Made my first frame lock this weekend, I think my cutting tool is too thick when I look at other locks that have a much thinner gap.

Im using one that is 0.040.....

How thick of a tool are your guys using when cutting your frame lock, lock?


Thanks guys!

Currently, I'm cutting .020 but I have used as small as .014....

I'm using a .020" thick carbide saw. It seems to hold up well, even on thick (.200") titanium, as long as you don't flex it.

Thanks guys!

Kinda what I figured.

Going to order up the saw tomorrow.

How long do the carbide saws last? At what speeds do you cut? Do you use lubrication?

I'm still using Dremel reinforced cutoff discs. I picked up a couple of HSS jeweler's saws but the first one I tested was too thick and also dulled out and stopped cutting after a few minutes. :(

I use 1.25" diameter cobalt jewelers saw with 80 teeth on a half inch arbor. the first one lasted me almost two years and that's a lot of folders.

It finally seemed a little dull so I changed it. That one broke on the first day of use. I replaced that one, and the new one broke within a few seconds of use. A careful examination of the arbor revealed that it had picked up a tiny bit of fused titanium that was preventing the saw blade from sitting perfectly flat against the arbor. Cleaned that off, and the new blade has been good for a few weeks already.

Use a good arbor - not the real cheapies - and keep it well lubricated and it should last a long, long time...

What different tools are people using to cut the gap?

Obviously some are using mills and others are using dremels, but I'm sure there are others out there getting by with very simple tools.

I'd be interested to see what some of the lower-tech (lower-budget ?) guys are using.

Thanks,
Brendan

I did my first one with a dermel in a regular vise and a milling machine type vise holding the work piece.

I orderd up a saw, but screwed it up the second I turned it on. I dont know what I was thinking, but I put it on the 3/8 arbor not the 1/2 inch to match the hole!!!! (Insert dumb ass :) )

So orderd up another saw, and will see what I can do with that. Will report back here once I use it a bit.

Here's a photo of how I cut the long slot in frame-locks:

http://a4.cpimg.com/image/30/75/14264624-b295-02000180-.jpg

I turn the saw at about 120 rpm and use forced air as a coolant. I set my depth of cut at about .008" to .010" per pass.

I first used brush on coolant, but found that using air to blow the chips away reduces the possibility of having the chips stick which can result in galling. (Using flood coolant system would most likely be much better than simply applying liquid or paste coolant with a brush.)

If you're going to use a carbide saw, make sure there is no possibility that it will flex in the setup. Carbide breaks rather than bends.

You'll also notice that, even with a good saw and arbor, the teeth don't run very concentric - meaning that only some of the teeth actually engage the material during rotation. This might be different with the more expensive CNC qualified arbors and saws.

Before I had all this, I used a Dremel Tool? and abrasive discs to cut the long slots in my liner-locks. It did the job, but I would hate to see how many of those little discs it would take to cut through 3/16" thick titanium. (Of course, since you actually see the long slot on a frame-lock knife, keeping the slot absolutely straight and not jagged is also important. ;) )

My set up is almost identical to Tom's picture. In my previous statement (above) I said I use a carbide saw but that's incorrect. I use a Cobalt saw and they are quite flexible, relatively speaking. When cutting, the saw is constantly being cooled with a coolant mister and occasionally I will blow the slot out with high pressure air...

Does anybody use a small diameter carbide mill to make the slots? I used to use the Dremel method for Linerlocks but have switched over to a 1.5mm Cardide mill with 2 flutes. I can cut through 0.063 inch Ti in about 4 passes with hand feed. I also use air to cool and clear chips. The dremel method took ages even for a liner lock.

How long does it take to make the cut on a framelock using the saw?

I'm waiting for a good carbide saw to turn up on ebay... ;-)

Originally posted by Kevin Wilkins
How long does it take to make the cut on a framelock using the saw?


That depends on the length of the slot and the thickness of the material.

Once set up, it takes me about 20 minutes to cut a 3" long slot through a 3/16" thick titanium scale.

Where is a good source for the cobalt and carbide saws that ya'll are using?

mscdirect.com (http://www.mscdirect.com/browse.process) has all sorts, johnny