Penny Knife

[Red Owl]

I've made a couple. There is very little original information on these but I think they were fairly common. It is a friction folder and the way I did it was to have the tang a step down from the top of the blade. When you open the knife the blade swings open but the "notch" bears against a metal collar around the front of the handle. OKAY.
So.. I cut a 3/4" long section of electrical conduit and used that for the collar. It works fine but then I got looking at a photo of an original and the collar was indented a little so that the blade then opened too far and was angled up a little. Closer inspection revealed that the collar was of thin metal, which is why the blade (after a while) indented it and caused the problem. Closer inspection revealed that this thin metal was actually crimped at the bottom and the crimps stuck into the slot.
So... Holy Cow Batman- another thing I made that wasn't 100% pc.
Well, what to do- if I copy the original I duplicate the flaw of an indented collar. I figure I can put in a cross bar to stop the blade and the collar will cover and hide it. Another issue is the blade. Due to the straight handle the blade edge can't have a belly of raised tip (very much) or it will be above the slot and exposed. Yet another issue is the slot. It seems so deep that it weakens the handle. I'm wondering how the flow or grain of the wood should be oriented? I like the French friction folders but if your persona is English then I think a penny knife might be more PC.
In any event, if any of you make or know about these knives, all information cheerfully accepted.

 

[LRB]

I've made a couple. There is very little original information on these but I think they were fairly common. It is a friction folder and the way I did it was to have the tang a step down from the top of the blade. When you open the knife the blade swings open but the "notch" bears against a metal collar around the front of the handle. OKAY.
So.. I cut a 3/4" long section of electrical conduit and used that for the collar. It works fine but then I got looking at a photo of an original and the collar was indented a little so that the blade then opened too far and was angled up a little. Closer inspection revealed that the collar was of thin metal, which is why the blade (after a while) indented it and caused the problem. Closer inspection revealed that this thin metal was actually crimped at the bottom and the crimps stuck into the slot.
So... Holy Cow Batman- another thing I made that wasn't 100% pc.
Well, what to do- if I copy the original I duplicate the flaw of an indented collar. I figure I can put in a cross bar to stop the blade and the collar will cover and hide it. Another issue is the blade. Due to the straight handle the blade edge can't have a belly of raised tip (very much) or it will be above the slot and exposed. Yet another issue is the slot. It seems so deep that it weakens the handle. I'm wondering how the flow or grain of the wood should be oriented? I like the French friction folders but if your persona is English then I think a penny knife might be more PC.
In any event, if any of you make or know about these knives, all information cheerfully accepted.

I made a few. I used conduit like you did. The ones I've seen had thicker collars than you describe, and the collar gives strength to the grip. I made a jig to cut the slots dead center, and terminate dead center of the grip butt. I could email you a photo or even post it. The jig is relatively simple and adjustable to fit most any grip for a penny knife.

 

[LRB]

One of mine, and the slot jig.

Saw is made from a Sawzall blade. the thick slotted plates on the outer sides of the angle iron walls are of hardened 01 steel. Slots or generous holes are in the wood blocks for adjustment of width and angle. I will have to check to see which I used. I have not used this thing in a few years now. As you see slots are in the angle iron back plate for length adjustment. The lathe turned grip is adjusted to be center of the 01 slotted plates and locked in place going by the center point marks of the lathe centers on the grip ends, then locked by the wing nuts. You angle saw to the rear center and your chosen front depth which on mine was to the shoulder the collar butts up to. That is a piece of broom stick locked in just show how a grip sits in it. I checked the jig a few hours ago. The wood blocks are slotted, not the angle iron frame.

 

[Red Owl]

Beautiful knife. Thanks.

 

[ArmorerRoy]

Pm sent

One of mine, and the slot jig.

View attachment 227475
View attachment 227476
Saw is made from a Sawzall blade. the thick slotted plates on the outer sides of the angle iron walls are of hardened 01 steel. Slots or generous holes are in the wood blocks for adjustment of width and angle. I will have to check to see which I used. I have not used this thing in a few years now. As you see slots are in the angle iron back plate for length adjustment. The lathe turned grip is adjusted to be center of the 01 slotted plates and locked in place going by the center point marks of the lathe centers on the grip ends, then locked by the wing nuts. You angle saw to the rear center and your chosen front depth which on mine was to the shoulder the collar butts up to. That is a piece of broom stick locked in just show how a grip sits in it. I checked the jig a few hours ago. The wood blocks are slotted, not the angle iron frame.

 

[Red Owl]

That second jig for sawing. I made a jig that looks sort of the same. I needed a guide for drilling a long hole lengthwise in a knife handle for a rat tail tang. I took a tube with 1/4" inside diameter and epoxied glued it to two blocks of wood. The blocks about 7" apart. I then sawed out a 7" section of tube between the blocks, leaving about 2 1/2" of tube on either end- The two sections are perfectly lined up. You have to use shims to steady the handle material but drill in from both ends and you get a perfect hole. I've made a lot of these jigs. One for 1/16" pins in rifle building. That 1/16" drill can flex under pressure and exit the far side of a fore stock off center. It an also chip out wood on the far end. With a "tube" jig You drill in from either side- always perfectly lined up and I've never had the two holes not meet dead center in the middle. I know it is "low tech" but it works. Often it works better than using an expensive drill press.