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How to Make a Wooden Folding Knife

by gg1220 on August 29, 2012

Table of Contents

How to Make a Wooden Folding Knife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: How to Make a Wooden Folding Knife . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: The Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Cutting out the Scales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 3: The Blade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 4: Assembly! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 5: The Standoff (nope, not a mafia movie) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 6: Whaddya call a good-looking thumb? A thumbstud! (I can hear the crickets chirping) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Step 7: Stop! Hammer time! Or, well, stop pin time. (part 1: the closed position) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Step 8: Stop! Part 2: The open position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Step 9: Admire your work! :) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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 Author:gg1220
I like to make stuff. That's pretty much it :)

Intro: How to Make a Wooden Folding Knife

Knives are useful tools for many different applications (as Mrballeng has demonstrated ), but what if you've got an aspiring boy scout around or you just want to teach
someone how to handle knives safely? Or maybe you're like me; you're trying to make a knife of your own design and need to make a prototype first. Well then this is just
the thing for you!

The main reason I chose to make my own folder is because most of the nicer ones you find on the market nowadays are over 3" long or are a bit too wide to fit
comfortably in "girl pockets" (if you've never experienced them you have no idea how lucky you are). Plus I figured it'd be a nice challenge.

**Note** Please make an effort to read the annotations, in my opinion they're more helpful than the formal instructions.

Step 1: The Design

Now this is where you get creative. You have to keep a few things in mind, but other than that you have free reign here. Just do whatever you want and by the end of it
you should have a nice blade and handle shape.

Remember that you need to leave room for standoffs or a backspacer while the blade is in the closed position (see last pic). Also you should put a fair bit of care into
figuring out the placement of the pivot and adjusting the blade length accordingly. If the pivot isn't aligned properly you're liable to end up losing a lot of blade and handle
width by trying to correct it (or you could turn the misalignment into a "feature").

Image Notes Image Notes

1. old blade design 1. high (flat or hollow) ground clip point blade
2. final handle shape

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. checking the overall shape 1. all cut out and ready to be templates!
2. pocket clip!

Image Notes Image Notes

1. notice the pivot area 1. marked for the pocket clip
2. full flat ground blade

Image Notes Image Notes

1. closeup of pivot 1. I'm only planning on using one standoff, so this is enough space for me.

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Step 2: Cutting out the Scales
Now for the fun part, actually making the prototype!
I used some 1/8" hardboard we had lying around, but anything should do (real wood, acrylic, platinum, unobtanium, etc.). I just traced around the template twice, cut out
both pieces with a bandsaw (a coping saw or even a hacksaw would do just as nicely), and held them together while sanding the edges smooth for nice crisp lines.
At the end I took just a bit more out of the choil area on the left scale to help with ergonomics and releasing the lockbar (but that would only apply to the real thing).

Image Notes
1. this line is glue residue from what was used on the fake wood grain paper

Image Notes
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 1. notice the extended choil here, I added that just in case my pivot didn't quite line
up (it paid off!)

Image Notes Image Notes

1. still pretty rough around the edges 1. about to sand all those marks off

Image Notes Image Notes

1. voila! 1. nice and flush

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 Image Notes
1. slightly deepened choil on the top scale

Step 3: The Blade

Basically the same as the scales: trace --> cut --> sand --> enjoy!

Image Notes
1. everything's easier when a straight line has already been made for you

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 Image Notes
1. notice how the extra long tang sticks into the choil area? we'll fix that later
2. notice how the extra long tang sticks into the choil area? we'll fix that later

Step 4: Assembly!
Here's the nerve wracking bit, drilling the pivot hole. Mark the center of the hole (I used a screw, very high tech), then just go for it and hope it works (but you know it
works, right? You did all that prepping). After you drill the first hole, line up the two scales and, using the first as a guide, drill through the second. Now for the blade.
Position it where you want it to be, then use the first scale as a guide again and drill through.
Now comes the moment of truth. Using a rod or dowel as the pivot, rotate the blade to the closed position and check the fit. In my case, it came out perfectly!

Image Notes
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 1. lots of testing...

Image Notes
1. looks like this is is... *holds breath*

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 Image Notes
1. whew.

Image Notes
1. it works! :D

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 Image Notes
1. safely tucked away

Step 5: The Standoff (nope, not a mafia movie)

Now that the pivot's done, we need to keep the other side from shifting around too much. Enter the standoff! In this case it's just a little piece of scrap that serves as a
spacer to prevent the blade from pinching.

Image Notes
1. making sure there's enough room

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 Image Notes
1. still as high tech as always

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 Image Notes
1. jagged edge

Image Notes Image Notes

1. smooth edge :D (and it actually fits) 1. ~1/16" clearance

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Step 6: Whaddya call a good-looking thumb? A thumbstud! (I can hear the crickets chirping)
If you're planning on making your folder a one-handed opener, a thumbstud (or other variant such as a thumbdisk or spydie hole) is a must. It's easy enough, just make
sure that it'll clear the choil, drill a hole, and glue in a piece of rod. I'd recommend filing or sanding down the top of the stud so you don't chew up your thumb while using
it.

Image Notes Image Notes

1. the thumbstud can't be positioned above this arc because it'll hit the front of the 1. that's about as close as I dared to get
choil

Image Notes
1. 1/8" rod (in this case brass, but that's irrelevant)
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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. little sawed off piece 1. chucked up and rounded

Image Notes
1. now ain't that purdy?

Image Notes
1. random grind possibility
2. I forgot to take a picture, but it does indeed clear the choil :)
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Step 7: Stop! Hammer time! Or, well, stop pin time. (part 1: the closed position)
This is what makes the knife impressive (at least, in my opinion). Once you've got this, you have a fully functioning folder! The only thing it doesn't do is lock in the open
position, but we can just call it a friction folder for now, right? Right.

Now this is a bit tricky to explain, so hopefully the pictures will help. You want the stop pin to rest in a semicircular cutout in the blade. Mark the bottom of the blade (when
positioned exactly where you want it to be in the end), and mark where the pin will go. I suck at explaining, so please look at the pictures (and feel free to leave comments
if it still makes no sense, I don't blame you).

Image Notes
1. figuring out where to place the pin

Image Notes
1. where the center of the hole will be

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 Image Notes
1. notice the blade extends through the hole

Image Notes
1. this is the only chance you have to get it right, so be careful

Image Notes Image Notes

1. drilling the notch in the blade 1. that's better :)
2. as it is, the pin will keep the blade locked in place. the whole left portion of the
notch needs to be sanded away in a nice arch

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. ignore the top part, this is what you should pay attention to. 1. now for the other scale

Image Notes Image Notes

1. it works! :D 1. I coated the surface in CA (superglue) to prevent the pin from mushing the
notch out of shape

Step 8: Stop! Part 2: The open position

Same deal as the last step, but in the open position :)
See annotations for details about what's going on.

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 Image Notes Image Notes
1. oh noes! the knife can't open all the way because there's no notch to accept 1. BUMP
the pin at the top of the blade

Image Notes
1. with the pin removed, line up the blade where you want it

Image Notes Image Notes

1. so close... again, excess material needs to be sanded away 1. unfortunately it seems like I never got a final picture of the top notch, but you
guys know what you're doing :)

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 Image Notes
1. more CA (superglue) to toughen up the surface

Step 9: Admire your work! :)

'nuff said.

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