Folder Bearings?

theWeatherman

Well-Known Member
I was wondering if you guys could recommend some folder throw bearings that are not really big in the outside diameter? How deep do you need to counter sink them, the thickness of the body plus the radius of the bearing?

Thanks,

Brian
 
Not sure what you mean by "folder throw bearings"? If your talking about pivot bearings, the choices are somewhat limited. You basically either have the IKBS system, or you can have a look on Alpha Knife supplies website for bearing that come in a carrier.

There are little nuances to using/installing each. Personally, I like the bearings that are in a carrier versus the IKBS. I counterbore the inside of each scale to .050" X the diameter required by the bearing.
 
I have used both the ones at alpha and the ones usa knifemaker sell. I use a counterbore with the right sized pilot to bore Titanium for the bearing. I use a milling machine to get the depth I want, I usually bore .015 less than the depth of the bearing. both bearings I posted above are good but I usually go with the ones from Usaknifemaker now. More contact area when rolling, seems to be smoother.
I also like ed prefer bearings in a housing, I have never used IKBS and would not want to personally.
CW
 
I came back to look at this thread and realized that I forgot to mention something about why I counterbore to .050"...... the bearings in the carrier are 1/16" balls, which means they are .0625" diameter. By making the counterbore .050", that leavs .012" of the bearing sticking up above the handle scale to contact the blade. Once installed, and "worked" the bearings will create their own "race" in the Ti to about .002"....which leaves .010" on each side of the blade. I find that it's important to know that in order to ensure the backspacer is the correct thickness.
I've noticed that with these bearings, you need to ensure that the countersink in each handle scale is as close to exact as possible.... example: .050" on each side. If your off a couple of thou on either side (say .048 on one side and .050 on the other) the blade will not "center" in the closed position....took me about 3 days to figure that one out! :)
 
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