Knife Display Case


wtnhighlander

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@pkinneb, I have used kits from Flockit.com before, and you aren't joking!

@Coop, one of my son's "special needs" is an OCD thing that leads him to pick foam apart without even thinking about it. The magnets are a possible solution, though... but they would only work on the blades. Has possibilities.

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On 1/9/2022 at 6:12 PM, wtnhighlander said:

@pkinneb, I have used kits from Flockit.com before, and you aren't joking!

@Coop, one of my son's "special needs" is an OCD thing that leads him to pick foam apart without even thinking about it. The magnets are a possible solution, though... but they would only work on the blades. Has possibilities.

I have found for smaller items if you set the item in a box and do it that helps 

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I think the outline is the best way to make the whole knife visible. It also makes for a specific spot for the knife which could be a potentially bad thing if the knife is lots and can't be replaced. My thought would be an angled tray like 10 degrees with a lip to hold the knife so they could be set on and not have to meet a specific space. That said I think cutting the outlines would look awesome and hold them really well.

13 hours ago, Coop said:

I’m thinking Fastcap Kaizen foam which will give you a black background and less scroll work. Or rare earth magnets and have the knives on the surface of your board?

13 hours ago, wtnhighlander said:

but they would only work on the blades.

You'd have to do some tests. The few things I hold with magnets have magnetized the object being held. I'm not sure I'd want my pocket knife to turn into a magnet. Also may not work if the knife is stainless steel or aluminum as they aren't magnetic.

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4 hours ago, curlyoak said:

Good work. I like the pencil holder. Have you thought about using hardwood?

Hardwood for what, the cut-out pockets? No reason that wouldn't work, and I could darn near make them out of ebony for what MDF lists for at my local big box right now. I prototyped with MDF because it is easy to scroll and shape, and I initially thought to go black with them.

Regarding a comment from @Chestnut, I had planned to make the cut-outs in a series of uniform blocks, so they could be re-arranged or replaced as the collection evolved. Even large knives could be housed in a block that was sized as a multiple of the standard. Still thinking this through, because affixing the blocks into the case in a visually pleasing manner is challenging me.

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13 hours ago, Chestnut said:

That's a great idea. Check the blades for being held by magnets though I know some stainless steels aren't attracted by magnets.

That's true, but the non-magnetic steels aren't used for cutting edges very often. Don't sharpen / hold an edge well. The magnet is essentially insurance, anyway.

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Latest concept drawing of the case:

Assembly3.thumb.jpg.7c36d4bcda90a5089da407333df6142e.jpg

Still thinking about the slat arrangement. I realized that the slats can actually extend across almost the entire back. So long as I leave a half-inch gap at one end or the other, the "hooks" can be inserted or removed as needed to support knives in any arrangement.

I'd like to try mitered blind dovetails for the case, but I think it better to practice on something else first. Probably going to do a simple splined miter, instead. If I manage to saw a good plank from the maple cant, I should be able to resaw it and do the inside-out bookmatch think to make the grain line up at all 4 corners. The plank should wide enough so that I can "miter and fold over" the edges to form the front door frame. That should make it an 8-corder grain match, if all works as planned.

Wish me luck ... :huh:

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Almost forgot... This morning, before work, I spent a little time prepping an old handsaw from my collection.

IMG_20220120_052718372_HDR.thumb.jpg.356570892ddfb81d516e252c1a240912.jpg

This is just an inexpensive hardware store handsaw, nothing special. It had the coarsest teeth of the lot, and I filed into the resemblence of a rip configuration. A quick test went well in this scrap of white oak. If it warms up this weekend, maybe I'll see how it does in maple!

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