Slip joint general design advice needed

To each his own, I have not experienced it affecting the closed position, could be a difference in the way we do our tang geometry or something else...who knows.
 
tmerkl said:
Do you work from a pattern when making your slip joints? There are some, like Todd Davison, that do it without them but I find it really helpful. I use a free program called inkscape to lay everything out, and I can pivot the blade to check for fit and clearances. The notch, or run-up usually does show on most unless you are designing what they call a "sunken joint". That is about pivot placement, blade design, and as you discovered, bolster design. With a couple dozen under your belt, i'm sure you know, one change affects many other parts and it's a real balancing act getting these things to go together right. That's why I find it so helpful to design it on the computer first so I know if I do my part on the bandsaw and grinder, it will come out right. You can check some of mine out on my instagram, tim.merkl, and I'll be happy to send you a pdf of some working patterns that i've made if you are interested. Good luck and keep at it! They are addictive!
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If ya don't mind, I would love to have a copy of your working patterns! (i don't do instagram) I've only made 1 type of slipjoint, a lanny pattern, and i've only made 6 or 7 of them, but would like to try out some new designs! You can email them to:
kabisch42@hotmail.com

Thank you, I really appreciate it!!
Ben
 
Holy identity crisis, batman! I may actually have saved it. It's got it's flaws, the tip isn't where i would want it, but it's getting close to what i had in mind. It went from 3.5" overall length to 3", which is my typical 3 finger handle length. The edge length is just under 2.5" which makes a good ratio i think.

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Well, here it is. Overall it's close to what I wanted, but not quite. Maybe on the next one I'll like it enough to try using some of those jigged bone sets I got. I have about 30 sets just waiting on me to not mess up!

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The trade off is really noticeable with such a narrow blade to get a "Sunken Joint".
 
That's why I make them the way I do, instead of the boat/canoe shape, the horn covers the backsquare in the closed position, without making the handle look super fat. I even hide mine in the half-stop position which some designs don't allow. Mostly though, I've just never thought the "canoe" shape to be very aesthetically pleasing. The handle looks pretty huge to the blade also, you've got lots of room to remove material on both ends of the handle.

The other type of sunken joints that look really boss to me, are serpentine or sway-back congress style handles on multiblades, where you sink the joint primarily by angle of the closed position, without adding any real meat to the bolster area.


Either way, you're making good progress, although I'd still recommend focusing on refining your skillset, before you try to get too much crazier with patterns.

The other thing I'd suggest, buy some cheap used old pocket knives of the styles you really like, and take them apart. You can make/modify patterns from these, but most importantly, you can see the interactions first hand. If you're careful and gently drill and punch out pins, you can temp-pin them back together just like you do when you're making one, and see exactly how the parts are interfacing. It's also a great way to understand how these things wear over time.
 
I really am starting to hate the canoe style handle. I can never get those right. The serpentine handle is much easier for me.
 
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