Help with making a folder

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knight_shadow

Joined
Jan 11, 2007
Messages
39
I was thinking of making a folder but I am having trouble with the choice of what kind I should make and how to make it. I want a simple folder that will not take to much to figure out how it all goes together but I want one that works well also. I am a little bit lost on were to start on this knife.

Anyone that knows of any good howto guides ( the search is not working on the forum well ) it would be very helpful. I would also like to know what types of folders you ( others on here ) like to make and what kind of learned curve it is to put one together.
 
Don Robison offers cad drawings for beginners who want to build folders. You can find him on knifenetwork.com hope this helps
 
If you're interested in slip-joints, the only book I know of in current print is "The Complete Book of Pocketknife Repair" by Ben Kelly Jr. That shows how a slipjoint goes together and has lots of pictures.
Expect it to take 30-40 hours unless you can find someone local to you who is willing to help you.

ron
 
don robinson also sells a book on making liner locks that im told is pretty good.i think the easiest(although im sure others would dissagree) is a liner lock or frame lock. although i havn't ever made one, but that should change within a week. liner locks are also the easiest to find info on, there are 3 or 4 good tutorials on how to build one if you google for it.
brett
 
Thanks everyone. I will look for those books they should be helpful. I have looked at a few liner locks and they have some good points ( when it comes to how simple it is made ) and some bad points. I may try a liner lock first anyway tho because there is alot more information about them on the web.
 
Frame locks are fairly straightforward if you have a decently made one to look over. I made my first few just by looking over a few production knives I have and then a little trial and error in the shop.
One thing that really has sped things up for me is laying them out on my computer before hand.
Download the software at www.emachineshop.com if you don't already have some sort of CAD software. Its really simple, and will allow you to come up with the profile and hole placement for all of your parts. By locking parts of your drawing together and using the rotate function, you can even check the blade for proper clearance as it opens and closes.

Once you have a pattern, print it out use it as a template to cut your parts out and drill your holes. You can either glue the paper patterns to your steel, or what I like to do is stick them down with shipping tape and then use a dremel with an engraving bit to cut the pattern into the bar. That way you can still dunk the blade and cool it off while you're profiling it and not loose your pattern. Also be sure to center punch all of your holes.
 
You might try buying a kit in a pattern you like, then just duplicating it. All the geometry is already figured out for you. After you get the hang of it, then you can start designing your own.
 
Matt Shade said:
Frame locks are fairly straightforward if you have a decently made one to look over. I made my first few just by looking over a few production knives I have and then a little trial and error in the shop.
One thing that really has sped things up for me is laying them out on my computer before hand.
Download the software at www.emachineshop.com if you don't already have some sort of CAD software. Its really simple, and will allow you to come up with the profile and hole placement for all of your parts. By locking parts of your drawing together and using the rotate function, you can even check the blade for proper clearance as it opens and closes.
Click to expand...

I do not have any CAD software ( well not anymore anyway ) so will try emachineshop and see how it goes. I work on computers all day long and never even thought of using it to make a template for a knife I wanted to make. I tried hand drawing them but I know the fit would not be right. Hand drawing would work well with a fixed blade but not a folder ( Well not for me I am not an artist lol ).

Thanks for the info and the reply.
 
I just finished my first folder and I used a Western as a pattern, I liked the knife but it had a broken blade. See my post with picture, I would be glad to help if I can.
 
i would buy a slipjoint folder kit from jantz, or texas knife supply to learn the geometry of the spring and tang. after you learn that you can use that geometry to make any size or shape you want. this isn't as good as having a good experience teacher around but it worked for me. also do a yahoo search for chris crawford knives. he has a good tutorial.
 
chris crawford is also on knifenetwork.com (I think that is right) if you have questions. For the ones I made, I didn't use any pattern and forged the blade and backspring. Probably the hard way to go about it.

ron
 
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