A photo of your workshop?
Re: A photo of your workshop?
X-man: That's stunning work. I useta be a locksmith and I can just imagine all the trial-and-error fitting that wave entailed.
Full-Scale: I very much admire people who have the ability to make beautiful knife handles with hand tools. That takes a level of skill above and beyond the bench-tool folks like myself.
Full-Scale: I very much admire people who have the ability to make beautiful knife handles with hand tools. That takes a level of skill above and beyond the bench-tool folks like myself.
- FullScaler
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Re: A photo of your workshop?
Yea, it is slow going but I enjoy the process and it keeps my hands busy while I sit and enjoy the fire. I've got one side close to roughed out and am really looking forward to seeing this one complete.
Re: A photo of your workshop?
I'm jealous. That's an amazing and inspiring place to be.FullScaler wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 8:26 pmIt may not be fancy, but it sure is peaceful. This is my workshop for this evening. Birdseye maple on MT 31. About to be hand shaped and sanded.
:spyder: Spyderco fan and collector since 1991. :spyder:
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
- WilliamMunny
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Re: A photo of your workshop?
Supper cool place, my dream when I retire. Until then I am stuck in a hot, flat muggy swamp in the mid Atlantic for work. But the pay is decent so I can’t complain too much, or at least no one will listen.FullScaler wrote: ↑Fri Jun 11, 2021 8:26 pmIt may not be fancy, but it sure is peaceful. This is my workshop for this evening. Birdseye maple on MT 31. About to be hand shaped and sanded.
Endura AUS-8, Manix 2 S30V, Alcyone BD1N, PM2 Micarta Cruwear, Native 5 Maxamet (2nd), Para 3 Maxamet (2nd), Magnacut Mule, Z-Wear Mule, BBB 15V Manix 2, REC PM3 10V Satin, Dragonfly Salt 2, GB2 M4.
- BearShark44
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Re: A photo of your workshop?
Just found this post when searching for "required power tools for making handles / scales."
I finally have open shop space at our new house. Looking to get the right tools for the job.
Any recommendations? Seems like...
I finally have open shop space at our new house. Looking to get the right tools for the job.
Any recommendations? Seems like...
- Band saw (needed? I already have a sliding miter saw and jig saw that I think can cut the blanks)
- Drill press (rather than a hand drill?)
- Stationary sander - oscillating spindle, belt, or disc?
- Grinder or router - needed in addition to sander?
- Dremell to cut pins to size
- Respirator & safety precautions
Last edited by BearShark44 on Thu Sep 15, 2022 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
MT39P-15V, MT33P-Rex76; Sage1-Maxamet, Endela-K390, Delica4-M390, PM2-K390, PM2-S30v, Dragonfly2-SB, AmbitiousSE-8Cr13MoV; others TBD
- standy99
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- Location: Between Broome and Cairns somewhere
Re: A photo of your workshop?
So many little tools make up the work shop also.BearShark44 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 1:43 pmJust found this post when searching for "required power tools for making handles / scales."
I finally have open shop space at our new house. Looking to get the right tools for the job.
Any recommendations? Seems like...Thanks for any advice. Looking forward to sharing back my experience in case it's helpful for others too.
- Band saw (needed? I already have a sliding miter saw and jig saw that I think can cut the blanks)
Drill press (rather than a hand drill?)
Stationary sander - oscillating spindle, belt, or disc?
Grinder or router - needed in addition to sander?
Dremell to cut pins to size
Respirator & safety precautions
This one piece has upped my knowledge and game of handle making. Previously what I thought was flat was far from it.
Granite surface plates provide an accurate reference plane for work inspection and for work layout.
These are incredibly popular with those looking for an accurate reference surface
Granite will not rust, soften or warp in different humidities and temperatures. This means that you can always be sure that your surface will be perfectly flat under all conditions.
A must for handle scales making
Im a vegetarian as technically cows are made of grass and water.
Re: A photo of your workshop?
I'll try to snap one, but it's not much of a workshop since I move everything from my place to a shak now and then (and since I'm buying more and more machines, it's starting to get heavy).
In the collection : Lots of different steels, in lots of different (and same) Spydercos.
Robin. Finally made an IG : ramo_knives
MNOSD member 004* aka Mr. N5s
Robin. Finally made an IG : ramo_knives
MNOSD member 004* aka Mr. N5s
Re: A photo of your workshop?
Greatest display of manufacturing Tetris I've ever seen! Haha
Random question, I'm assuming you milled your own file guide?? What's a reasonable price to pay for one/what does is the production cost of one? Also, going to give you a follow on instagram.
