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| Paring knife replacement |
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| superc:
I kept a paring knife in my tool bin. Use it at least once every month to cut or score something. Flimsy thing from Kmart or maybe even Walmart (nah, it has made in USA on it, so not Walmart). Stamped sheet metal blade. Bends if you push too hard. Had another one just like it once, but it snapped 30 years ago. So anyhow I had cut out a T shaped column backing in 1/4" hot rolled steel plate for my SX2 and I was looking at the left-overs and an idea bulb went off. Why not make a real shop knife of about the same size to replace the paring knife? :coffee: I was bored today, So, I did. I used the bandsaw to rough out the blade shape, then the grinding wheel to put the desired bevel on it. Some purists may not like my laziness when it comes to how I clamped the blade down when milling my choil, but quick and dirty, and it worked just fine. Much faster than fiddling around with inch blocks and clamps and more T bolts IMO. This is my first shop knife in about 50 years. I made one long, long ago in dad's workshop at home when I was a kid. It got confiscated by a teacher at public school in NYC when I was showing it off. He kept it and was seen occasionally using it years later. In today's world I would sue the bum to get it back, once I got out of jail where they would put me till I was 30 as punishment for bringing such a dastardly device to school, even though I was only 9 or 10. :) The Setup Close up of the pre cut setup Cutting (Should my swarf be so small?) Thing to keep an eye out for! A mill table capable 3" or 4" vise with a low profile that holds work sideways like I am doing with the Shars vise. LoL, maybe if I send this picture to Shars they will steal the idea and market one? The finished knife before hardening or sharpening Flame hardened to bright orange then cold water quenched (two of these small torches used as only one doesn't throw enough heat for something this big). Ready for me to oven temper it at 450, then put a razor edge on it. I haven't decided if I should put a handle or a lanyard on it (maybe both?). I haven't even decided yet if a shop knife that will spend it's life in a tool bin needs a handle. One thing I am sure of, while it is possible to snap off the tip, I would really be surprised if regular shop use snaps this blade with a 1/4" spine in two. |
| superc:
I wound up doing a 3 hour soak at 530F. When it cooled all the bare surfaces were a pretty blue, so I am happy. |
| Anzaniste:
What did you use to give the blade a 3 hour soak? |
| Stilldrillin:
I used to grind my shop knives/ scrapers from old machine hacksaw, blades. :thumbup: Love your vice clamp! :clap: :clap: David D |
| superc:
I simply chucked it into the oven. My oven can go a bit higher than that. Like I wrote, a pretty blue when it came out, so I know the soak was good. I yielded to feedbacks and put a handle on it using fence post wood and some sheet metal bolts. Thinned on the grinder, then tightened and peened. Yeah, crooked holes, I know sorry. I have never understood why the knife guys put two bevels on each blade. A blade bevel and an edge bevel. Must be a reason, but I don't know it. So here the blade bevel IS also the edge bevel. Makes sharpening it on an Arkansas really easy and fast. Yeah the vise thing. Probably not approved by my old shop teachers. Their vise, their rules. My vise, my rules. I was a little worried about bolts shearing, but I got away with it. Had some other bolts that fit standing by just in case. I thought about sliding the vise out of the way, then messing around with clamps and inch blocks, then I looked at the vise and said, wait a second, would this work? Yeah it did. Beautifully too. I think there exists a market for a vise or ready made clamp set up like that. LoL, I may make one if I don't spot one soon on Ebay. Perhaps with a V cut in the jaws too, so rounds can also be clamped pointing along the X axis rather than the Z or the Y. Something on the order of a couple of 1 or 2 inch thick steel or iron slabs cut to fit the table, some recessed bolt holes in the along the center axis in the bottom for the T bolts and some bolt holes through the edges like the picture for the hold downs. Stronger, thicker bolts more resistant to shear forces I am thinking. 1/2 inch or 3/4 perhaps. |
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