to his friends at every chance, even in Church on Sunday. Today, kids show their friends the gun they bought/stole/snuck out of the house (We won't even get started on how few kids go to Church today.).

Stacy
 
Those days are Looooooong gone for the most part though Stacy. a few rural area still old fashioned enough to atleast have their kids in church. Mine being one of them. I was born and raised in church and my kids we're/are too my son carries a Gerber Ripstop and my daughter carries a Gerber Paraframe. Of course that's not to school but every where else they have em!.

Jason
 
When I graduated from Gettysburg highschool in PA in 1980, I carried a larg lock back on my hip every day at school as did many of my class mates and those that didn't had a folder in there pocket. Back then it was considered a tool. What fool seperated knives from the tool catgory, whats next our screw drivers, hammers or pliers? That will sure put a pinch on the construction and all mechanics indusrties.

Jim
 
I grew up never thinking of a pocket knife as a weapon. It was a tool and now everyone seems to think it is as dangerous as a grenade with the pin pulled. I really don't know how many horrific examples of the “weapons free” work place or school zone people will have to suffer through before they realize that when seconds count, the police are only minutes away. Even a pocket knife can be an advantage, but it still hard to consider it as primarily a weapon.
This is going to be hard to believe, but it is true, and to me like a breath of fresh air. My son's Ag Mechanics teacher is currently encouraging him to do a knife making project for presentation in the state Ag competition this coming year. I think his teacher is as excited about the project as my son is. This guy is on top in my book. My problem is going to be keeping my hands off my son's project and letting him do it all himself. :D
 
my da teaches auto body repair and gets penknives from his paint suplier, he keeps them in his desk drawer at school not a big deal because it is recognised as a tool
 
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