File lock notch on folder

S

SlyOne

Joined
Sep 19, 2006
Messages
163
Belt sanders will sand at a 90 degree angle but they are too large to fit in the lug area for making a lock back folder. I use needle files and "eye ball" but I am thinking of making some sort of filing jig that helps me file at a 90 degree angle. I'm looking for ideas on how others to this job with precision. :cool:
 
a file guide with carbide faces.
I beleve Bruce Bump is selling a batch of nice ones in the extanche
 
You could certainly make a notch shaped guide with a hole so you could bolt it through the pivot hole in the blade if you want to standardise. Just get it to shape and harden it.

I do mine one at a time, and I've been known to just knock the rough notch out with a hand held grinder and then just patiently tune it up with files.
It actually goes really fast with the right nice sharp files....since I'm not in a hurry with those I just use a large coarse file then finer ones.

Then there's the old mirror trick: if you put a polish on the surface of the blade in the area where you're filing, it's easy to see if the file is going in at a 90 or not by watching the reflection of the file on the blade surface.

Andy G., who may never have a milling machine.
 
My filing guide is made up of two pieces of D2 left full hard. Holes and pins line it up and two bolts keep it tight.
 
Well the holes and pins makes sense. This is my first folder so I have made one out of 1/8" Aluminum because it was fast and easy to do. The blade wobbles a little but if I stick a single a sheet of paper in the front of the lug the lock up is tight so I'll just be more careful on the actual steel. I am thinking of using the aluminum parts as guides. I can magic marker the aluminum and file the steel down until I get a match.
I'm a hobby-ist so milling machinces, etc are out. I am making jigs to do a lot of the work. To make the nail nick I am thinking a router whose shaft is placed in a guide (steel angle) slots in this guide allow the cutter to move down and side to side- to make the nick.
At first I thought ALL the edges had to be perfect but when you think about it the lock needs to be correct but the top of the blade, scales, lever, etc- after everything functions- they can all be filed smooth to some extent. I was going to use a 3/16" bronze bushing on the idea it would be slightly thicker than the blade and give flawless function but I read you will still mess things up if you peen the blade rivet too hard as it then distorts the bushing, so...now I am thinking about a steel shim paper thin that gets pulled out after the rivet is peened.
It's a learning experience- just trying to shorten the curve as much as possible.
 
There was an article in Blade magazine years ago about a home made lock notch cutting mill set up made with a dremel clamped in it and a cut off wheel. Wish I could find the article, I've got a small mill and haven't made a traditional lock back in a long time, but it'd be interesting reading non the less.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top