Take Down Fighter Work In Progress

[D lisch]

Josh Thank you I have learned a lot from this thread.

 

[WyoNonSmith]

Josh, it must feel great having people across the world hanging on your every word and checking in to see updates.
This is a great thread and a great service for everyone. Thanks for taking the time!
I am still sorry I will miss your hammer-in.

 

[joshsmith]

Thanks Josh,

I have one of these Grizzly's in my shop.....and I'll head out to Home Depot for a bi-metal blade for it soon. It comes with a vertical table attachment, so my setup is ready to go. How many TPI should I Get?

Again Josh, I can't say enough....Thanks

http://www.grizzly.com/products/4-x-6-Metal-Cutting-Bandsaw/G0622

For thin stock use the 22 TPI. On thick stuff use 10/14 or 10tpi.

 

[bobbywett]

Got it Josh....Thanks....

 

[joshsmith]

After a delay I am back at it here. Happy Fathers Day to you Dads out there.

Now that the alignment holes have been drilled I cut out the frame. Later I will take even more steel out. This pocket will not be to the exact shape of the tang. You will see why later.

I also pin on the liners and cut the excess off them.

Now the ivory is ground close to its final shape.

I then pin on the spacers and grind them down to the ivory.

As I did before I am lettering each liner. This helps be put them back on the knife the same each time. TF for top front, BF for bottom front.

 

[joshsmith]

Now I am drilling the blind pins for the back spacer and butt cap. I decided it would look right with the larger stack so I am shortening it up. This is a change from the original drawing.

Once pinned on they were ground to the profile of the ivory. Now they will get shaped.

Rounding butt cap.

Laying out the center punch hole for the finial to pass through.

 

[joshsmith]

This is REALLY STUPID. I've drilled thousands of holes and sometimes I must just think, I can do it just this once. No really, I am strong enough to hold it.

O.K. I guess I'll put a glove on in case it does catch. Because this will be a better idea, let it catch and rip your hand off. Idiot!

And of course once a year or so I learn my lesson.

It caught and spun. Of coarse I had a death grip on it so that just made it cut deeper. What you can't see is it almost hit the bone before I let go. As for the glove...

It sliced through it like butter. I am lucky. It should have caught my hand and ripped off a finger. Notice the holes in the fingers.

There is a funny story about something very similar I will share. When I was about 13 a newspaper came out to my shop and wrote a story about me. They took a picture of me drilling 1/4" holes in a sharpened blade. I was pinning the blade between my hand and the table and of coarse I had the sharp edge in the direction the bit was spinning. I was to young to know better and my Dad was not in the shop to slap me.

Well years later a friend of mine enrolled in a vocational college 70 miles away. While the professor was walking them through the shop giving them saftey lessons that picutre of me was hung on the wall behind the drill press as what NOT to do. My friend said, "hey I know that guy" and the prof said, "does he still have a hand?" Luckily I've gotten a tiny bit wiser, but obviously not enough.

 

[Trigcure]

Love the knife, and yeah.. i had some fun with a spinning blade. the scar down my thumb is nearly invisible.. but i bled enough to ruin my favorite jacket :grumpy:

 

[joshsmith]

Here I am grinding a sharp taper on the back of the tang. I will then cut and slot all thread rod to fit over this taper and braze it. The tang slides into this rod making for a very strong joint.

I then align the rod with the center of the butt cap hole.

Carefully setting up for brazing.

Lathing down a standoff.

Polishing standoff.

 

[joshsmith]

Drilling hole is steel for standoff.

Here is the hole in the steel. I then drive a small piece of rod into the hole and thread the stand off over it. Once it is brazed it is unbreakable. I don't know anyone else that puts the small stud in and it may be futile but it makes me feel better.

Brazed together.

I then but off the area around the standoff and grind it partially round on my belt grinder. I then finish it to its final shape on my lathe.

Drilling a pin hole for the tool that will take the knife apart.

 

[joshsmith]

Setting up the mill to mill in the grooves in the frame.

Dialing in the milling with a file. I sharpen the end of the file and use it like a scraper.

Stoning the groove.

Sanding the groove.

Here is a template that I am making to for the escutcheons. Again they are symmetrical so I am making a half template to get them just right.

 

[joshsmith]

There is a stainless escutcheon just a bit larger than the Damascus one on top. They are pinned together with three pins to assure their alignment. The center pin is soldered in place. The two outside pins get ground flush and the long pin will extend into the handle and epoxied with will hold it secure. I don't trust epoxy alone.

Yes the pin gets straitened.

Pin vise to hold it for sanding.

Etching the damascus escutcheon.

Here is make shift clamp that I use to grind and sand the handle on. This keeps the handle clamped tightly together without the risk of scratching the blade.

Here I am starting the grooves on the spacers. I have to mill a little, then turn it, mill more, turn it, etc.

Once I do that I blend all the milling with files and stones.

Notice how choppy the milling is. All the milling does is remove some material fast. You must be careful though. Much easier to dial in close with files.

At this point I am nearing completion. I can see the finish line.

 

[peterinct]

More great stuff Josh. There are so many steps I didn't even know existed.

Thanks again for taking the time to post it all.

Peter

 

[farki]

Upssss, you did it again!...

Once is never enough. Isn't that the truth?

BTW: Great thread, thank you! :thumbup::thumbup:

 

[bobbywett]

Josh,

This may sound stupid, but what exactly is a standoff?

Drilling hole is steel for standoff.

BTW....with all the chapters we've covered today, I'll need to stay up late studying the material. So I might not make it into school tomorrow.....OK?

 

[stephanfowler]

Here is the hole in the steel. I then drive a small piece of rod into the hole and thread the stand off over it. Once it is brazed it is unbreakable. I don't know anyone else that puts the small stud in and it may be futile but it makes me feel better.

[img]http://www.fototime.com/A7329F40143767D/standard.jpg

Brazed together.

Actually I usually do this when I braze a coupling nut onto a buttcap, but mostly because I can't manage to get to keep from bumping the coupling nut with the brazing rod and knocking it over.....

at least it made sense to me.

 

[joshsmith]

A standoff is a threaded steel tube. They come in various lengths. I usually lathe them down so they don't have such a large o.d. You can buy them at places such as MSC and Rutland.

 

[bobbywett]

Thanks again Josh, I am learning a whole bunch from your tutorial.

 

[joshsmith]

It's been my pleasure.

 

[shackleneck]

Thank you so much! Very enlightening. I absorbed a ton .