Cutting in finger holes

Nick Schreiber

Nick Schreiber

Well-Known Member
Anyone out there make knives with finger holes at the bottom of the tang (i.e. Benchmade SOCP)? If so how are you cutting those in? I’ve made a few now and am progressively drilling the hole bigger from 1/8” to 1/2”. 1/2” is the biggest bit I have at the moment. From there I’m using my Dremel and the barrel sanders. The process works but it is time consuming and I use quite a few of the barrel sanders. Any suggestions on speeding that process up?
 
Do you have the hold marked for size? Drill a series of 1/8 inch holes around the inside of the final hole you want then finish it out.
 
I do! That’s a great idea! It’s always the simplest of ideas that seem to be the most difficult to think of. Then when you do you feel a little dumb because you didn’t think of it before.... Thank you!!!
 
I have used a large step drill. I believe mine goes from 1/4" to 1 3/8".
As long as the metal has not been heat treated it works well. Use a drill press!
If the largest size on the drill is too large, I've used the size I want drilling half way from both sides. Some clean up is needed if the metal is fairly thick, but the hole entry is clean.
 
I use a step bit as well and finish with a drum sander.
It works well for me BUT im trying to find a way to slightly round the inner edges of the hole uniformly sort of like the inside of ring.

I used to use drill bits and slowly go up in size... But I found it tedious changing all the bits and my holes were always kind of off...
 
A step drill from both sides will chamfer the edges. Aside from a form tool like an inside rounded chamfer tool in a milling machine, I don’t know how you will get a perfectly rounded convex radius inside the hole without some hand work.
 
I'm going to a assume you don't have a mill.
A standard bi-metal hole saw will do the trick just fine. I have a 1" hole saw that I've drilled dozens of holes into steel and aluminum with. Run it as slow as you can with a good cutting lube. The main thing is to make sure you're not overheating and that your chips are evacuating and not galling up into the teeth. The teeth can be touched up and resharpened a couple of times, though the smaller saws are pretty cheap now days anyhow.

You can use a small sanding drum, or a dowel wrapped with sand paper if you want to clean up the inside. Just chuck it into the same drill you use for the hole saw. You can also get an appropriately sized reamer or barrel lap, though you may have to adjust the OD of the hole saw just a little bit, as they are not exactly "precision" tools. Don't get me wrong: They make a nice round hole, but it won't be within a .0001" of the saw's listed OD.

Also keep in mind that larger laps and reamers don't always have a small enough shank for a standard drill press, so you may have to get creative there.
 
A Uni-bit (step drill) is a fantastic tool in a drill press. It ought to solve this problem in about ten seconds. Not only that, it’s a heck of a good deburring tool for all of your holes.

Here’s one for $10

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Depends on the steel. The steels I use laugh at those step drills. Although the simple Carbons should respond fine. But I have a mill.

You are already using your Dremel....have you tried a Tungsten Carbide burr?
 
John Wilson said:
A Uni-bit (step drill) is a fantastic tool in a drill press. It ought to solve this problem in about ten seconds. Not only that, it’s a heck of a good deburring tool for all of your holes.

Here’s one for $10

View attachment 71813
Click to expand...
My wife bought a whole set of these for me a couple years ago. I do believe I've used them on every knife. For me they've worked great.
 
I use Cobalt M42 drill bits, and Carbide end mills. I use CPM3V & CPM20CV steel exclusively. M2 hss becomes dull far too quickly. I don’t like fighting with drilling. M42 & Carbide simply cut better & last longer...period. This isn’t an opinion, it’s fact. M42 bits don’t cost all that much more, but even so... I’m fine with the bit extra because my drill sharpening technique is better than any I’ve come across. So I keep bits for a long time. And I don’t waste money on sets. With different sizes I’ll never use. I buy the sizes I need.
 
One Armed said:
Depends on the steel. The steels I use laugh at those step drills.
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Those steels you use in the annealed state wouldn't be any harder to drill or require special tools than any other blade steel.

But you have made it abundantly clear to all of us on multiple occasions (even when not asked) that your steels and processes are vastly superior in every way to the rest of us mere mortals.
 
I'd like too see some pictures of these world class cutting knives you profess to make.
I'm not the kind to stir the pot,
but frankly I'm starting to have a difficult time believing anything you say here.
most everyone on here with believable stories of knifemaking post pictures of their work, I don't believe I've seen any of yours.
the way you boast of your skills and knowledge I would expect to see some pretty spectacular knives and even some cutting examples that would out perform so called "fake Damascus". :confused:
 
Are you looking to make a finger hole or a finger notch?
 
BossDog said:
Are you looking to make a finger hole or a finger notch?
Click to expand...
I’m making finger holes. I have made a few of these now and have been looking for ways to more efficiently cut the finger holes out. Inside diameter on these is just slightly bigger than a quarter. I bought a couple of the step drill bits some of the guys mentioned and they have worked great for me so far!
 

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You might try a drill hog the y cut out a plug, they are carbide hole saws the smallest I have seen is 7/8", have not used them in a drill press but work grate in a mill, they are not cheap, they are on E-bay. Deane
 
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