There is an easy way to make liner locks without a surface grinder. If i'm making it with an 1/8 in blade, usually the precision ground stock I buy is slightly oversize, say +.002 so it is actually .127, and the stock I buy to use for my backbar is 5/32 but it is also oversize by a few thousandths .157 . Just use two .010 washers and two .005 and you have made up the difference, .030 Using two .020 washers makes two much of a space between the blade and liner. I sometimes leave only .020 total and use two .010 washers. If there is a couple of thousandths difference it dosen't make that much difference and a little tension on the pivot makes up the difference. Plus after heat treat I usually remove a couple thousandths here and there cleaning up the blade flats and the backbar.
You can see that lockbacks and slipjoints don't have washers because they have that wear mark around the pivot area of the knife. They are also put together with shims so the pins aren't peened too tightly. Or they are made with a brass bushing pressed into the pivot hole in the blade and are .010 thicker than the blade (Ron Lake method)this way there is no wear mark ,and the liners are also relieved.
