- Joined
- Jun 3, 2016
- Messages
- 279
Hi guys,
Truth be told every bearing system in a knife you've ever seen from Spydercos to High end
Full custom Shirogorovs are thrust bearings! Thrust bearing is another name for an axial bearing. It is the type of bearing that predominantly supports axial loads like between a blade and frame of a knife. A thrust (axial) bearing can be either a ball bearing or a roller bearing so the shape of the bearing has nothing to do with it. I have seen supposedly learned writers say that a knife is equipped with thrust bearings, rather then ball bearings....totally erroneous!
The other type of bearing is a radial bearing...that would be a bearing between the pivot pin and the hole in the blade tang and supports radial loads. It, also, can be either a ball or a roller.
Rollers are better in the they allow movement in one direction, whereas a ball can go in any direction. So in a knife pivot, a ball bearing will assist roll with a movement in or out against the pivot, where a roller will not. with greater surface area a roller is also more supportive and distributes loads better. This also means more drag and slower action. A roller also has to deal with different speeds from the inner to outer part since the distance it has to travel is more as you radiate out from the pin. But since it is solid it cannot do that so slippage will occur, whereas in a ball it will not.
Truth be told every bearing system in a knife you've ever seen from Spydercos to High end
Full custom Shirogorovs are thrust bearings! Thrust bearing is another name for an axial bearing. It is the type of bearing that predominantly supports axial loads like between a blade and frame of a knife. A thrust (axial) bearing can be either a ball bearing or a roller bearing so the shape of the bearing has nothing to do with it. I have seen supposedly learned writers say that a knife is equipped with thrust bearings, rather then ball bearings....totally erroneous!
The other type of bearing is a radial bearing...that would be a bearing between the pivot pin and the hole in the blade tang and supports radial loads. It, also, can be either a ball or a roller.
Rollers are better in the they allow movement in one direction, whereas a ball can go in any direction. So in a knife pivot, a ball bearing will assist roll with a movement in or out against the pivot, where a roller will not. with greater surface area a roller is also more supportive and distributes loads better. This also means more drag and slower action. A roller also has to deal with different speeds from the inner to outer part since the distance it has to travel is more as you radiate out from the pin. But since it is solid it cannot do that so slippage will occur, whereas in a ball it will not.
