Looking for friction folder templates and advice on hardware

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RockFireForge

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Dec 16, 2016
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Any templates or advice on how to or what program to use to make templates would be awesome thanks everyone


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I have little to no experience on on building a friction folder and am wondering what to use to secure the blade and also what to use for the stop pin


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Do I have options other ham ordering like something at he hardware store


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I would recommend getting the parts from knife kits or Alpha Knife supply. I've made several friction folders and order from them. Both sell hardened stop pins and very nice pivots. It would be a good plan to get a nice pivot instead of improvising.
 
Awesome thanks guys I found some Chicago screws that held old saw handles on I might try to use this as a privet not sure yet my budget is none expiate to right now so I kinda have to improvise unless my queen indicates otherwise
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also here's a picture of the material for the micarta I'll be using for the folder
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The difficult part about using found pins and pivots is being able to drill precise holes to go through the handle material and blade material. That's why you're better off picking out something from Alpha knife supply or USA knifemakers, etc.
They have precision pivots and pins in common sizes. Then you just buy the appropriate reamers to match. They also have washers made for their pivots. It will save you time and headaches and keep from having too much slop around the drilled holes.
 
IMHO its worth the $1 - $4 for a nice pivot. From knife kits - where i tend to get mine - they are heat treated and the always the size i need. The other important part about pivots is they are hardened threaded tubes where as chicago screws are not. The same goes for stop pins, they are hardened and will resist wear. On my Friction Folders there tends to be small amount of resistance at the stop pin to all the blade to rest without coming out - also this is were a tube pivot comes in handy since you are adjusting the tightness from either side and not just from one side. It may be tough to get it right with Chicago screws. I also cannot overstate the the wear factor of the pivots. A tight fitting pivot can incur a lot of wear and using a softer material such as Aluminum could mean you wear fast enough to make the action loose - friction folders are not loose.

I understand where you are coming from, so if you can more power to ya!
 
Which size and type should I get I'm think 3/16 or 1/4 for the Pivet and 1/8 for the stop pins I'm just not sure which type to buy because of all the options


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I want to try the first one in 3/32" 1084 and then try one in 1/8" or 3/16" and see how that works I'll be using my own micarta ground to size not sure how thick to make the handles guess not very thick because I need to account for the width of the pivet any suggestions on sizes that will work would help
thanks in advance guys


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found this one in an old thread and resized thanks to zooker89 for posting it it very similar to the one of drawn up I'm hoping this makes everything line up easier when the time comes


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Pivot size is totally up to you. I started with 3/16 pivots with 1/8th stop pins, but I have also used 3/16 stop pins.
I buy inexpensive reamers on eBay and at the speed I make knives, they last a long time. (I'm slow)
I've recently started tooling up for 1/4" as well but only because I had someone request 1/4". I really like the versatility of 3/16". Most of the pivots and stop pins I've bought have been from AKS.
Also, I'm very new to folding knives so hopefully there will be much more experienced guys come along, I'm just passing on what works for me.
Good luck and keep us updated with your progress!
 
I'd consider 3/16" pivot barrel and stop pin, save a bit on tooling and is a nice size. It is worth it to buy a reamer and carbide is nice.

Get a drill bit chart (download and print up)... drill at roughly .170" for the 3/16" reamer.

You can use standoffs instead of a stop pin which can also add simplicity...

I made my first friction folders by filing my holes to size! They are a great way to get into knifemaking and really fun to make. I like to make about one per week.
 
So i have 3/32" what size Pivet a and standoffs should I get [emoji15][emoji23]


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I made this one time ago, feel free to use or modify the model.
CAD drawings link

Pivots were made of alpacca/german silver and hammered to desired friction

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Pablo
 
On the length of the pivot and pin you can do some basic math and figure out... depends of you are going to counterbore/sink your hardware to flush or not.

I size almost every pivot and screw used on my folders, you can drill a hole in a bar of steel to hold your pivot in tightly and grind it down that way. Same with screws, just tap a plate of steel and screw the screws in to grind the tips off. I'd consider not counterboring or sizing stuff to make it the easiest possible, you might be able to find some at the right size. www.alphaknifesupply.com www.ticonnector.com have extremely well made parts with very consistent tight tolerances.
 
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