Found it! 6" fighter WIP

[tinfoil hat timmy]

This is a thread for you guys over here to see how knives get machined in my shop. Milling is an uncommon approach to knife making, but I’m a machinist and that’s how I do it.



This is the knife I’ll be making:

It is a 6” fighter in the same family as my 8” shiv. This will be new pattern.




I won't delve into the design process here because I’ve covered that topic before and this thread is really just more about pictures.

After a design is developed a computer model is made because 3D data is just about a prerequisite for 3D milling.

This is being machined in an old vertical machining center. These have carousels loaded with cutting tools, in this case on a chain, that get touched off and can then be called out in a program and used to cut a work piece. I’m mostly using drills, endmills and facemills in this project.

Roughing down the top of a work piece with a small inserted facemill

This removes the mill scale and major surface flaws and gets the material flatter and closer to net shape.

Some holes drilled

Some pockets milled out

Running a finish pass across the top

This is CPM 3V here and it is a bear to finish.

Then I engrave my signature and the steel type

And flip it over and finish out side 2

While I was at it I ran some ELMAX too. It finishes out very clean, but it is abrasive on tooling.

The next step is milling the bevels. This is a pretty cool operation, I hope you'll check back in later.

More to come...

Here's what I was talking about.

 

[tinfoil hat timmy]

With the original here:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1153472-WIP-Machined-knife

 

[JustinFournier]

Very cool! Thank you for taking the time!

 

[Hard Knocks]

^ What he said!

 

[tinfoil hat timmy]

I'm surprised it wasn't here sooner. Oh well. Now it is. Being a machinist myself, I enjoy this kind of stuff.

 

[JustinFournier]

I would have done it if I had known. You may want to consider changing the title of the thread though!!

 

[XtianAus]

So awesome. I hope these become available again

 

[Brian77]

I am looking for the WIP thread that shows in extreme details how he machined the 8 inch shiv and designed the handle. I read it but now can't find it. I think it was from 2012. Anyone know where it is?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G800A using Tapatalk

 

[Dawkind]

The Fighter I have is ELMAX with a 3/4 length sharpened top-edge.

 

[betzner]

Dudley, the 6" fighter is the only one I'll be missing so if you run into any other 6" fighter mint, I need it, buddy.

Thanks, Bob

 

[JustinFournier]

PM sent your way Bob.

 

[Dawkind]

Dudley, the 6" fighter is the only one I'll be missing so if you run into any other 6" fighter mint, I need it, buddy.

Thanks, Bob

Mine's part of a set that was made with razor-sharp top and bottom....a sharpened clip on the Shiv and an almost completely sharp spine on the Fighter....and I mean mirror-polished zero-edge sharp!

I'll surely keep an eye out for you buddy, hopefully Nathan will make another run one of these days.

 

[betzner]

EDIT: After looking over some information I have, I just came to realize that I actually have a 6" utility fighter somewhere waiting in the wings, so please excuse all the dialogue over it.

 

[Dawkind]

EDIT: After looking over some information I have, I just came to realize that I actually have a 6" utility fighter somewhere waiting in the wings, so please excuse all the dialogue over it.

That's great! Finding one would be tough, since I've never seen one on the Secondary Market, and finding one with specific handle material would be REAL TOUGH!!!!!!!!!