Making hex head holes in knife handles

[Lorien]

whoa- that's cool. The custom handle I mean.
This thread is sweet!

 

[broe]

I have done similar with G10/G11...metal at red hot works almost exactly the same. I won't do it any other way now. Simple IS always best.

 

[jdm61]

Ummm, call me dim, but how were you planning to tighten them down?

 

[Phydeaux]

Found this on youTube:

[video=youtube_share;JVUVtSGRLxc]http://youtu.be/JVUVtSGRLxc[/video]

 

[silver_pilate]

Neat stuff. I know this is an old thread, but it looks like there are some drill attachments that use variations of the Watts process invented in the 19-teens. The square hole process is based on the reuleaux triangle. Interesting site with some visual explanations:

http://mikesenese.com/DOIT/2011/10/drilling-square-holes-with-a-reuleaux-triangle/

--nathan

 

[jawilder]

Ummm, call me dim, but how were you planning to tighten them down?

You could use the Loveless method of having a nut in/on each scale and a bolt running through. I think it would look neat to have pentagon shaped stainless pins.
Jason

 

[lazlo]

This is the broach tool to use in this case:

That's a Slater rotary broach. Totally different animal. Rotates on a 1° axis in a special (i.e., very expensive) toolholder.

http://www.slatertools.com/rotary-broaches/product/500-shank-diameter

[video=youtube_share;XuYjDLtV8pU]http://youtu.be/XuYjDLtV8pU[/video]

 

[Ed Braun]

The method generally used for creating allen head holes in most hardware is done through rotary broaching.
A tinkerer/airsmith whose work I've followed the last 8 years, Doc Nickles, made his own for his lathe:
http://www.docsmachine.com/projects/rotarybroach/rb01.html

There are broach cutters like this for industrial sized drills and your regular mill--Check fleabay, McMaster-carr, and Littlemachine shop as they crop up every now and then.

 

[Mike Fennessy]

Originally Posted by jdm61
"Ummm, call me dim, but how were you planning to tighten them down?"

The way I would use it is to have a allen head bolt or something similar that you would tighten from the other side. The purpose of the hexagon hole instead of a round one is that when you tighten it from the other side, the nut won't rotate.

 

[The Warrior]

That's awesome.

 

[Diez Knives]

So I tried it on a scape piece of jean micarta but I didn't predrill 3/8" only went all the way thru with a 3/16" bit, I just got the nut red hot and used a pair of vise grips. I let the all thread hang down a bit and used two nuts to lock them in place. Made a lot of smoke and stunk up an garage, had to make 2 passes with it. The inside is a little chard.

 

[Widerstand]

What about a Dremel tool mounted in a pantograph? Kind of like a poor man CNC in a way.

 

[Overmountain]

What about a Dremel tool mounted in a pantograph? Kind of like a poor man CNC in a way.

That would be neat to see... You could use an x/y vise and a rasp type dremel bit in a very small chuck (my drill press will actually hold a 1/32 bit with its 3/4 chuck...) It is a bit like drawing a perfect hexagon with an etch-a-sketch though...

I prefer a Dremel press with a very small bit. Set the depth, connect the dots, and you are good to go with no burning necessary. If you are drilling small enough holes, close enough together without going outside the lines you can square (or rather hexagon, lol) it up with an xacto and small detail files. The detail file sets have nice angle files that work nicely for this.

For anything I don't care about heat coloring or melting a little, I use the hot bolt method. This works for ABS, micarta, synthetics and even stabilized woods. Drill the appropriate pilot hole of course...


Wow, talk about necropost, but one that seems OK though as it addresses a real issue, maybe more so for beckerheads than some , but still... )

 

[SteelSlaver]

Here is another idea that would work for things that don't melt so good. Make a hardened metal template, then clamp it on the piece and use a rotor zip or a dremel to remove the material, thats how many do the shields on folders. My question is why do this when there are plenty of Colby type bolts around, plus torx head stuff and while the hex hole may work for the nut, how do you use it on the bolt and turn it tight???

 

[Overmountain]

It is geared for, and thread started by beckerheads. Becker and some other outdoorsy companies like this type of fastener. They aren't as clean as a chicago screw, corbi bolt, loveless screw and the like but they are very robust and easy to replace. They have a round head with allen pattern or phillips on the other side. They only have to be tightened from that side...
I can speak to their robustness, the handle material will fail long before the bolt will. I like beckers, and like these fasteners too, but they cerainly have their place. Not every knife can pull them off...

 

[Diez Knives]

so after doing several hex heads on handles i started to notice that my chuck on my drill press was getting hot and turning black, I didn't feel like breaking it so I decided to search the internet and local hardware stores, I found some MORTISING CHISEL AND BIT SET but didn't seem like it would work, I came home empty handed:grey: I felt defeated... then I was using my 1/2 ton arbor press and BAM it hit me..... after several attempts I found a solution. works the same even better and less expensive to replace. This is what I came up with.


I got a different design I am working on same but different...

 

[jdm61]

That should be interesting because the laminate in G10 is glass, not cloth. let us know how it works.

Huh, interesting - I would have bet money that you'd just wind up with either a horrible mess or just a burn mark. Now try it with G10/G11.