Is an automatic LAWKS safety possible?

F

Full Tang Clan

Joined
Jul 22, 2000
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Upon playing around with my Gerber Covert, I was thinking how everyone thinks that the LAWKS safety on it (and similar CRKT knives) is a good idea. That is, when one remembers to engage it.

Therefore, wouldn't it be great if the safety was designed to automatically snap in place?

Would it be possible by fitting an omega spring between the safety and knife handle? The spring would create a constant pressure on the safety towards engaging. Therefore as the liner engaged, the safety would pop right in place behind it.

For a hands on visual, take your Covert, or KFF, and put pressure on the safety with your forefinger as you open up the blade.
For demo purpose, use two hands. See how it would work?

To close it would be only one extra step to closing a typical liner lock: you would have to 1) pull the safety back with you forefinger, and 2) move the liner lock back while 3) sliding your forefinger over to the blade to close.

 
Shouldn't be that hard to do, just figure out a way to axially spring load the LAWKS disk so that it rotates into place when the liner leaf snaps over. You would have to find a way to release the LAWKS and the liner at the same time with one hand or the hi-tech crowd would be screaming that it wasn't a one-hander any more. But that shouldn't be that hard either.
 
Looks like it would work to me. I am sitting here playing with my KFF.

Also, if you use your index finger to pull back the LAWKS and your thumb to disengage the Walker lock it is still a one-hand knife.

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EXCUSE ME WHILE I WHIP THIS OUT.
**Blazing Saddles**

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This is an excellent idea that I've heard mentioned before. Hopefully CRKT or another production company will listen and actually produce such a thing. It could definitely work, and work well.
 
Yeah, the LAWKS is easy to manipulate one-handed on my Gerber Covert. Don't know why I didn't think of that at the time. Pull the LAWKS tab back with the index finger, push the lock out of the way with your thumb, no problem.
 

Well, if there MUST to be an abomination like the LAWKS on the knife I would say that first and foremost they should work on recessing it out of the way on future Point Guard and KFF models, just as they did on the Ryan 7. I hate that damn safety anyway, and would maybe buy a Point Guard if I felt I could remove it easily...

An auto-engaging LAWKS would make this more difficult and would probably annoy me enough to never, ever purchase a knife featuring it. I would rather see CRKT drop the LAWKS and just use thicker liners and/or devote more $$$ to making better liner-locks that don't need a fook'n safety!
 
Ahhhhh, mr44 you knife purist, you!
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Thank G, for traditionalists!

Upon thinking about this though, the safety would no longer really be a safety, per se, since safeties are an optional function and up to the user to engage it or not; kind of like a seatbelt.

It would be a "sealing locking-liner". Hey, did I just invent a phrase? That marketing degree is coming in handy!

That is, the open side (leaf side) would seal up creating a secure-lock up to prevent accidental closure.

By the way, one handed closing would not be anymore difficult as it has been pointed out already. You merely, pull back the safety, er, I mean "sealing liner lock" lever back with forefinger while pulling the liner lock leaf back. The liner leaf will now hold the SLL back and you can move your forefinger over to the blade to close up like a typical liner lock.

All CRKT or Gerber would have to do is machine their current left side liner, and safety in such a way that you could recess a small torsion spring inside.
 
Personally, I don't know why LAWKS should be automatic.

In fact, I wouldn't like/trust on it then.
I find that every automatically operating system has the possibility to fail. And in my case, it would fail when I needed it most.

But as said - just my huble opinion. Don't anyone get irritated, please.
 
Yes and No-I think it would be neat but how would you close it w/out there being any danger problems? You probibaly will have to use two hands to close it.
 
Originally posted by bmafckfan:
Yes and No-I think it would be neat but how would you close it w/out there being any danger problems? You probibaly will have to use two hands to close it.
Click to expand...

If it works as in theory, it would be no more harder to do a one-handed close than a regular liner-lock. An Axis lock is more cumbersome.

To fully understand, you must have handled either a Gerber Covert, or a CRKT C/KFF or Point Guard.

The LAWKS is a simple lever on the top spine of the handle near where a thumb ramp would be. When activtated it acts like a man-hole cover to seal the liner leaf so it is sandwiched between the solid side liner, and the safety.

I just propose that a simple spring automatically snap the safety down as the leaf engages. To disengage: pull back safety with forefinger, disengage liner leaf, and then use forefinger to close blade as with any other liner-lock. Easy.

P.S. I have no idea why some purists hate the LAWKS safety so much? Like it or not it works. In addition, it is relatively a passive, and unobtrusive device. True, the CRKT versions are a bit more obtrusive than the Gerber Covert one.


[This message has been edited by Full Tang Clan (edited 10-09-2000).]
 
This may be getting way too complex, and I'm no engineer, but ....

What if the LWAKS could be locked into place when you disengage it, and "cocked" ready to auto-engage when the blade is fully closed ?

I have no idea how to to it, but it would in essence make the safety stay rearward when pulled back, so one would not need constant pressure holding it while disengaging the liner to close.

Pull back the Lawks. It locks there. Push the liner aside. Close the blade. LAWKS will now somehow "unlock", and now be under tension to auto-engage upon opening. Kinda like a double-action trigger.
 
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