swivel knife on lathe 2.0

[mmason]

I finished another swivel knife and I am starting to get the hang of things. this one spins  a whole bunch better than the last, it spins for a pretty good while. I tried bronze brazing this time and I like it better than mig welding and melting the saddle and warping things. I made a 5/8 barrel  since my hands are not small at all.

Edited May 6, 2020 by mmason

[LumpenDoodle2]

Looks good, how much more stable do you find the ring, compared to the standard half saddle.    Also, would tig brazing also cause distortion?

[mmason]

13 hours ago, LumpenDoodle2 said:

Looks good, how much more stable do you find the ring, compared to the standard half saddle.    Also, would tig brazing also cause distortion?

I enjoy the ring more,  especially since  its hard to find a knife that fits my finger. I did think of TIG  but its a little pricey to convert my welder.

[mmason]

I did carve with it yesterday and it worked just fine, just a well as some I have bought.

[LumpenDoodle2]

Nothing better than using tools you feel comfortable with.   It also takes a lot of the stress and even fatigue when working on pieces.

[DaveP]

Very nice! What size bearings are you using...if any? I'd like to try and make one. Would you mind sharing dimensions and particulars of your build? I'd rather make my own if I could. Currently don't own one!

 Thanks,

 David

[mmason]

the barrel is 5/8, (I made one in 1/2 in also works the same) and the hole drilled through it was 1/4.

the rod that goes inside the barrel is 1/4 and the bearings I picked up a long time ago on amazon they are called mini bearings (I think the size was 3mmx6mmx2.5mm the bearings where just a hair bigger than the 1/4 rod).

the saddle I used a 1 1/4 rod and drilled it out till I can get a lathe tool to increase the hole diameter.

the tube that holds the bearings is 3/8 rod drilled for the bearings I believe i used a 1/8 drill bit.

the set screws I picked up where 10-32  but I would probably use 6-32.

I used oxy-acetylene torch and bronze brazing rod with flux to braze the tube for the bearings and the saddle together.

If I forgot any measurements let me know

-Matthew

22 hours ago, DaveP said:

Very nice! What size bearings are you using...if any? I'd like to try and make one. Would you mind sharing dimensions and particulars of your build? I'd rather make my own if I could. Currently don't own one!

 Thanks,

 David

 

[DaveP]

Thank you Matthew! I would guess I'd have to have the actual knife blade to figure out what size to drill/ream the working end of the swivel knife first. I have some different sized 303 stainless rod and brass of various sizes I can use for the pieces.  Set screws I have down to 6-32. I'd have to use MAPP gas for the braze. I have some silver solder on hand. Would it be better to use a steel rather than brass? Also, what part is the swiveling on? I see both the blade and finger rest are fixed with the set screws. Like I said ... never even held one!

 

 Thanks again !

Edited May 21, 2020 by DaveP

[mmason]

3 hours ago, DaveP said:

Thank you Matthew! I would guess I'd have to have the actual knife blade to figure out what size to drill/ream the working end of the swivel knife first. I have some different sized 303 stainless rod and brass of various sizes I can use for the pieces.  Set screws I have down to 6-32. I'd have to use MAPP gas for the braze. I have some silver solder on hand. Would it be better to use a steel rather than brass? Also, what part is the swiveling on? I see both the blade and finger rest are fixed with the set screws. Like I said ... never even held one!

 

 Thanks again !

I’d love to use brass but it was expensive compared to metal. But a lot of people use brass and aluminum, I kept melting the ring before it could get hot enough so I switched to steel. The whole thing is static and the only part that swivels is the ring on top. Wich I Drilled and tapped a 3mm hole in the 1/4 rod that goes into the ring. Then I used a small flat head screw To hold the bearing and turned  it flush with the lathe. Then used lock-tite to glue it into the ring .

[DaveP]

It's a great looking swivel knife...thanks for sharing it!