Nouveau Fastening: the rationale

Awl--

A very enlightening discussion on the previous thread, much appreciated, with my variation on John's dual-thread idea perhaps the most do-able. Altho the initial set screw idea may prove quite satisfactory.

The project is this:

*Not* two 1/4 plates! (Hint: 4-40 scews!!) Actually a new design for a very elegant stilleto-style gravity knife, which can be made as either a "gentleman's pocket knife", or in the martial arts genre. The martial arts version will in fact allow for screws with heads, but the gentleman's version has the handle very tight to the blade, perimeter-wise. Machined properly, the heavy-ish blade drops out almost as fast as a bonafide switch blade. And, for the stealth-conscious among you, with near total silence. Hmmmmm........ Since I want this thing to be disassemble-able for cleaning, blade replacement, etc., screws would seem to be a necessity. Altho knocking out pins at an angle is interesting, as well. Unless the bottom piece is a blind hole....

Brief history of this knife, and a very expensive left-handed compliment.

Went to a knife show in Manhattan, Crown Plaza Hotel, very high quality show--read: not flooded effing survivalists out to kill any goddamm thing that moves. But there are a few there, to liven things up. :) For metalworkers, a truly religious experience. If you've never gone to a good knife show, and you is a metalworker, your life is incomplete. Inyway, went home, at once inspired and with a crushing inferiority complex, and made my knife, solid brass, a beaut, got real lucky.

Subsequently had my auto accident (broke neck, ekc ekc, drunk kids, 5 AM Sun morn.), woke up a week later with my Bionic Neck, still spitting out window glass (but no teeth, thank gawd), with all my personal effects in a bag--wallet, keys, tools, money, etc. Except le knife.

Since I was stripped near-necked at the accident scene (still have the blood-soaked clothes in a plastic bag--ala Lewinski....--they literally cut the clothes offa you), it was either the EMS peeple or the pohleece. Very disappointing. It was suggested, tho, that rather than outright theft, the general consensus was: Well, this guy won't be needing THIS anymore.... And being da cutlery Bomb that it was....

Ergo, the very expensive left-handed compliment. I've wanted to pursue the matter, but just haven't gotten around to it.

And, almost as bad, in the trunk of the car were some CAT-40 face mills!!!! Now somewhere in a salvage yard..... :( :(

Inyway, I had many offers for this knife, many orders, for substantial amounts of money. Knives like this go for $500 and *up*--way way up. But, other projects prevailed and do prevail, but it really is so elegant (read: a very high (functionality + aesthetics) divided by relatively low complexity, ie, big bang fer one's machining buck), that I sort of can't hold off any longer. Plus I have a co-worker at my reg. job who is a shop-bug, and lives nearby, so I figgered I'd get him up and running on a really nice cnc/knife project.

Oh, btw, very few knives at knife shows are made with cnc, or even a BP! One guy actually does make beautiful knives with only hand tools and a belt sander! Hard to believe. A couple guys, in South Africa, of all places, do use cnc.

Most LOVE to talk about their craft, so for metalworkers it is much more than an exhibition, it can be quite the learning experience. Some stuff is proprietary, like the guy that figgered out how to plate titanium onto steel, so you won't get every detail, but still you will learn a lot. His blades, btw, go for about $5K each. Just the blade, jack, just the blade.

And then you have the Assholes milling around, dropping many thousands on shit they don't have a clue about, the whole yuppie thing, buying shit for their girlfriend, blah blah. You avoid those tables until they leave....

Dats d'story. Off to make the New & Improved version. But I was so lucky the first time around, I'm pretty sure I'm in for substantial frustration this next go around. :(

Reply to
Proctologically Violated©®
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PV:

In that case I'd suggest torx screws, the kind/size that hold inserts in lathe and mill tool holders.

Reply to
BottleBob

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Reply to
Jeffrey Lebowski

Why not a more elegant solution. Given the right design and a CNC mill, perhaps you could pivot or twist the plates in place and then lock them with a single pin. (think mating shapes, like dovetail or T-shape)

--=20

-JN-

Reply to
J. Nielsen

Why not a more elegant solution. Given the right design and a CNC mill, perhaps you could pivot or twist the plates in place and then lock them with a single pin. (think mating shapes, like dovetail or T-shape)

Yeah, but then I'd have to be a real machinist. :)

Reply to
Proctologically Violated©®

Well, in the one design, I'm trying to avoid heads. Are you saying they make torx set screws? Advantage?

But in the other, where I have room for heads, what's the advantage of torx over allen? I would imagine resistance to stripping, since they are used on inserts. But strength would not really be an issue here.

Reply to
Proctologically Violated©®

PV:

No, I wasn't thinking about set screws, as I said: "...the kind/size that hold inserts in lathe and mill tool holders." They have small tapered heads. Heads smaller in diameter than an equivalent sized flat head for the same diameter threads.

Reply to
BottleBob

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