Thumb Stud For Folder

R

rincan

Joined
Aug 20, 2014
Messages
57
Hey,

Im looking to make a thumbstud for a folder knife im making. Does anyone have any ideas or ways that they use to make the things?

Thanks,

Ryan
 
They're usually turned on a lathe (you can mill them too). In a pinch you could also chuck up a rod on the drill press and use files and sandpaper to shape it. The last method works better if you buy pre-made ones and just modify them that way. Here's some I turned on the lathe a couple days ago. If you don't have a lathe though, you should probably just buy them.
UUSxZTA.jpg
 
USA Knifemaker Supply sells a few different ones that are pre drilled and tapped and have the screw included. Frank
 
Acorn nuts work well as a starting point. I use 18-8 steel ones from McMasterr Carr, 4-40 thread. They are 1/4" x 1/4", if that helps.

Keep in mind there are many ways to do thumbstuds. The screw together ones are what most use, but press fit work as well. I did a few with press fit studs, but have since gone back to removable screw together ones.
 
Neil, those look good, brass?
 
Thanks, they're copper actually, pretty happy with the surface finish. Funny that Frank mentioned USA Knifemaker, because they're basically just copper copies of the brass ones USAKM sells (which I also recommend).
 
How do you "mill" them? I have heard this and don't see how it it done without a lathe? I'm just curious, I don't have a mill and I haven't used a mill for very many things.
 
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Brian, there's two ways I can think of to mill a thumbstud (both of which I admittedly learned from Grimsmo's Knifemaking Tuesdays). You can mount your stock (tube, sheet or bar) in the jaws and have your mill interpolate a circle to cut a cylindrical shape, or mount round stock in your mill's spindle and mount a lathe tool in the jaws (essentially using your mill like a lathe). You definitely need a CNC mill for the first method, but I'd imagine you wouldn't for the 2nd. The lathe is still the "proper" tool, but I can't fault someone for improvising when they lack the equipment.
 
Neil - thanks for the comments on using a milling machine. I'd not even thought about chucking the material in the spindle and clamping a lathe tool to vise bed to cut. That would work like a champ.

Ken H>
 
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