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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:

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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.

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Some ebony was selected. Scribed lines on dark wood are so much easier to see if a little chalk is rubbed in to them:

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A belt sander is handy for shaping the wood.

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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:

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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:

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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:

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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:

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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

Frederick Skelly
04-12-2015, 9:04 PM
Pretty neat Jim. Love the ebony.

I'll bet I could cut up one of those $3 Buck Brothers plane irons that I find at various stores. (Which, as you once said, actually arent too bad for actually planing stuff either.) Where to you buy rivets like the ones you used?

Jim Koepke
04-12-2015, 9:25 PM
Where to you buy rivets like the ones you used?

Those came from Lee Valley:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/hardware/page.aspx?p=40386&cat=3,41306,41327

At one time my suggestion to them was to carry a sample pack with a few of each size. They never did and now I am happy to have purchased a pack of each size they carry.

jtk

James Pallas
04-13-2015, 10:39 PM
Nice knife Jim. Making those shop things is just plain fun. Having all those odds and ends to make them with is more fun. When the idea strikes just go do it, nothing to buy, no trip to the HoDePo make it and use it.
Jim

Jim Koepke
04-14-2015, 2:56 AM
Nice knife Jim. Making those shop things is just plain fun. Having all those odds and ends to make them with is more fun. When the idea strikes just go do it, nothing to buy, no trip to the HoDePo make it and use it.
Jim

Hanging on to reusable items has always been a habit of mine. Either that or it is a gene picked up from my father, he was a pack rat. It is paying of now since living out in the sticks makes it a little impractical to run off for a part or tool. Make do with what's already on hand.

By the way, something was left out in my original post. When cutting a notch to make a "saw wall" the knife seems to be easier to control with the bevel facing down.

jtk