All About Pocket Knives

I have had a few guys ask some questions about how to rework a Sod Buster lately so I figure the best thing to do is a step by step thread so here we go.

Always tape the blade to protect yourself from the cutting edge.


The best way to get the rivet apart is to drill it out with a center drill. Line it up as close to the center of the head as you can to drill through the head and into the center of the shank. Also, when drilling a knife that is still assembled, always lay the cutting edge away from you, so that if the drill bites and takes the knife out of your hands the spine is the leading edge.


If you hit the center just right, the head will come off and the rivet can be pushed right out.


To get the rivet out of the frame I use a piece of aluminum in a drill vise to apply pressure on the back spring relieving the tension and the rivet can be pushed right out.


This is the way I like to take the rest of the knife apart, I know there are other ways to do it but I prefer this. I use a small sheet metal brake to hold the razor blade but a bench vise will work. I slide a razor blade between the back spring and the liner and hit the end of the knife with a dead blow hammer and the brass pin shears right in half.




If I left anything out or left something as clear as mud, just let me know

exlnt!

Hey 4E3.

Looking good. After seeing some of your recent soddie upgrades, I went and picked up a couple of them with the intention of sending them to you for work. I have some pretty nice looking wood scales that I picked up that are stabilized. PM me and let me know how doable that would be.

Dennis

I got the new liners cut and rough ground tonight. Tomorrow night I'll get the holes drilled and the knife put back together and gound to shape.

Great illustration, can't wait to see the final product. I'd be curious to see how file work is done.

Lookin' good...........
Keep us informed.

Dale

Thanks fellas !

Ok, I got the holes drilled and the knife put back together. Time to gring it to shape.



Got the knife ground to shape and the swedge ground on the blade.





Watch very carefully when grinding the liners and back spring and keep the knife 90 degrees to the platen.



because when a pocket knife is sat on a hard flat surface it should stand straight up not lean to one side or the other



Tomorrow it's time to mill the liners and lay out the file work.

I enjoy step by step illustrations like this immensely because they reveal mysteries which have always intrigued me.
That's why I like looking at any How To series.
Many thanks 4ever3.

I'm glad your enjoying Edgewise ! No mysteries really, just a series of steps that have to be done properly, and in the right order Here's more pics ask feel free to questions if you have any

OK, got the liners milled.


When deburring liners, use a piece of sandpaper taped to a flat surface and rub it back and forth so your edges stay square. Just before I put the knife together I'll sand around the edge with a piece of 400 grit just to put a very small radius on the liners and backspring, but not now.


Mark side liner is stamped and ready to be glued to the scale.


These scales are book matched Tulip wood so it is important that the liners are glued in the same location on each scale. Be sure to deck (sand the scale so it is flat) the side of the scale that is being applied to the liner so there is no gap between the liner and scale. Also, once the scale is measured to locate the position, mark around it with a pencil so you will know where to put the glue.


Glue it up and clamp it up.


No, you cant use to many clamps

Just fascinating! Thanks for all the details so far. Really takes out some of the mystery of how it's done.

Making a silk purse out of a sows ear,great job.



Don
_____________

I like the Tulip wood, takes a high polish with minimal effort. I have a bunch of that out in the shop, it is a true Rosewood. Really an under utilized wood. Nice work!

Thanks fellas, should have more to post tonight.

Well, no pics tonight, all I did was drill holes, so pics tomorrow and a completed knife.

4ever3 wrote:...a series of steps... in the right order...

...and with the right tools, obviously. They look great.

There are still things which can't replace experience, like how much pressure to clamp glued parts.
Is it true that the thinner the film of glue, the stronger the bond?
By not spreading the glue before clamping, aren't you afraid the glue misses a spot in the clamping?

I love that wood. That grain pattern is my favourite, straight up and simple, better than the twirly burls.

If you feel inclined at the end, can we see the tools necessary for such a job?
I grew up virtually under my Dad's elbow while he was at work in his workshop, and his obsession was with tools, mainly woodworking though.
I'm unfamiliar with metal working tools, and to see them cut through metal like wood, or even butter, is always fascinating to me.
Great job. Thanks.