- FullScaler
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Re: A photo of your workshop?
My shop is toooooo messy for a full pic but here is a Mule hanging with a couple kitchen knives I just put new scales on. I figured my S45VN Mule could use a fresh coat of BLO while I was doing these ones after using and abusing it in the bush for the last year or so.
And a big block of Cassiar jade about to get stabbed up for scales on another Mule in the collection. (Haven't decided which one yet)
And a big block of Cassiar jade about to get stabbed up for scales on another Mule in the collection. (Haven't decided which one yet)
Re: A photo of your workshop?
Are you going to make the scales entirely out of the jade? Or use it as an accent?
- FullScaler
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Re: A photo of your workshop?
Entirely out of Jade. I may modify the profile of the tang slightly to make it work with my tools more easily but other than that they will very closely match my 3d printed scales.
- Josh Crutchley
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Re: A photo of your workshop?
Hi Josh, sorry for the delayed response. I've been preoccupied with some very necessary home improvements and haven't logged in here in a while.
Thank you for the kind words. Working with Vanax is pretty easy. There are specifics to know about when it comes to heat treating Vanax but cutting, drilling, milling, grinding and sanding Vanax is on the "easy" side of knife steels. It's a bit like S35VN or MagnaCut in that regard. Much easier to work with than the higher hardness, high vanadium content steels.
I gotta' say though, I have a bunch of Vanax in my shop but now that I've dialed in my MagnaCut H/T protocol I'm not going to using Vanax as often. While Vanax is still great in it's own right, the edge characteristics and sharpening response I'm getting out of MagnaCut are just better than what Vanax can provide. If you want to get into the specifics, send me a P.M. and I'll explain in more detail without boring everyone here.
Best regards,
CK
Thank you for the kind words. Working with Vanax is pretty easy. There are specifics to know about when it comes to heat treating Vanax but cutting, drilling, milling, grinding and sanding Vanax is on the "easy" side of knife steels. It's a bit like S35VN or MagnaCut in that regard. Much easier to work with than the higher hardness, high vanadium content steels.
I gotta' say though, I have a bunch of Vanax in my shop but now that I've dialed in my MagnaCut H/T protocol I'm not going to using Vanax as often. While Vanax is still great in it's own right, the edge characteristics and sharpening response I'm getting out of MagnaCut are just better than what Vanax can provide. If you want to get into the specifics, send me a P.M. and I'll explain in more detail without boring everyone here.
Best regards,
CK
:spyder: Spyderco fan and collector since 1991. :spyder:
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
Re: A photo of your workshop?
I just saw this message tcarltonw. Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you hangin'.
Hahaha unfortunately Tetris is a good way to describe it!
I did make my own file guide. Prices and costs always depend on the details.
For example, I simply made mine out of M4 (because that's what I had sitting around that day) and heat treated it to HRC65 so that it will be pretty wear resistant. When it gets scratched I clean it up on the grinder and the surfacing stone.
If I had made it with carbide inserts for better wear resistance it would have taken more time, added more wear on my milling bits and added more expense in materials.
Either way making 2 perfectly parallel bars, pressing pins in one side, boring precision fitted holes on the other side and fitting it with hardware is going to take a couple hours minimum.
When I see good quality file guides with carbide inserts being sold for around $150 I think "there's no way I could make those by hand and sell them THAT cheap".
:spyder: Spyderco fan and collector since 1991. :spyder:
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
Father of 2, nature explorer, custom knife maker.
@ckc_knifemaker on Instagram.
Re: A photo of your workshop?
No worries, I actually forgot I had posted the question. Thanks for the insight and feedback. Happy Turkey day.Xplorer wrote: ↑Thu Nov 24, 2022 2:41 pmI just saw this message tcarltonw. Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you hangin'.
Hahaha unfortunately Tetris is a good way to describe it!
I did make my own file guide. Prices and costs always depend on the details.
For example, I simply made mine out of M4 (because that's what I had sitting around that day) and heat treated it to HRC65 so that it will be pretty wear resistant. When it gets scratched I clean it up on the grinder and the surfacing stone.
If I had made it with carbide inserts for better wear resistance it would have taken more time, added more wear on my milling bits and added more expense in materials.
Either way making 2 perfectly parallel bars, pressing pins in one side, boring precision fitted holes on the other side and fitting it with hardware is going to take a couple hours minimum.
When I see good quality file guides with carbide inserts being sold for around $150 I think "there's no way I could make those by hand and sell them THAT cheap".