Bearings or Bronze Washers?

Hey Guys!
I'm starting some new liner lock folders and trying to decide whether to use bronze washers again or get some counterbores and use bearings. What are the benefits of using bearings for the pivot? I feel like washers are "tougher" but I may be completely wrong.

Thoughts? why use one over the other?

I've had good success using bronze washers on all the liner locks that I've made. They are rugged and durable and a whole lot easier to build with. If I were to try making flippers, I think I would consider using some caged bearings to make them open and close quickly and smoothly, but for the small liner locks that I focus on, washers are smooth enough and without the fuss.

I'd have to agree..... unless you feel the need for bearings in a liner lock, washers are much simpler and easier then bearings. Many times a knife pattern will need totally redesigned if it was originally designed with using washers in mind, and you want to using bearings instead of washers.

BrandantR said:

I've had good success using bronze washers on all the liner locks that I've made. They are rugged and durable and a whole lot easier to build with. If I were to try making flippers, I think I would consider using some caged bearings to make them open and close quickly and smoothly, but for the small liner locks that I focus on, washers are smooth enough and without the fuss.

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Thank you! I'll stick with washer for now.

EdCaffreyMS said:

I'd have to agree..... unless you feel the need for bearings in a liner lock, washers are much simpler and easier then bearings. Many times a knife pattern will need totally redesigned if it was originally designed with using washers in mind, and you want to using bearings instead of washers.

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What do you mean when you say a pattern will often need to be redesigned when you use bearings?

Generally bearings are counterbored into the liners....so let's say your using .050" liners..... not enough material for the necessary counterbores, so you need to increase liner thickness for the bearings. OR If the blade thickness is enough, you could put counterbores in the blade..... or even 1/2 in the liners, and 1/2 in the blade. Just a whole host of "little" things that can cause grief.

Sometimes using bearings on a knife that was designed with washers in mind, will force you to change the location of things such as the stop pin, where/how the lock is cut and/or engages, etc. There are certain things with folders that you can change, without affecting anything, but when you start changing "internals", one thing often affects another....and you end up having to do a bunch of "tweaking"....its mostly "small" changes, but it can literally eat up days of time. When I see this sort of thing happening, I've found that it's much more efficient to just "tweak" the entire design, (redesign) fixing all "issues", and then start the knife again.

On the other side of the coin, IF you initially design a folder in such a way that it can be built with EITHER bearing or washers..... you're a step ahead of the game. What I've discovered over time is that if I design a new folder with bearings in mind, its a very simple thing to retrofit the design with washers.....but it general doesn't work well, the other way around.
With that in mind for a number of years now, whenever I create a new folder design, its always with bearings in mind..... just makes my life far easier.

I'm sure everybody has there own unique way(s), but that just how I see, and how I tackle the problem.

I will give another perspective. I have found bearings easier to get a smooth action. With bearings is your liners are a little off parallel or your blade is not completely flat your can seat the bearing into the titanium by tightening the pivot and working the blade. The down side is as side pressure on the blade will make indents in the liner that can be felt when the blade moves. I counter bore both the blade and liner using a well trammed drill press, I aim for perfect but the bearing track in the titanium can make up for being a thousandth or two off. I also tend to do more trial and error fitting of the bearing pockets and back spacers than some people I have seen. I am lacking precision tooling like a mill and surface grinder, at this point to get the action I'm happy with I end up doing lots of hand fitting. If I had a surface grinder, I would make everything flat and put washers in.