Jimping, Thumb rest traction file cuts etc..........

rhinoknives

rhinoknives

Well-Known Member
Hello everyone,
For years when I needed to make some Jimping or thumb ramp file cuts I would put a double cut carbide bit in my flex shaft hand drill and with in a few minutes with a little clean up using the 3/4" small wheel and a 600 grit belt for clean up I would be good to go!
I didn't measure or pre mark them, Just went by eyeball.

Its been a few years since I made any knives that needed them but now that I have a batch of hunters I am working on I seem to have lost the knack?

So tell me, How do you guys set up and put in nice looking and even jimping on your knives? Its time for a brush up course for me.

Any help out there?

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
I think there's a file that has skip-teeth for setting them. I'll have to dig around and see who offers it. I typically, on long sections, laid out the spine or edge (for serrations) with layout dye and then scribed my spacing to manually follow. My time of being able to do that will come to a close sometime as well and I'll need to come up with some jig to prevent my worsening shakes from messing up my free hand work.
 
I've heard folks use a checkering file, and some use a mill, cause the hard part is the inner radius of a thumb rest. I have drilled tiny holes in the bar before cutting the blade out, cutting wheels on a dremel stacked with spacers, and a triangle file.
 
Ron & Calvin,
Yes the inner radius is the part I am having trouble getting even, I think that checkering files are measured in Lines per inch? Foe gun smithing but what makes a checkering file any different than any other small triangle file? Other than price of course. Are the teeth different?

Anybody know?

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
Yes the teeth are different. Instead of be ing solid or staggered the teeth are inline and have spacing for the space between the checkering.
 
Laurence,
On an inside radius I use a rifflers file,it's a three corner file with a curved portion at the end. I start with my checkering file before I grind my radius and I file as deep as it will go then I grind a little of the radius but stop before I grind away the file marks then I take the rifflers file and file deeper and then grind the radius deeper and then file deeper and alternate like that until I'm done. Is that as clear as mud?
Google Grobet files and look at their checkering files for metal and also rifflers files,you'll see what I'm talking about.
 
Gahagan said:
Yes the teeth are different. Instead of be ing solid or staggered the teeth are inline and have spacing for the space between the checkering.
Click to expand...

What he said ... I've checkered a stock or two but usually with more LPI than I'd want in jimping. I'm surprised with all the smiths on this site that someone doesn't make a knife jimping file in a popular spacing, like maybe 8-10 LPI. One side flat, the other side 1/2 round for the inner radius (hint hint)

But until then, for the inner radius ... if you got the right carbide bit on a drill press, clamped your stock good an solid on a sliding jig of some sort so you could slide sideways into the cut. Otherwise I'd just go with a jewelers saw maybe.
 
Calvin Robinson said:
Laurence,
On an inside radius I use a rifflers file,it's a three corner file with a curved portion at the end. I start with my checkering file before I grind my radius and I file as deep as it will go then I grind a little of the radius but stop before I grind away the file marks then I take the rifflers file and file deeper and then grind the radius deeper and then file deeper and alternate like that until I'm done. Is that as clear as mud?
Google Grobet files and look at their checkering files for metal and also rifflers files,you'll see what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...

Yep! Clear as mud, But I get it, That's what I have done with the carbide burrs, put in the jimmps, Then finish, put in more Jimmp and finish a little more.

I just found ont that I had a single cut burr in my hand drill so that was part of the reason I counldn't get them straight & even,

Does anyone else have a great technique or jig for this that they wish to share with us? I am all for improving my Jimps!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives
 
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Here's a pretty good pic of what a checkering file looks like. I use a 20 LPI for my jimping, and occasionally I'll file a small groove with a chainsaw file on either side of my checkering grooves just to give it a little more texture and character

/\/\/\/\/\/\__/\/\/\/\/\/\/\__/\/\/\/\/\/\

something like that but obviously the flat parts are a little more rounded.
 
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