Making my first set of scales need advice on hardware!

N

nuckingfuts

Joined
Dec 20, 2011
Messages
484
Howdy yall

Ive been itching to make my first pair of scales and I figured I'd make them for my izula first.

Im using green canvas micarta with toxic green liners. The part im kinda stuck on is what hardware to use. Im not picky I just need something to hold em together and want to be able to take them apart.

Would something like these chain ring bolts work well?

chain-ring-set.jpg


Im not to inclined with this type of stuff, do they have some type of step bits or something similar to drill the holes?

Im buying a drill press tomorrow so Im trying to order the hardware asap because Im absolutely dying from excitement to finish these scales!

Really any advice at all would be appreciated!

Thanks alot guys!
 
nuckingfuts said:
Would something like these chain ring bolts work well?
Click to expand...
Yes, those are great for removable scales! The same supplier may have a stepped bit to match, or you can just buy one bit to match the shaft size and one to match the head. Drill the shaft holes all the way through, then drill for the heads just deep enough so they sit flush with the scales. Easy-peasy.
 
Drill the heads first then drill the thru holes. If you drill the thru holes first the larger bit for the heads will not have anything to grip so it will skip all over the place.
 
tim37a said:
Drill the heads first then drill the thru holes. If you drill the thru holes first the larger bit for the heads will not have anything to grip so it will skip all over the place.
Click to expand...

Where the heck are you getting that back-ass-wards idea from? :confused:

Drilling the smaller through-holes first establishes center. It's easy as pie to center a standard split-point bit into a smaller hole that already exists. The tolerances achieved this way are more than accurate enough for knife-building purposes.

This is not "theory", I've done this literally hundreds of times.
 
tim37a said:
Drill the heads first then drill the thru holes. If you drill the thru holes first the larger bit for the heads will not have anything to grip so it will skip all over the place.
Click to expand...

I use the thru hole as a guide for the head hole... I find its easier to make sure you have the same center for both holes and neither one is lop sided.

BIG CAUTION: ensure to hold the scales solid (preferrably with a vice) canvas micarta is very coarse and what i call "grippy" it can catch and pull quite quickly if you're not careful. i have ruined more than one hole by getting slack and allowing the bit to eat too much of the handle, sometimes taking it right out of my hand.
 
hmm and then trying to center the smaller hole down inside the bigger hole where you can't even see it? Terrible idea, small hole then big hole :thumbup:
 
If you don't move the scale on a drill press table, either way will work just fine. Just swap bits and drill away.
 
Or, take a bit that matches the head size and grind it into a stepped bit for your bolts....one step ( pun intended) drilling.
 
C'mon guys, it depends on what type of bit(s) you're using. With twist drills, small first. With Forstner or spurr bits that have a center spur, large first.
 
woodwrkr221 said:
With Forstner or spurr bits that have a center spur, large first.
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I suspect that's what Tim was thinking, they will make a center hole to guide the next bit. I use brad-points and forstners so rarely, I didn't think of it that way. I apologize for being snarky.
 
Twist or spade, make one as a shouldern drill. It takes about 5 minutes if you are new at it, one or two if you have done a few before.
 
If I tried making my own shoulder drill I'm not sure it would turn out so good. I used Corby's for the first time a month ago when I put new scales on a friends Wustoff utility knife. I did like James mentioned and bought a matching step drill from the same supplier as the Corby's. Worked great, I'm a believer!

The chain ring bolts look interesting too, gotta try those.
 
Insert a threaded piece of brass, and gain some shear strength and you can use some nice 8-32 ss bolts from your local hardware store.
 
Thanks Woodwrkr221. I use Corbys with a step drill but before I got the step drill I used a Forstner and a twist drill.
 
I prefer corby bolts/nuts. As long as you counter-bore the hole to a good depth, they allow some leeway on how much you can take off of the top of them to finish the scales. Of course, corby bolts are permanent once the screwdriver slot on the heads are ground off.

I finish my scales after they are screwed and glued to the tang. For me, corby bolts work best and look the cleanest.

Mike L.
LoGiudice Custom Knives
 
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