Scale making

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NSW1535@Gmail.com

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Nov 21, 2011
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Hey guys, could you please tell me your no-nonsense fool proof way to drill the screw holes perfectly centered for your folding knives? Currently I temporarily glue the original scales to my G-10 slabs and carefully drillpress through. It has proven to work only if I line it up right. What do you guys do? Thanks.
 
Well, I would like to help. If you have the knife blade profiled and are sure that's how wide you want it, find the center, punch mark the spots , and drill the holes. Now you can lay your scale for one side on, clamp a drill . Now do the same for the other side. The scales very flat, would be oversize at this time and only the guard end would be finished to fit at that end . I hope this is what you were looking for. Frank
 
I'm not sure if you're asking about making new scales for a production knife or drilling scales on a knife you made.

If its for a knife you made follow franks advice, for sure.

If its "pimping" a factory knife most things will be the same. Make sure your scales are flat and your drill press table is square and true. Clamp your scale material to your template and slowly feed the drill into the work. Don't force it. Let the drill find its center first and then put some more pressure on it. Make sure you're holding your work flat the whole time. But I wouldn't clamp it. If you clamp your work to the table and your drill is not perfectly where its supposed to be then you've just screwed up your scales. Hold it flat against the table but not in a death grip. Let the piece move a little so the drill can center on the holes in your template.
 
Thank you guys. I am in fact "pimping" factory knives in this case. As for the center punch, I should get a size that just fits in the screw hole so it will be the middle. Thanks again.
 
For folders, I generally use the liners from the production knife as the template rather than thr original scales. I double-stick-tape the liner and 2 scales together, then I turn the drill press manually to create all of the starter-holes in the top scale. Once the drill bit has drilled into the material manually to the point that each hole is the full diameter of the bit then remove the template and can turn the power on to quickly drill the holes all the way through both scales, knowing that they will be true.
The reason I do this manually at first is to avoid messing up the liner-holes by accident while trying to use them as a guide.
 
You might also try brad point bits. And take your time. Measure twice, drill once. Slow is smooth and smooth is fast, as they say.
 
Thanks Fishface. By the way, do you do this before or after you cut out your scales? Also, what do you mean by manually drillpressing?
 
Use 2 sided carpet tape to attach a factory scale to your g10 (easier than glue)

Use the scale as a drill guide, just make sure to use the right size bits:-)

I always drill first, then shape, then countersink...works for me.
 
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