Decided/ing To Make My Own Awl

[rawcustom]

So I've been reviewing awl designs until my head spins and since I have to be stubborn on things, I'm thinking I will just make my own.

This will be for sewing my knife sheaths so typically 3 layers of 10oz leather. Would a diamond design be best for this? And how big of rod should I start with, 1/8"?

1/8" seems a bit big, but I imagine it will need some mass to be sturdy enough for the task ahead. Any notes on blade length and dimensions, and handle length dimension are well appreciated. Sounds like at least 1 flat on a handle is useful for not having your awl roll of a bench if nothing else.

Thanks

[J Hayes]

I put a small flat on mine just to keep it "indexed" in my hand, helped keep the same angle to the holes.

[Tree Reaper]

The flat side is handy when you are stitching something with high sides, it allows you to get closer so the blade enters straight and not at an angle.

I made a handle but buy the blades.

I haven't made a blade but I think you'll be looking at shaping, hardening and tempering prior to sharpening.

[rawcustom]

So a flat side will be part of my design for sure. The process of making a blade is not an issue, I'm a knifemaker. I am more concerned with the right dimensions. If you can post pics and/or measurements I would appreciate it.

[Tree Reaper]

A finished Osborne awl blade is 7/64" wide, 3/64" on the flatter side and my preference for a blade length would be about 1 1/4" outside the handle, the Osborne is only 1".

Edited February 28, 2014 by Tree Reaper

[rawcustom]

Great, thanks!

[Tree Reaper]

How do you plan on shaping the blade?

[rawcustom]

I built a custom belt grinder for my knifemaking, it will do the heavy lifting. I'll probably use O1 so I can heat treat myself. I'll probably take a couple shots at free-handing, and if it's doesn't work I'll fix up a jig for it.

[Tree Reaper]

My next awl will be made with a pin vise to get into tight places.

I'll use a wooden handle that the pin vise can be set into but leave three or four inches of the vise outside the handle.

[rawcustom]

This is exactly how I'm planning to handle the mandrel issue. A decent pin vise is only about $5. I plan to drill out my handle to accept the pin vise and lock it either with a screw or simply epoxy it in.

[oscar621]

I take a 1/8" drill bit and use a grinder (sparingly to not overheat), a sanding wheel, files, and eventually sharpening stones to shape the awl part on the non-drill end. I make them (almost) diamond shaped and make the tip a bit of a chisel point - made a couple different sizes depending on what needles/thread I'm using.

I found they fit perfectly into a normal awl chuck that you would buy awl blades for, but I like them better because they never bend and I can make them whatever size or shape I want.

I did make a handle for one of them out of a piece of wood. Once it was shaped the way I wanted it I drilled a 1/8" hole for the blade and then epoxied it in (since the drilling part is epoxied into the wood it holds really well).

If you're interested I can post a picture when I get home this weekend - but to be honest it just looks like a drill bit with the back end shaped like an awl.

[Fowlingpiece]

I made them out of cut nails for years with good success.

[rawcustom]

I thought about the drill bit method since I have plenty of broken 1/8" bits, or even buying a new one for the job. If I didn't have a way to heat treat this would likely be the route I'd go. As is I ordered some 1/8 O1 drill rod stock at something like $1/ft that I will use. Plus I don't have to worry about the constant cooling since I'll heat treat after the majority of grinding is done. If you could post a pic I would be most interested in the profile you have on your blade.

[rawcustom]

Thought I would post some pics if anyone is interested.

Finished product.

[Feraud]

Excellent job!

[rawcustom]

I'll give a few notes for the above.

Started with a piece of Cocobola and cross grain Ipe. Color of these isn't much for offset, but I figured between the grain direction and different color it should look good enough.

I got a pin vise in that was a double head, and comes with 2 double sided collets, so 4 sizes from 0-.125". The pin vise has a ridged exterior, so I drilled just undersized so they would have added grip. After wet sanding the wood to 400, I added some gorrila glue and hammered it in. Just before this I took the picture with gun stock wax. I smeared that on the inside of my pin vise and around the top of the wood to help with cleanup after the glue. Gorilla glue expands like crazy and can make a mess if you're not prepared.

I made a quick diamond blade from some 1/8" O1 stock I have. This first attempt I think was too narrow, but no biggie, I will make a few more as I see fit.

After all the glue was dried, I cleaned everything up and sealed the wood with some CA. Finished sharpening my blade and she's all set.

You can see I made this quite a bit smaller than what most Awl handles are sold. I don't have big hands, and I also plan to use this solely for knife sheaths, so I built it according to my own preferences.

[LTC]

I couldn't find any awls I liked much, so I bought a couple of metal pegging awls and they're really nice for my purposes.

I don't have any delusions about being talented enough to make my own awl.

[Tree Reaper]

Thanks for posting your efforts, looks good.

I stumbled on one today for $4 like the one I wanted to make so I bought it.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/ODNYMzUw/z/GacAAOxyFPNSJjC~/$T2eC16dHJGIFFoqWmqOjBSJjC-mEhw~~60_1.JPG

[karlpv]

Nice job. Did you heat treat and temper then? I ask after having poor luck with an attempt at a lathe tool using 1/16th W1 drill rod.

[rawcustom]

Yes, I started with annealed stock O1, so you must heat treat if you expect it to last.

[oltoot]

Looks great! You will probably want to make another blade that is a little slimmer. So the hole it makes will be just big enough to pass your 2 threads. And you will probably find that a little longer on the taper will be easier to use. When you start making longer, slimmer, more tapered blades, try making them the same contour all the way to avoid weak spots from stress concentration at shoulders. Handle looks beautiful and I predict you will do some great work with it due to the fact that everytime you pick it up, you will be holding it exactly the same as when you last put it down. And hint: if you aren't quite happy with the angle of the holes, turn the blade in the chuck and don't try to twist your wrist to get it 'just right'

PS. When do you plan to start selling them?

[rawcustom]

Thanks for the compliment. This was my first attempt at an awl blade. I actually ordered one up that should be here tomorrow so I could get a better idea of what angles they are using. I tried my out on some scrap and found just as you noted that it is too wide for my needs, so I've already narrowed it up a bit. Also as you noted for strength I'm going to make my next with a tapered grind leading into the bevels to carry more strength out into the blade. This was more or less a practice run so my next attempt I'll focus more on improvements and notes from this effort. It's also great for the ergonomics as you stated since I can align the blade to the correct angle with my wrist in a neutral position, and unlike a round handle, you won't get it mixed around during use. I think it'll work well enough for now, and I have to switch back to knifemaking to get some fishing knives out for spring. I like the projects of making myself tools, but I can't tie up too much time on them since it takes away from my knives.

Once I get a system down for blades, I'll see what I have into them if they are worth offering for sale. As anything they take a bit of time right now, but with experience and establishing a method I may not have quite so much time invested. The handle isn't anything that new for me. I would make those for anyone interested, and price would have a lot to do with materials requested.

Thanks

[EvadCarpenter]

Nice job!

Edited March 10, 2014 by EvadCarpenter

[rktaylor]

Thanks for all the tips on this. Since my dad is retired with nothing to do (haha), I have him making me an awl handle. Where did you get your pin vise? I have searched, but I cannot find one that is not already assembled.

Randy

[rktaylor]

I think I found the one you used. I ordered one from musicwire.com.

Randy