Slipjoint blade alignment

[GeoffWood]

Just what is it in the making of a slipjoint folder that can cause the blade to sit slightly off centre when closed?
If the mis-alignment is only slight is it correctable. If not, will there be any long term repercussions in its performance?

 

[John L]

There are a few things that can cause this:

1. holes bored thru liner and bolster out of square
2. hole bored thru blade out of square
3. tang of blade sanded out of parallel
4. ends of liners at pivot hole sanded out of square
5. when peining, the pin collapses and becomes crooked from too heavy peining
6. Etc...etc...You must keep everything flat..perfectly flat!...and square!!

Ways to correct:

1. After closing knife and seeing that blade is offcenter..you may clamp knife diagonally from .....say....left side of top bolsters to opposite end of bottom of knife in the direction you want the blade to move. You must over clamp and be very careful not to crack scales near the bottom of knife.
2. When peining stop before blade is snug. Shim blade to opposite side it favors and finish peining.
3. There is no solution for blades that are truly screwed up!!! Start over by drilling out pivot pin and try to salvage parts. Bad day.

 

[KnifeHead]

Just what is it in the making of a slipjoint folder that can cause the blade to sit slightly off centre when closed?
If the mis-alignment is only slight is it correctable. If not, will there be any long term repercussions in its performance?

Probably not. I bet it will still cut just fine.

 

[Roger999]

Just what is it in the making of a slipjoint folder that can cause the blade to sit slightly off centre when closed?
If the mis-alignment is only slight is it correctable. If not, will there be any long term repercussions in its performance?

Some slippies like stockmans need to be bent in the blade to accommodate the blade on the end of the slippie. It shouldn't matter much, as knifehead said, off center alignment has no effect on cutting ability.