Drilling Now I'm Chilling

Horsewright

Horsewright

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
13,337
Getting a big batch of AEB-L blades (103) ready for heat treat. To me the biggest chore doing a batch like that is drilling all the holes in the tangs. I had divided this group up into two and had 38 blades cut and profiled but not yet drilled. My daughter came up a few days ago and cut out the rest of the blades:

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Horsewright on Instagram: "Cutting out some Horsewright knife blades getting them ready to send off for heat treat. #knifemaking #knifemakingcommunity #knifemaker #knifemakerslife #knifemakersofig #reels #reelsofinstagram #knifemakingreels #reelsofig

183 Likes, 6 Comments - Horsewright (@horsewrightclothing) on Instagram: "Cutting out some Horsewright knife blades getting them ready to send off for heat treat. #knifemaking #knifemakingcommunity #knifemaker #knifemakerslife #knifemakersofig #reels #reelsofinstagram #knifemakingreels #reelsofig"
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She got them done in bout 3.5 hours. She's been cutting blades out for me for years and is very efficient at it. Finally got too cold inside the shop there and she went outside to profile. My grinders are on an 8 foot bench and I roll them outside for the vast majority of grinder work. She could warm up in the sun some. So I finished cutting out the last ten or so and she got about half of the blades profiled before she had to call er quits. She had a birthday party to go to. She got married back in August and one of the ring bearers, her new cousin, was having his Bday. Smoke with her new cousin at the reception:

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So next day I finished the profiling of the blades. Had some other projects I was doing too so thats all I got done on the blades. Started drilling yesterday. I drill all the holes needed with a #30. The front hole or holes are left that size but all other holes are opened up with a step drill. I sometimes use a counter bore which is cleaner but it does take longer. With a step drill its quite a bit faster but ya do have the curlycues and shards of death to contend with.

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I have two drill presses, a Rigid and an old Buffalo. I grab a blade out of the box and drill the #30 holes with the Rigid. Then I step over to the Buffalo thats running the step drill and enlarge the holes that need it. Then, repeat, repeat etc. If the bits start to stick or the blade gets hot I dunk it in a coffee can full of water. Best cutting fluid there is. No noxious fumes, only steam when ya drill through it. Some done:

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Lots more to do. Holes have been pre-marked with a Sharpie.

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Got em all done, phew!

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If I did the math right its a total of 921 holes counting the re punching with the step drill. I used up 2 #30s and the ol step drill, new when we started, she's getting a bit tired. Literally on the second to last blade the #30 's tip broke off so I did use a third one for a blade and change. Long day. Was drilling then I'm chilling. Well not immediately had horses to feed and chores to do but then I was chilling.
 
navman said:
You, sir, are a machine
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Drinking decaf too! Kinda wanted to show folks what can be done and that with just some regular tools ya dan drill steel, lots of steel. Often there are threads here about sharpening bits and I just don't find it worthwhile, when ya can buy em new for like a buck 80 or something. So I used up two buck 80 bits for a total of $3.60 divided by 103 blades and we come up with .0345 cents per blade. Cost me more to sharpen a bit than to use a new one. Understanding lil things like this can help a guy make a profit.
 
Your conclusion is reasonable despite your math being off by a factor of 100. It's 3.45 cents per blade, or 0.0345 dollars per blade.
(Sorry to be a smart ass, I've had two cups of caffeinated)
 
Horsewright said:
Drinking decaf too! Kinda wanted to show folks what can be done and that with just some regular tools ya dan drill steel, lots of steel. Often there are threads here about sharpening bits and I just don't find it worthwhile, when ya can buy em new for like a buck 80 or something. So I used up two buck 80 bits for a total of $3.60 divided by 103 blades and we come up with .0345 cents per blade. Cost me more to sharpen a bit than to use a new one. Understanding lil things like this can help a guy make a profit.
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Why you don t cut them on laser fiber ? Laser fiber service is very cheap compared to waterjet .On that 103 blade you can add at least ten more blade from same sheet if you cut them on laser fiber ? I don t think that you save that much with doing all that work with hand .Laser would cut them in ten minutes with very little waste . In the time it takes to drill 900 holes, you can finish a dozen knives .
If I need to cut , shape and drill holes in 100 knives..............I will use laser without any doubt .
 
Well, you got your process and it works for you, but as much batch production as you do on a regular basis I would’ve used waterjet/laser cutting etc. you sublet your heat treating.

Drilling holes is actually one of the most efficient methods of material removal. I think it’s the sawing and and profiling that takes the most amount of time
 
Thanks guys.

