Jim Koepke
04-12-2015, 7:34 PM
Fidel Fernandes Posted "Marking Knife Problem" with various replies about what folks use for their marking knives.
My solution for a marking knife was to make them out of things no longer good for their original use in the shop.
Yesterday evening, while unwinding from a harrowing day at the farmers market (we were hit by some strong winds just before the end of the day), the bug to make another marking knife bit me. I blame it on Fidel's thread, yeah that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Not wanting to hijack Fidel's thread here is a post on my mad dash to make another marking knife with absolutely no planning and just doing it...
The remnants of a plane blade from my first marking knife were actually given a brush of Dycom Blue but it was on the other side. It was marked with the combination square and the scratch pin in the picture. This picture was taken after the cutting was done using a Dremel cutoff wheel:
311402
The holes were also drilled without pictures. I already said there was little planning this thing. This is a place where a drill press and a small vise are needed for the job and safety. Use a sharp High Speed Steel bit at low speed with lots of oil. Trying to go too fast will get nothing but a burned dull bit. One could also likely epoxy the wood scales in place if a drill press and a drill press vise are not available.
Some folks might actually find the knife to their liking without wood scales for a handle. In my case there is a lot of little scrap pieces just waiting to find a useful purpose.
311407
Some ebony was selected. Scribed lines on dark wood are so much easier to see if a little chalk is rubbed in to them:
311401
A belt sander is handy for shaping the wood.
311400
The holes in the blade were used as a guide for placing the holes in the wood. Believe me, careful planning would likely end up with a better result. The bit used for the blade holes was fed through the blade and just touched to the wood. These were used to position a small bit (#52 if my memory is working) to drill a through pilot hole. This was used to position the brad point bit to counter bore for the rivet heads. Then the #21 drill was used to bore through for the rivet body.
Then it was assembled:
311404
There is a piece of ~1/2" steel that is sitting on top of a piece of 1X4 scrap being used like an anvil. Like my father, any thing that comes into my possession is seldom thrown away.
After the scales are secure, a bit more time on the belt sander. There was also the final honing on the stones. Then the test:
311405
I like it! This knife has good length for nestling in my hand. The round cutout for the chip breaker screw needed some sanding to be a bit more comfortable for a finger rest. It may get a bit more time on the belt sander or hand sanding. For now it seems fine.
It is also great at cutting a notch:
311403
This knife will never win a beauty contest, but it will not be sitting on a shelf all alone in my shop.
Here are the three shop made knives now residing in my shop:
311406
So don't curse those old pitted blades or even a cheap replacement blade from Home Depot. Instead, make them into something useful.
The center knife is made from a scrap cut from a broken saw plate. The rosewood handle was turned on my lathe. The ferrel is a tubing compression ring. It is great for marking dovetails.
jtk
My solution for a marking knife was to make them out of things no longer good for their original use in the shop.
Yesterday evening, while unwinding from a harrowing day at the farmers market (we were hit by some strong winds just before the end of the day), the bug to make another marking knife bit me. I blame it on Fidel's thread, yeah that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Not wanting to hijack Fidel's thread here is a post on my mad dash to make another marking knife with absolutely no planning and just doing it...
The remnants of a plane blade from my first marking knife were actually given a brush of Dycom Blue but it was on the other side. It was marked with the combination square and the scratch pin in the picture. This picture was taken after the cutting was done using a Dremel cutoff wheel:
311402
The holes were also drilled without pictures. I already said there was little planning this thing. This is a place where a drill press and a small vise are needed for the job and safety. Use a sharp High Speed Steel bit at low speed with lots of oil. Trying to go too fast will get nothing but a burned dull bit. One could also likely epoxy the wood scales in place if a drill press and a drill press vise are not available.
Some folks might actually find the knife to their liking without wood scales for a handle. In my case there is a lot of little scrap pieces just waiting to find a useful purpose.
311407
Some ebony was selected. Scribed lines on dark wood are so much easier to see if a little chalk is rubbed in to them:
311401
A belt sander is handy for shaping the wood.
311400
The holes in the blade were used as a guide for placing the holes in the wood. Believe me, careful planning would likely end up with a better result. The bit used for the blade holes was fed through the blade and just touched to the wood. These were used to position a small bit (#52 if my memory is working) to drill a through pilot hole. This was used to position the brad point bit to counter bore for the rivet heads. Then the #21 drill was used to bore through for the rivet body.
Then it was assembled:
311404
There is a piece of ~1/2" steel that is sitting on top of a piece of 1X4 scrap being used like an anvil. Like my father, any thing that comes into my possession is seldom thrown away.
After the scales are secure, a bit more time on the belt sander. There was also the final honing on the stones. Then the test:
311405
I like it! This knife has good length for nestling in my hand. The round cutout for the chip breaker screw needed some sanding to be a bit more comfortable for a finger rest. It may get a bit more time on the belt sander or hand sanding. For now it seems fine.
It is also great at cutting a notch:
311403
This knife will never win a beauty contest, but it will not be sitting on a shelf all alone in my shop.
Here are the three shop made knives now residing in my shop:
311406
So don't curse those old pitted blades or even a cheap replacement blade from Home Depot. Instead, make them into something useful.
The center knife is made from a scrap cut from a broken saw plate. The rosewood handle was turned on my lathe. The ferrel is a tubing compression ring. It is great for marking dovetails.
jtk