Speaking of bolsters

blgoode

blgoode

Joined
Oct 3, 2003
Messages
7,189
This was what I was workng on this week. Good old cherry wood and etched steel!! Just currious but how do you guys soften the bolster edges? I just used a file.
Closeup.jpg
 
I use a 3/4" contact wheel to shape any inner curve, the regular ol' contact wheel for outside curves and the rotary platen for smoothing larger surfaces.

I only use a file when I have a very small, tight radius to work and I try not to design things like that into my day! ;)
 
Thanks Dave. Do you use the 3/4" wheel with the bolster installed? Also are your bolster fronts at a 90 degree to the blade?
Thanks buddy! ;)
 
Brian I usually shape the front of the bolster to curve back toward the handle a little; it's not 90 degrees, more like 60 - 80 depending on the knife, and because it's easiest to do, all curved rather than flat. I don't want any edges catching on the sheath or work.

And the face of the bolster is the only part I shape before I attach it to the knife. Everything else gets done in tandem with the scales. If I thought I was going to thin the bolster down a lot I'd do some of that before I attached it though, to make sure I had the pins filling the hole completely. Sometimes I've found that even though the pins were peened nicely on the surface I hadn't sufficiently swelled it inside the hole; it's no fun having to remove the whole handle because you discover too late that the pins aren't tight all the way through...

I hope some of this makes sense, I'm not particularly coherent today. :rolleyes: Not enough sleep - never enough sleep! :D
 
This is what i do:

The first pic is a piece of scrap to illistrate what i do.

I always have one of my disk sanders set to abought 45%. i use it for all of the dovetails i use.

I bevel the front of the bolster freehand untill there is about .060" still flat.
 
part 2

round the bolster after it is pinned to the knife but before the handle slabs are installed

the last 2 pics are a finished knife.
 
Thanks Michael!! Did you leave the grind marks in the last image or smooth that up by hand? Thanks for the process pics! :D
 
I grind on all 1 inch wide wheels,I also shape my handles with one inch wide belts on the slack belt,with a narrow belt you can get into those hard to reah places,if I do a bolster,I use a small wheel and go in and gently round of the finger groves and then come back in and use the slack belt to finish
 
blgoode said:
Thanks Michael!! Did you leave the grind marks in the last image or smooth that up by hand? Thanks for the process pics! :D
Click to expand...

If i want a mirror polish on the front of the bolsters i will pin the 2 bolsters together and polish out the grinding marks on a hard felt wheel with grey compound. it only takes a few minuts and by pinning the bolsters together, I dont roll over the edge that sits againts the knife. (did that make any sense at ll?)

I hold the bolsters in a hand vise when i am performing the polishing.

By the way, the hand vise is the greatest tool i have ever purchased. I dont know how i managed so long with out one.
 
Michael I've been trying to talk myself into buying a hand vise for a while now, so thanks for the recommendation. I'm so cheap I just keep using vise grips, which works okay but does mar the surface of the bolsters and isn't "balanced" in front of the wheel. Maybe you've pushed me over the edge... :D
 
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