I'm in a similar situation as Edgewise, I'm very familiar with woodworking tools and am a woodworking hobbyist but metal is a whole new ballgame for me.
I was going to save my questions till the end but...
Are you cutting your liners on a bandsaw, by hand or other method?


Thanks again for the excellent tutorial!


Michael

Here are the last of the pics and I will happily answer the questions in the morning.

Counter boring for the rivet. Measure the thickness of the rivet head and drill the counter bore 6 or 8 thousands shallower so the head will be proud of the scale so you can sand it down flush.


Counter bore the pin holes about 10 thousands deep with a bit that is 3 thousands bigger that the pin so when the pin is peened there is a shoulder for the pin to lock into.


Put the rivet (female) through the pivot hole with the blade between the scales so you can see how much to gring off of the rivet. It has to be shorter then the distance from shoulder to shoulder or the rivet will not tighten up.




Grind down the other side of the rivet (male) so that it is about 10 thousands shorter than the female side, and don't forget to grind the bevel back on the male side so it will press together.


Grind the pins down to about half the diameter on each side. These pins are .094 so I leave about about 45 or 48 thousands on each side. Be very careful to not over heat the pins as you are grinding it down or the wood will scortch.


After the pins are peened everything gets sanded flush. It should be flush enough that when you run your finger down the scale you can only feel a difference in textures and nothing else. If you do, time to sand some more. These are the only pics I have of this on right now, I'll try to get some more before I send it out.

Edgewise wrote:

There are still things which can't replace experience, like how much pressure to clamp glued parts.
Is it true that the thinner the film of glue, the stronger the bond?
By not spreading the glue before clamping, aren't you afraid the glue misses a spot in the clamping?

I love that wood. That grain pattern is my favourite, straight up and simple, better than the twirly burls.

If you feel inclined at the end, can we see the tools necessary for such a job?
I grew up virtually under my Dad's elbow while he was at work in his workshop, and his obsession was with tools, mainly woodworking though.
I'm unfamiliar with metal working tools, and to see them cut through metal like wood, or even butter, is always fascinating to me.
Great job. Thanks.

I don't know if a thinner film is a better bond or not, and when I place the wood on the scale I press it down and slide it back and forth about an 1/8" so it will spread and insure that there is glue all of the way to the edge. Also the glue isn't the only thing holding the scale on, because the pins are holding too.

Sure, I'll try to get some pics this weekend of the stuff in the shed.

mpphoto wrote: Are you cutting your liners on a bandsaw, by hand or other method?

Michael

I use a bandsaw with a metal cutting blade, slices through like bread only alot more noise

Cool
I was going to try a jewelers saw but since I have a bandsaw I might as well go the easy route.

Thanks very much!

Michael

edited to add: very nice job on the photography too!

Make sure it's a metal cutter. A wood cutting bandsaw is way to fast. I usually use a starret bi-metal blade on metal - even titanium. Watch for little fires in the chips.

It's one of those $99 Ryobi 9" bandsaws. Has served me really well when it comes to wood. They sell bimetal blades for it. I figured I'd give it a try on liners. I doubt it would fare well with thicker metal.



Michael

It may work well. My wood cutter (93-1/2 inch blade) is 1725 RPM, metal cutter (66-1/2 inch blade) is 80 RPM, 120 RPM, and 200 RPM. I also have an inland cutter that usually has a diamond blade (37.7 inch) but they sell wood and metal cutting blades for it. It is a variable from 0 to 2850 RPM. Heres what it looks like with specs, guess I have 3 bandsaws.

http://www.glassmart.com/band_saw.asp

mpphoto wrote:It's one of those $99 Ryobi 9" bandsaws. Has served me really well when it comes to wood. They sell bimetal blades for it. I figured I'd give it a try on liners. I doubt it would fare well with thicker metal.



Michael

I have a 9" Delta with the metal cutting blade on it, and I cut 1/8" 416 Stainless on it with no problems

Good work Jeremy I am liking that file work on that one