I'm determined to make a cutlers anvil

B

BradleySmall

Joined
Mar 6, 2022
Messages
317
But I am going to have to wait for better blades to come on Saturday because the one I got ain't going to make it.... So here is a 6" wide 1-1/2" thick piece of D2. I will get 2 of them out of it, but it is going to take some work. And a better blade for my portable bandsaw. I think I have an 18 tpi and I ordered some 10/14s that claim to cut SS and carbon steel. We'll see come Saturday!

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That "lip" or shelf for pinning inside liners needs to be longer.
 
Have fun! It would be a lot better to take to a friend with a mill and have them mill the curved recesses.
After all the shaping and stuff is done, HT your stiddy.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Have fun! It would be a lot better to take to a friend with a mill and have them mill the curved recesses.
After all the shaping and stuff is done, HT your stiddy.
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Apparently, I just don't have the right friends. :) I don't have a friend running a big Bridgeport knee mill. I am lacking that friend with a nice Monarch lathe. In addition to all that, I seem to be missing any friends with waterjet setups, EDM, thermal lances, and even a plasma cutter.

I do have what I have. I am still looking for mentors, friends, and heroes. Otherwise, I buy tools :)
 
BradleySmall said:
Apparently, I just don't have the right friends. :) I don't have a friend running a big Bridgeport knee mill. I am lacking that friend with a nice Monarch lathe. In addition to all that, I seem to be missing any friends with waterjet setups, EDM, thermal lances, and even a plasma cutter.

I do have what I have. I am still looking for mentors, friends, and heroes. Otherwise, I buy tools :)
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Talk to B bjansen he makes a fine curlers anvil for a very respectable price. ;)
 
BradleySmall said:
Well that would be a da#$ed-long-@$$ commute to start with.
But, I haven't given up on the project just yet. Who knows, maybe someday someone will say that I make a fine cutler's anvil too :) When it's all done, I will have 2 of them, after all.

Just waiting on some saw blades...
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I get it. Good luck man.
 
BradleySmall said:
Apparently, I just don't have the right friends. :) I don't have a friend running a big Bridgeport knee mill. I am lacking that friend with a nice Monarch lathe. In addition to all that, I seem to be missing any friends with waterjet setups, EDM, thermal lances, and even a plasma cutter.

I do have what I have. I am still looking for mentors, friends, and heroes. Otherwise, I buy tools :)
Click to expand...

It would help if you added your location to your profile. You might have a "friend" right in your area who would reach out to you.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
It would help if you added your location to your profile. You might have a "friend" right in your area who would reach out to you.
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It's in there now, or again. I feel as though I have entered my details 2 or 3 times now, and they keep falling off. Perhaps because I don't have a paid account.

FWIW, I am in Mooresville, NC
 
Well, got blades... They do cut better, but after a few cuts (an hours worth I would guess) I got a whiff of burning rubber and when I shut it off and looked, well the tire came off the drive wheel, in a couple pieces... Waiting on new tires now, or new drive wheel, whichever gets here first. I'm getting there.. If anyone wants to buy the second one... just remember all I've been through to get something anvil (stiddy) shaped :D


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How thick is the lip on the soon-to-be stiddy? I was looking at one recently, but it had a lip that was .110” thick. If you’re going to use the lip for tapping a pin while knives are assembled, slacken a blade, etc, you would probably need to be .075” - .080” imo.
 
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I like the last .250 at the end of the lip to be angled to an almost sharp edge. This allows a folder to be driven into the wedge and separate the liners/blades/bolsters/etc. The rest of the extended lip is around .100-.125" thick.

I'll take photos in a few days. Having some medical tests done and won't be in the shop for a few days. (Nothing serious, but needs to be done)
 
D2 is nasty on saw blades at thicknesses like that. Get some cutting oil or a stick of saw lube. Run the saw SLOW with good pressure. When the blade starts rubbing STOP immediately and change blades. D2 work hardens pretty bad
 
Fixall said:
How thick is the lip on the soon-to-be stiddy? I was looking at one recently, but it had a lip that was .110” thick. If you’re going to use the lip for tapping a pin while knives are assembled, slacken a blade, etc, you would probably need to be .075” - .080” imo.
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I was considering sizing it according to the knives I have around. The design makes it out to 0.125 but I only have 2 knives made from .125 stock, most of my stuff is .0938 or smaller, so perhaps I will make mine .0900 or possibly .0800.

The way I see it, this would be a product made to approximate configurations, and bought/sold in the annealed state. This way, a person could add their rivet heading holes, and pin knockout holes, and even drill/tap the bottom and attach a base plate; or mill a shoulder so that it can be mounted in a steel vise, or further shouldered to fit in a hardy hole.
In this particular case it is being made from D2, but certainly, any normal hardenable steel would allow most knife makers to make their own specific modifications then harden it. Or, if they
are of the style they could send it out.

I have seen other things done like this, for instance the Leading Edge folks make their parser plates from 1075 annealed. That would allow you to tweak them with a file, or simply harden them and use them.

But, I am getting ahead of myself. Let me get these two made, and tweaked to my liking. Perhaps I will keep one at .125 and the other at .080 Or even keep one at .080 and the other at .060 .. I think that would fit "The cutest little congress you ever saw" had I not needed to take it all the way apart to remake the blades anyway :)
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
I like the last .250 at the end of the lip to be angled to an almost sharp edge. This allows a folder to be driven into the wedge and separate the liners/blades/bolsters/etc. The rest of the extended lip is around .100-.125" thick.

I'll take photos in a few days. Having some medical tests done and won't be in the shop for a few days. (Nothing serious, but needs to be done)
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That sounds like a useful feature.
 
Keith Nix said:
D2 is nasty on saw blades at thicknesses like that. Get some cutting oil or a stick of saw lube. Run the saw SLOW with good pressure. When the blade starts rubbing STOP immediately and change blades. D2 work hardens pretty bad
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For the one on the left, I think once I get that last 1/4" cut to pop that block I will do a straight line like the opposite side, then cut across the bottom. The rest will be on the belt grinder. The arcs are 3" radii and everything else is flat. Just a matter of who's belts actually behave like they do in the advertisements. :)

For some of these cuts, I can see the benefit of one of those gravity based horizontal band saws. I have even considered putting the piece in the vise and hand holding the saw onto it. But for now, I am waiting on tires. :)
 
Now I have 2 stiddy shaped objects (well sort of) and a bunch of 1-1/2" chunks of D2.

Next step see what the belt grinder can do. Any advice before I start?

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BradleySmall said:
Now I have 2 stiddy shaped objects (well sort of) and a bunch of 1-1/2" chunks of D2.

Next step see what the belt grinder can do. Any advice before I start?

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Good 36 grit ceramic belts, and don’t burn your fingers, lol.
 
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