Knifemaker getting started

[223tech]

Hello all,

Hopefully I'm posting in the right area this time
I'm just getting started with knife making and I'm interested in milling frames for folders. Just curious if there was a goto beginners setup for CNC milling that would give me the capabilities that I need. I appreciate any feedback ahead of time!

Thanks, Shannon

[wizard]

Check out Little Machine Shop, Tormach, Smithy, Taig and others for prefabed units.

For going the DIY route you are in the right forum. Check out the section you posted this in closely. There are many options but I'd suggest checking out the various G0704 threads.

Depending on what exactly you are trying to do and in what material you may find the spindle speeds a bit slow on some of these mills. Research a bit before you buy.

[223tech]

Thanks for the reply. I'll dig a little deeper in this section of the forum. I appreciate it!
--Shannon

[fusion_crank]

Check out Johngrismo on YouTube.

[russtuff]

Check out Johngrismo on YouTube.

+1!!!
john does excellent work with his X2.

[hive8]

This is a great resource, i love what he does also he documents everything very well... great guy. Definitely +1 for John

[wizard]

Check out Johngrismo on YouTube.

I only watched one of his videos and I have to say I'm impressed with his clarity of delivery, John is doing a very good job with his videos. Sadly he spends a lot of time changing fixtures, this is where a longer table on a mill can really be an advantage.

Interestingly in the video I watched on doing a bearing fit up and detent work, he had to make use of a very wide range of spindle speeds. At the low end he had torque problems and I'm not sure he could reach the high end required for one operation. It highlights that each machine you buy is a compromise.

Apparently John has a whole series of videos including some on his CNC conversions. This is something I need to look into deeper when I have the bandwidth.

[The Aspirator]

Hey guys, John Grimsmo here, thanks for all the kind words!! Wizard, I just got a Tormach 1100, so ALL of those problems are now a thing of the past.

For making knives, a converted G0704 would be AWESOME. My little X2 (G8689) was OKAY, but underpowered and undersized most of the time. But hey, it got the job done. I'm just saying that for a not much more investment into the G0704 it will make you way happier. Most guys making CNC machined knife stuff only do a pair at a time, so size isn't a huge issue. I however like to take up every square inch and stuff as much onto the table as I can. My new Tormach fixture will let me machine 18 handles at once!!! Here's hoping I don't break a tool halfway through haha.

My X2 had 0-6000 rpm spindle speeds thanks to my belt drive conversion, and that worked fine for everything. I do a lot of engraving with small 0.040" ballmills, but you just have to listen to Gwizard and feed fairly slowly. In titanium I was engraving at 2ipm, in aluminum I could do 10-20ipm. For almost every operation in aluminum except for drilling I would just leave it at 6000 and feed accordingly (all of my tools are usually under 1/4"). For steel and titanium the rpm's need to have a wide range, you need torque down low for drilling. My X2 SUCKED at drilling, it was way underpowered.

Shannon, if you're looking for a plug and play monster of a machine, Tormach is definitely the way to go. The 1100 is almost overkill for knifemaking, but for me I love the size of it. The 770 would be more practical for most, and gets you a 10,000 rpm spindle.

And since it was mentioned, here is a link to my youtube channel.
JohnGrimsmo - YouTube

Cheers!
John

[wizard]

Hey guys, John Grimsmo here, thanks for all the kind words!! Wizard, I just got a Tormach 1100, so ALL of those problems are now a thing of the past.

That must be nice! I've seen that mill at Cabin Fever a couple of times, one can only dream. You should give us a report on how it is working for you.

For making knives, a converted G0704 would be AWESOME. My little X2 (G8689) was OKAY, but underpowered and undersized most of the time.

One could see in some of the videos that you had a power problem. I'm thinking that is probably due to the belt drive, did you loose the gear reduction with that upgrade?

It should be noted that the G0704 would also suffer from a similar issue if the gear reduction was bypassed for one of the belt drive upgrades. Yeah the 704 has a larger motor to start with but without a mechanical speed reduction you still loose torque at the lower speeds common to steels.

But hey, it got the job done. I'm just saying that for a not much more investment into the G0704 it will make you way happier. Most guys making CNC machined knife stuff only do a pair at a time, so size isn't a huge issue.

The 704 is a good deal for a basic machine. I still wonder about its stiffness and low speed torque.

I however like to take up every square inch and stuff as much onto the table as I can. My new Tormach fixture will let me machine 18 handles at once!!! Here's hoping I don't break a tool halfway through haha.

My X2 had 0-6000 rpm spindle speeds thanks to my belt drive conversion, and that worked fine for everything. I do a lot of engraving with small 0.040" ballmills, but you just have to listen to Gwizard and feed fairly slowly. In titanium I was engraving at 2ipm, in aluminum I could do 10-20ipm. For almost every operation in aluminum except for drilling I would just leave it at 6000 and feed accordingly (all of my tools are usually under 1/4"). For steel and titanium the rpm's need to have a wide range, you need torque down low for drilling. My X2 SUCKED at drilling, it was way underpowered.

Drilling steels? One thing about the X2, seen in other videos on the net, is the lack of stiffness for drilling operations. That would bother me more than the lack of power, after all if the column deflects significantly adding more power is useless.

Shannon, if you're looking for a plug and play monster of a machine, Tormach is definitely the way to go. The 1100 is almost overkill for knifemaking, but for me I love the size of it. The 770 would be more practical for most, and gets you a 10,000 rpm spindle.

And since it was mentioned, here is a link to my youtube channel.
JohnGrimsmo - YouTube

Cheers!
John

Thanks for the post John. I need to get some free time {hahahaha} to watch more of your videos. I've never made a knife, and frankly might not ever do so, but your videos are inspiring to say the least.

[The Aspirator]

One could see in some of the videos that you had a power problem. I'm thinking that is probably due to the belt drive, did you loose the gear reduction with that upgrade?

I made two groove pulleys, one for 0-3000 and one for 0-6000, but I always left it on the 6000 setting so yeah I probably lost torque there.

Drilling steels? One thing about the X2, seen in other videos on the net, is the lack of stiffness for drilling operations. That would bother me more than the lack of power, after all if the column deflects significantly adding more power is useless.

I did make a support column that bolts the Z column to the base, it's a big aluminum U channel that really stiffened it up. That pretty much got it as good as you could hope for with that machine, so then the issues move on to become a power problem haha.

Thanks for the post John. I need to get some free time {hahahaha} to watch more of your videos. I've never made a knife, and frankly might not ever do so, but your videos are inspiring to say the least.

Thanks!!! One of the reasons I make the vids is for guys like you, you'll probably never get around to doing the same, but just truly enjoy watching.

John