I have used both waterjet and laser in the past and neither system really worked for me. Biggest reason is, and its a hole I dug myself and I realize that, is that I offer too many knives. So in a batch I might need three of this and one of that and five of this and ya get the idea. Often the different models will have variations such as with or with out bolsters etc. All this makes waterjet or laser less practical and way more costly. In that batch of 103 knives there were 15 different knife models. Ideally, a guy would want a sheet of Gordos, a sheet of Coyotes, a sheet of Sonoran Belt Knives etc. As far as getting 10 knives more per sheet, I would disagree. I have two or three very small models that I can fit in here and there and take up unused space. Two that I designed specifically for that reason. One of them is called a Poco which I often jokingly say is Dave Spanish for not enough steel left to make another Gordo. With experience comes, smoothness with smoothness comes speed. Learned that from one of my horse mentors. Anyhoo point is that it really doesn't take that long to cut out and most of the time my daughter (whom I pay) will do a lot of that or even the wife, (entered up, already on the payroll). They have become so good with the saw that profiling is a non deal, quick and easy. Remember I'd related that my daughter had got cold and went outside in the sun to profile. In that last half hour that she worked she had a stack of bout 20 done. Profiling is actually her favorite job. The vast majority is done on a 6x48 with a 9" flat disc. Once ya get the hang of it ya can really remove excess steel. 60 grit zirc disc and a 50 grit ceramic blet. I use the 2x72 (50 grit ceramic) with the small wheels for inside curves. Really bout the time to type that, did one. I finished the rest in about an hour and a half the next day. Long time ago, I learned to set an hour aside every morning and do some little jobs before really starting into the big project of the day. I literally will set a timer for that hour. I use this time so that big projects don't become huge projects. So when Smoke came to work all those blades had been separated off the sheet already. Did a few here and a few there and toss em in a box.

Really I think in my process the biggest /largest time process, the biggest chore is the drilling. I seldom get out in the shop till 10 or a little after (feeding horses, cleaning pens and other chores) and am done by 4 (this time of year) cause we got horses to feed, pens to clean and other chores. I don't remember what time I started but say 10 and I stopped for lunch and I handled some phone calls, emails and IG messages. But I was done bout an half hour before we went out to feed so five and a half hours not counting the other business stuff going on and they were all done.

Yesterday I did all the cowboy surface grinding to remove any burrs etc. Thats running em over the flat disc, bout an hour. All surfaced ground and marked with a sharpie for stamping of the my makers mark. Got most of them done yesterday but lost quite a bit of time as I had a shop visitor, so another 20 or so to stamp this morning and off they go.

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Keith Nix said:
.0345 IS 3.45 cents.....
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Yes sir you are correct. However, in my post I didn't leave the .0345 alone and typed in the qualifier cents after wards. If I'd typed in .0345 dollars I'd been right but Richard caught me typing in cents.
 
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I admire a blade that was scribed, cut, drilled, ground, etc by Hand.....The whole point of buying a Handmade knife.
I can't imagine doing it a different way?
 
Crag the Brewer said:
I admire a blade that was scribed, cut, drilled, ground, etc by Hand.....The whole point of buying a Handmade knife.
I can't imagine doing it a different way?
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I worked with an established folder maker a couple years ago, and he said something along the lines of; "no knifemaker is known for how well he cuts out his knives".
There is literally no way for anyone to know whether a maker outsources their profiling or not, but I personally think it's good mojo to be clear with customers about it, since some folks might be drawn to the whole sole authorship thing, like you say
Kinda reminds me of when a person finds out I make knives and automatically assumes I forge them. When I tell them how I actually do it, their eyes glaze over and they lose interest immediately 😂
 
Lorien said:
I worked with an established folder maker a couple years ago, and he said something along the lines of; "no knifemaker is known for how well he cuts out his knives".
There is literally no way for anyone to know whether a maker outsources their profiling or not, but I personally think it's good mojo to be clear with customers about it, since some folks might be drawn to the whole sole authorship thing, like you say
Kinda reminds me of when a person finds out I make knives and automatically assumes I forge them. When I tell them how I actually do it, their eyes glaze over and they lose interest immediately 😂
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FIF was a blessing and a curse.
I have received That reaction more than I'd like, too.
Fortunately Loveless prices may convince some people that a stock removal knife could be ok....?

I also agree No matter what direction any of us take, being forthright with the knife's origin is most important.
Most people at the end of the day want a perfect knife.
Whether the maker puts their heart, soul, and time into it.....
Or presses a Start button.
Or maybe that established maker outsources their blanks from imported labor

A lot of people don't care, some do.
 
I've drilled a million holes like that, Rarely clamping things down.
A gentle feel and an stop goes a long way.

Gloves, and long sleeves are what to be careful of.
 
Hope Im not too late for a response, I meant to ask earlier. Where do you get #30 drill bits that cost $1.80/each that will last that long, drilling steel?
I've been searching and so far the Milwaukee Red Helix has longest life, for me, but can't get them for under $2.00.
 
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