Friction folder pivot - accounting for total thickness

S

smartanimal

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May 7, 2015
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Hey all. So I was thinking of trying my hand at making a folding knife as I've only made fixed blades thus far. At first I wanted to make a slipjoint but I think that's still a little above my skill set and I think I would end up getting frustrated.

I've found some tutorials for friction folders and the project seems right up my alley. My only question (probably a dumb one) is this:

Does the pivot assembly and any other screws I use need to have a tube that is the exact width of the fully assembled knife or is it supposed to be shorter so that the screws can make more tension?

For example, if I'm making a rather thin folder with 1/8"steel and 1/8" scales and no washers. Comes out to 3/8" total thickness. I have a joint assembly that has a tube of 3/16"(thick) x 3/8" (long). Will this not create enough tension to hold the knife closed / open?

Sorry it's tough to explain, I can draw it if need be but I'm frustrated by this.
 
It needs to be shorter so you can regulate tension. Just a bit longer than blade thickness, to enter into both liners/bolsters assembly
 
Why wouldn't you want to use washers? That's my first question.

If you did use washers, the pivot would be a few thousandths shorter than the total thickness of your parts, which is a good thing, provided that you don't countersink your pivot screw heads at all. If you plan on countersinking the screw heads, you'll have to shorten that pivot pin a bit.
 
When I started making friction folders, I was not going to use washers. After some testing, I found washers helped with smoothness but more importantly durability. Washers help protect the blade finish and also the scales. For the dimensions you describe, I would use .005. I don't know everything, But I have learned along the way. Feel free to hit me up for any info I could give to help you. Walter
 
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thanks everyone. ill get some washers and give it a try - i just figured i would make it simpler but it looks like it's worth it. . I plan on keeping it super easy for the first couple so i'm not going to be countersinking anything, and was just going to make the back spacer out of the same metal i used for the blade.

we'll see how it goes.
 
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