All About Pocket Knives

Here is a quick and easy project that makes working on knives in the house alright with the wife. The granite came from a local countertop maker. It was a sink cutout scrap. I paid $10 for it. I used 2 small pieces of 3/4" plywood. I used a jigsaw to cut out for the granite in the top piece. I used calking under and around the granite, and glued the 2 pieces of plywood together.

I like it! After looking at yours I think if I make one for myself, I'd leave a cut-out for a piece of rectangular wood (actually I have a large piece of furniture-grade particle board I use). I've found that making a "pin pattern" in a piece of wood for a particular model will allow you to set the bottom liner in-place, insert pins in the 3 main holes (ends and center), and start stacking the parts on as I go. Since I have such a large piece of that particle board, I just make a pin pattern (drill holes) in a piece and mark it for the make and model knife it was made for. A slot for a standard size piece of my particle board keeps it from moving around while the knife is being put back together and I can just change out the pattern in the slot for the knife I'm working on at the time. Your Lap Board will allow me another location for it besides the work bench. Nice idea and very well done!

Okay Randy, the first time I saw this, I went Hmmmm. I didn't want to look stoooopid so I didn't ask but this morning I don't care. Why the granite? Seems to brittle to use as an anvil so what function does it perform? What's it's purpose? Why not a small steel plate?

Fire away Bud.

Edit: And why didn't you put an short edge around it to keep small parts (pins) from rolling off in your lap. Or maybe a groove routed into the top around the edge to catch small parts? Not criticizing your work. Just questions from someone who doesn't do that kind of work.

While I can't answer for Randy, I use a piece of granite to lay sandpaper on if I'm trying to remove pits from a blade. It just seems to work the best. Now the grooves for parts is a great idea, but if routing equipment isn't available a small plastic cup glued to (or inserted in a hole on) the board would be a good place to keep those pesky little parts. Assuming that this is for continuing work in the house after leaving the shop for the day, the anvil work can always take place the next day at the workbench since hammers and granite don't mix very well. Just going by Randy's description, this sounds like what he intended it for.

Gottcha. Makes more sense when you put it in context. Plate glass would work as well as the granite. Granite is just what he happened to have available at a decent price. Something super flat and durable.

As usual, I didn't make myself clear. Since the granite is hard and flat, I use it for hand dressing pitted blades and general knife cleanup. Hammer and stiddy work still needs to be done in the shop. I really like Bob's idea about making a change out slot for different patterns. I never thought about that before.

Randy