How I build a custom knife

Gallery, Projects and General > Project Logs

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Blade:
It has been a long time since I have updated this project log, I guess I should get it done being the knife is pretty much finished.

Photos 55 56 show how I lay out the end of the tang to place the detent ball hole. I use a sharpie marker to show me the track of the detent ball by marking the blade and assembling the knife and opening and closing it, then I carefully punch at the end of the track with a carbide punch and drill a hole with a #54 carbide drill. This hole and the detent ball in the lock are what holds the blade closed.

Photos 57 58 59 show the layout, the tool and the final result of putting in the releif for accessing the lock. These releifs allow you to have space between the liners for your finger or thumb to be able to unlock the knife and close it.

Photo 60 shows how I use a carbide faced micrometer to mark the center of my blade in preperation for grinding. I offset from center a bit so that I end up making two lines by sliding the mic along each side of the blade.

Blade:
Photos 61 through 66 show my blade grinding jig and how I grind the blade. The jig is basically a hinge with a mounting plate that has threaded holes for securing the blade and two adjustment screws one for setting the height and one to change the height of the blade. You start with the jig set so that the grinder is just touching what will be the cutting edge, grind down close to the center line and start adjusting the height screw to adjust the blade as the edge is ground in.

Photo 65 shows how the grind looks when you make an adjustment but have not finished the grind, what I hope you can see is that there is a ridge or incomplete grind and the surface is not smooth and even. in photo 66 the completed grind you can see that all of the surface flows together and is even and doesn't have any ridges or odd lines.

Blade:
Photos 68 - 70 show the thumb studs that I made on the lathe out of 1/8" stainless and a piece of 1-72 screw thread. In photo 70 I have the studs mounted in an extra drill chuck and I'm using a checkering file to create a pattern on the end of the studs so that they grab on your thumb when you go to open the blade. Photo 71 shows the knife just about complete, all it lacks is rounding over the handles and finishing everything. this knife will get a tumbled finish, which is nice because it is nondirectional and covers scratches from use very well.

Blade:

--- Quote from: Da_Kengineer_Meister on February 26, 2011, 02:25:06 PM ---This looks really great!

:clap:

--- End quote ---

Thanks, this is pretty simple compared to your work :thumbup:

Divided he ad:

--- Quote ---@ Kenneth : Thanks, this is pretty simple compared to your work
--- End quote ---

Doesn't look that simple to me! Looks like a lot of hard work!

Most definitely great though :thumbup:

So many tips and tricks shown here Eddie. Very good of you to show how some of the jobs are completed :)

I know you probably will but a final (finished) pic is still required :thumbup:

Thank you for a very informative well presented thread :clap: (trying to commit much of it to memory ::) )

Ralph.

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