Reamers for slipjoints

I agree with Bill. These things tend to get overthunk a lot imo. If your using a 3/32 pin drill a 3/32 hole. It's really pretty simple. Lol. I like to undersize my holes prior to ht then ream/drill them to size once hardened. I build with bushings so I use a 3/16" reamer for the bushing hole and a 3/32" straight flute carbide drill for the spring holes. I use a drill 1 size smaller for the initial holes. You guys and your fancy numbers are enough to make a guys head spin.
 
BradleySmall said:
I guess, I don't consider 2 thou to be "significantly larger". That's like using a #41 in a 3/32. I would think that would be "slip fit" for a dowel pin. Significantly larger, suggests that it could rattle around, front to back, side to side. Perhaps it is just my idea of "significantly larger".
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You don't but other do. Some ream the whole to the exact size of the pin. Now I am not talking about some of the top slipjoint makers such as Rupple, Swenson or Brewer, they just use a 3/32" drill bit.

But others try to get precise, exact size 3/32" holes, but as Bill said that just is not really necessary.

Remember when Bill DeShivis talks about folding knives he has made and repaired more then most of us combined. You should listen very carefully when he gives advise.
 
AVigil said:
You don't but other do. Some ream the whole to the exact size of the pin. Now I am not talking about some of the top slipjoint makers such as Rupple, Swenson or Brewer, they just use a 3/32" drill bit.

But others try to get precise, exact size 3/32" holes, but as Bill said that just is not really necessary.

Remember when Bill DeShivis talks about folding knives he has made and repaired more then most of us combined. You should listen very carefully when he gives advise.
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I don't know... kinda sounds like grandma's recipes. 🤣 Granny's cooking was probably good.
 
i think the "Big Issue" here is simply the fact that some/few have things like a full set up of wire size drills and reamers. to those that do have a complete set up
questions like this seldom come up.. but to those trying to make something of a "New" to them design . they ask others for the answer "what size do i use"
there are lots of "Charts" out there for Every size drill/reamer/tap etc.. they tell you the sizes of anything based of what YOU measure..
tapered reamers are used by some guys ,drill bits only by others , some "like me drill under size " and ream to actual size after heat treat.
Bill has been working on "Pocket knives" forever ignore his advice if you wish.. My Mentor for Pocket knives was Bob Lum.. and a few other knife maker "Friends"
the Basic answer to these questions is "If it works for you" use it..
i have several "Cabinets " full of drills/reamers/taps because i Prepared a long time ago to be able to work on /fix anything .. i was ever likely to see or be asked to FIX..
Gear up a bit guys.. you will enjoy building more and shopping less..
 
Your liners and handles hold the blade in place. The backspring holds the blade in place in the other direction.
The pivot pin holds the blade in the knife. If your holes are drilled straight-that's all that's required.
Try building yourself one with an oversized pivot hole in the blade, and you'll see what I mean.
You can make your parts and holes as precise as you want, if you want to spend the time- but it's not necessary to build a good knife.
 
Bill DeShivs said:
Your liners and handles hold the blade in place. The backspring holds the blade in place in the other direction.
The pivot pin holds the blade in the knife. If your holes are drilled straight-that's all that's required.
Try building yourself one with an oversized pivot hole in the blade, and you'll see what I mean.
You can make your parts and holes as precise as you want, if you want to spend the time- but it's not necessary to build a good knife.
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I don't doubt you on this, just trying to understand what I don't know. I actually, have another Country Cousin to work on, and interestingly enough I just stuck a piece of 1/16 through the holes because they never got to setting up the loveless or whatever these are supposed to be held together with. And as long as I hold the liners together tight enough to keep the back spring from flopping off the side of the blade it will snap open and snap closed. And that piece of 1/16 is all kinds of floppy in the hole. This makes me think I might want to examine the other one to see if the hole is actually straight though the blade, maybe that is why it closes so far to the right. And, perhaps the leading corner needs some attention to get it to snap closed too. These were early acquisitions, and I made some assumptions as to the conditions of what I had.

I am supposing that the blade on the newer one was "tuned" and ready to go in. And the one of the older one, perhaps not so much.

Bill, I don't doubt a word you say. But you do come across as a voice of reason so much, that makes me question both what you say as well as what so many others may have said immediately before you. I may just have to wait for your answers before I evaluate everyone else's :)

I don't want to "take the easy way out" if I have the ability to do something "right". But I certainly don't want to do things "the hard way" if it isn't necessary. I've found, that you don't always "get what you pay for" in terns of effort and technique. Just because something is more difficult doesn't make the results any better. However, this is the internet, and I have to question things. :)

Thanks again.
 
Pinoy Knife said:
i think the "Big Issue" here is simply the fact that some/few have things like a full set up of wire size drills and reamers. to those that do have a complete set up
questions like this seldom come up.. but to those trying to make something of a "New" to them design . they ask others for the answer "what size do i use"
there are lots of "Charts" out there for Every size drill/reamer/tap etc.. they tell you the sizes of anything based of what YOU measure..
tapered reamers are used by some guys ,drill bits only by others , some "like me drill under size " and ream to actual size after heat treat.
Bill has been working on "Pocket knives" forever ignore his advice if you wish.. My Mentor for Pocket knives was Bob Lum.. and a few other knife maker "Friends"
the Basic answer to these questions is "If it works for you" use it..
i have several "Cabinets " full of drills/reamers/taps because i Prepared a long time ago to be able to work on /fix anything .. i was ever likely to see or be asked to FIX..
Gear up a bit guys.. you will enjoy building more and shopping less..
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You sure can invoke some "sizes" envy... :)
 
Pinoy Knife said:
that is not at all what my reply meant .. if you are going to work on something ,get the gear ready before you start..
otherwise you start /stop order some stuff/start again/oops ordered wrong stuff /start again.. not worth the grief
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I know what you were meaning, I just thought I was making a funny :)
Yes, it would be great to be able to completely gear up ahead of time then never need anything. But when you are new, you can't always know what all you are going to need. Sometimes, you might believe that the five 1/16 drill bits would be sufficient to drill 12 or 13 holes.... Then one shatters and one gets destroyed because not all the parts got removed from the partial hole, and a third gets destroyed, and finally you have to use the m35 cobalt one to drill through the remaining drill bit and take any sharpness out of it completely. Pretty soon, you are waiting on an order from Amazon... :) Well maybe not you, but "me"...
Unfortunately, I get to do the stutter-step and buy what I can as I go.
I just got an offer from a guy on a milling machine. Funny thing, he wants $1100 for a used HF one. He says it has lots of tooling. So far I see a vise, and a rotating thing to mount it to (not sure what that does for me) and endmills and reamers for days and a handful of Chinese draw-bar collets... Not a single one of them looks to be smaller than 1/2" or possibly 3/8".... Then at the same time another guy wants me to buy his unimat with no milling table, meanwhile another guy 3 hours drive away has a decent deal on a Sherline 5400 (mill) and 4000 (lathe) with lots of extras but it is a little Sherline. Point being, whatever I get, if I can afford it doesn't have everything it needs. So I have resigned myself to never have all the gear I need, and each project will bring new gear purchases.
For now, I will just remain envious of your cabinets and drill and reamer collections. :)
 
BradleySmall said:
I just got an offer from a guy on a milling machine. Funny thing, he wants $1100 for a used HF one. He says it has lots of tooling. So far I see a vise, and a rotating thing to mount it to (not sure what that does for me)
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Are you planning on relieving your slipjoint liners ? the rotating thing will help with that
 
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