Birth of a Knife:
How-to filework a folding knife

This page is created for those that have been wanting to know how to go about doing  filework on their knife. 
This is a short archive of most of the steps involved with fileworking a folding liner lock knife.

Please keep in mind that this is only one way  of very many ways to accomplish the same thing.  What works for me may not work for you. 

I do filework with an assortment of rat-tail files.  I use no automation at all. 
Several knifemakers use a dremel tool or a  foredom with great results.

This is intended as a guide to get started and assist in basic knowledge.
Have thoughts or ideas??? Let me know.

This is the finished piece. Scroll down the page to view the steps taken to complete the filework for this piece. Below shows a close-up of the finished fileworked spine.

This shows all of the parts of this piece. The part circled in red is the part that will be fileworked. This part is called the buttspacer or backpiece.

The buttspacer is locked-up in a vise between two pieces of wood to prevent scarring the piece. Marks are made 3/16" of an inch apart. This will be where the initial cuts are made.

The initial "V" cuts are made with the 3-corner file and the backspacer is turned around on the other end of the vise.
 Marks are made 3/16" apart here as well.

The "V" notches are cut in this end. Between each of those notches, the chain saw file is used to make the "half moon" cut. The piece is turned around and the pattern is repeated on the opposite side of the backspacer.

This is what the backspacer looks like when the filework is completed. This is a very basic pattern and really quite common. Very easy to do.

The same piece turned up on its' side to get an idea of what will be seen from the back of the finished piece. Marks are still on the backspacer. Slight sanding will remove these marks. The backspacer is made from stainless damascus steel and is etched after the piece is filed.