For all you folder makers

3

3/16th's

Joined
Apr 19, 2000
Messages
318
I want to start making folders and I am not sure what I should invest my money in. Should it be a milling machine or a surface grinder??? I do have all the usual fixed blade machinery. Thanks in advance.

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President of Knifemakers Anonymous - "The sickness can be cured!" Call 1-800-cutfingers
 
IMO, the milling machine would be your best bet to buy first, you can make your parts VERY flat with the grinder, but it's not a lot of good if you can't machine the lock/pivot/stop precisely and extremely square. Starting to get more into folders myself now, and it's definately an invaluable tool to have.
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One word of advice though: stay away from the mill/drills like you see at House of Tools, those things ae a huge waste of money for what you get out of them.
 
If i had to choose, I'd take the surface grinder. I'd be lost without mine. Folders pieces have to be flat and true, and many different thicknesses. I use the grinders for most of the other work on them.
I use the mill mostly for squaring the ends of bolsters and handle slabs, but it can also be done on a grinder.
 
I use a micro lathe with a milling attachment. The milling attachment can be used to grind the lock notch on the blade and cut the nail nick. The lathe is great for making the piviot pins and spacers. I can chuck up the piviot pin and make it fit the hole and space between the liners.

I would suggest aligning the drill table on the drill press so that the blade will rotate straight.

[This message has been edited by Ray Murski (edited 05-19-2000).]
 
dont think you need a surface grinder...no matter what kit says...for one thing..you can buy most knife steel precision ground already....i dont think you can make accurate folders without a mill.....he doesnt bother to mention that he has a cnc mill does he??? some people have it rough!!
 
Tom, I don't have a CNC. My son does. I'm not even allowed to turn it on.
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He does custom gun work with it. I do have an old Sharp knee mill, but like I said, I use it for bolster/scale squaring. I still stand by the surface grinder, but then I don't pay the high price for precision ground stuff and I don't have to use the thicknesses of steel/backspacer material that the suppliers sell.


 
i agree with kit on this. the precision ground stock you buy is pretty rough finished in my opinion and you cant get all deep grind marks out of it by hand and still keep everything true.

i only use my mill for roughing out inlay pockets on interframes and doing the relief space around the pivot area.

go for the surface grinder
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tim
 
Kit is right, go with a Surface Grinder. If you want a Titanium spacer that is .125 in thickness, you can bring your blade thickness down to .095 very easily. Does your customer want a Ivory spacer, no problem when you have a surface grinder.

I have one of those cheap table mills and the only thing I use it for, is to relieve the area for the pivot pin and bolt in the bolsters. This could be done with a drill press.


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A.T.
http://www.customknives.com
AKTI #476


[This message has been edited by A T Barr (edited 05-20-2000).]
 
For all of you who said surface grinder:

I understand your point, and it makes sense. But if your mills are so much less important than your surface grinder.....how is one to go about putting an accurate, close tolerance fit in the working components of the folder?

I know liner locks are the rage, but I've only made lock-backs, so if that explains the confusion of my query, then there it is.

However, I'm still a little stumped as to how a guy makes the mechanical parts of a folder w/o a mill.
 
Nick, if you are *only* going to make lock backs, then maybe a mill is the correct answer. I know a lot of makers, make great lock backs with out a mill or surface grinder. I've never made a lock back and probably never will.

IMHO, a well made, safe Liner Lock (Thanks Kit) is the only way to go. Different strokes for different folks. ;^)

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A.T.
http://www.customknives.com
AKTI #476


 
Excellent answers from all of you. Thank you very much!!!

One last question. With a surface grinder, what kind of finish can I get using the stone wheels?

AKA 3/16th's

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Scraped, burnt, sliced, smashed. AHHHH, knifemaking!!!!
 
I use a MSC 46g stone. I've tried the finer grits, but I end up burning the steel. I'm sure the machinist in this group are snickering right now, but what can I say.

This finish is much better than any of the so called precision ground steel I use to purchase from any Knife supply company. It's IMO it's about the same finish you get when you buy precision ground 0-1, or A-2.

No matter what, for the flats, I always use a piece of wet & dry sandpaper that is glued on flat granite.


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A.T.
http://www.customknives.com
AKTI #476




[This message has been edited by A T Barr (edited 05-20-2000).]
 
AT, another thing you could try are the 'white' aluminum oxide wheels that Norton makes, we use them quite a lot at work on everything from mild steel to 61 rockwell D2, they're a lot more cool cutting and dont burn unless you're taking a huge depth of cut. Forget the exact wheel designation, but they're 60 grit, grade 'J' with a medium open structure.

Kit, I think you're going to have to get crackin' on that folder making video, you got me real curious now
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nickwheeler,

i have never used the mill for cutting or fitting the locking notches in the blades or the lock bars. i made a very simple hardened steel clamp with trued square edges to clamp on the blade and i file the lock notch by hand. the file wont cut the hardened clamp and the notch is perfectly square
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works just as well as a $1800 milling machine but costs about $10 to make.

mayo,

maybe you cant make an accurate folder without a mill but alot of us others dont seem to have much trouble at it.
 
I must agree with TIM about the mill. I have made about 50 linerlocks without using a mill or a surface grinder.
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My advice would be to invest in a class on folder-making. The one that Darrel Ralph has done for the North Carolina Custom Knifemakers Guild is said to be excellent. George Herron also does a class on lockbacks that is wonderful. George's class
even has you make all the little fixtures and jigs that he uses to make folders. You get to take them home with you. You can't beat that.

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Barry
Jones Knives
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=126319&a=926274
"For DUTY and HUMANITY!"
Curly, Moe, & Larry
 
I have to agree with the surface grinder, although I dont make many folders, I would be lost without the surface grinder, I hardly use my mill at all on a folder, but file all the lock parts....Geeze, I made a bunch of good dolders without a mill, lathe, or surface grinder. I learned a lot about accurate work with a file though. I would say the first tools to get are a good set of dial or digital calipers, and or a good micrometer, without those, you are guessing.

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www.simonichknives.com
 
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