Framelock - Fit lock to tang or tang to lock?

[Cubane]

In preparation to building my first framelock flipper I have been reading up several tutorials and watch videos on how people fit up the lock to the tang. There seem to be 2 approaches
1. Fit the lock to the tang.
2. Fit the tang to the lock.

With option 1 I can see that potentially the gap in the frame could get larger as you fit things up. How much is probably dependent on how close you cut to the line. So from an aesthetic point of view an even gap is probably a good thing.

With option 2 I can see that the gap in the frame will be the same for the end and for the longer gap but you run into the potential for taking so much off you need to grind into the area covered by the washers.

So which way do you do it and why did you pick that way?

 

[EdCaffreyMS]

Actually I work both. I will first grind a 7 1/2 degree lock face on the blade. Then, place the blade on the lock side liner, with the stop in place, and use a very fine pointed scribe to mark where the lock face on the liner will be.

I cut that portion of the lockbar with a fine toothed bandsaw, leaving it a little over length. A couple of touches on a 220 belt to get the "roughness" from the cut off. I then begin the fitting in earnest....sometimes it takes several "touches" on the grinder for both the blade and that lockbar face. When I get it to just barely engage with assembled, I then finish off both faces (blade and lockbar) on a med grade scotchbrite wheel.

For titanium liners I will often heat an cool the lock face in order to get a layer of oxide built up, which seems to help reduce how much the Ti "wears in". One of these days I would like to get one of those tools that deposits carbide...I think that would be the cat's meow for the lock faces on folders.

Within the next couple of installments on my forum (WIP.. New Flipper) I'll be talking about this subject, as well as a couple of things that most folks never think about when designing/building a folder.

 

[Steven Kelly]

I ALWAYS fit the tang to the lock.. I want to keep the cut lines symmetrical..
I do like Ed and grind my lock in before marking my frame/liner.
I then mark my frame with a carbide scribe as close to the blade as possible. I then cut the frame, leaving the line plus a couple of thousandths. But I cut my frame on my milling machine with an abrasive cutoff disk.
I normally have to adjust the grind on the blade tang no more than 3-4 thousandths...

That's what works best for me!!!

Steve

 

[Cubane]

Actually I work both. I will first grind a 7 1/2 degree lock face on the blade. Then, place the blade on the lock side liner, with the stop in place, and use a very fine pointed scribe to mark where the lock face on the liner will be.

I cut that portion of the lockbar with a fine toothed bandsaw, leaving it a little over length. A couple of touches on a 220 belt to get the "roughness" from the cut off. I then begin the fitting in earnest....sometimes it takes several "touches" on the grinder for both the blade and that lockbar face. When I get it to just barely engage with assembled, I then finish off both faces (blade and lockbar) on a med grade scotchbrite wheel.

For titanium liners I will often heat an cool the lock face in order to get a layer of oxide built up, which seems to help reduce how much the Ti "wears in". One of these days I would like to get one of those tools that deposits carbide...I think that would be the cat's meow for the lock faces on folders.

Within the next couple of installments on my forum (WIP.. New Flipper) I'll be talking about this subject, as well as a couple of things that most folks never think about when designing/building a folder.

Look forward to reading that. I have been watching your thread with earnest. Sounds like both you guys are doing what I was thinking as fitting the lock to the tang (even though final adjustments may be done on the tang) The other tutorials I have seen they cut the liner first then scribed onto the tang and ground the tang down.

Alistair