Knurling attachment question (scissor or clamp type?)

ARC-170

ARC-170

Jeff L.
H-M Lifetime Diamond Member
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Oct 17, 2018
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I have an older Atlas Craftsman lathe (101.07403 made in 1944) and am not comfortable using the usual knurler that is pressed from the side. It puts too much pressure on the bearings and I'm afraid it will push the part off the center if I try to get a deep knurl. So, I'd like to get a different style.
There are two: scissor and clamp. Any preference? Any brand I should look at? They all seem to be the same one sold by different vendors at different prices.
 
Both work well & are far better than bump style knurlers for the reason you mentioned. IMHO, generally clamp style is lighter duty than scissor but that's not a bad thing if you don't have a need to knurl tougher materials.

The scissor knurlers you commonly see are copies of the Eaglerock K1-201. Well I'm not sure if Eaglerock is actually the original designer of that tool but they make the quality one. The import clones may all look the same but some are not as good as the others.

The K1-44 that Mike linked above is the heavy duty version and like usual when something is heavy duty it costs a lot more. ;)
 
For the first time last week I used the old standby atlas/craftsman knurling tool that came with my lathe. I had read that you needed to apply a lot of force to get it to knurl something. Being the first time and not having any idea of what I was doing I tried different amounts of force to see what would happen. It didn't seem like applying a lot of force or only a light pressure made any difference on 1018 steel. I settled on a medium amount of force and let it spin for several minutes. As it spun I could see the knurl getting more distinct. I stopped when it looked good to me. This was my one and only time knurling something. So best rely on the people who actually know what they are doing.

You can make one instead of buying if cost is a factor. https://www.hobby-machinist.com/threads/toms-techniques-knurler.86040/#post-767985
 
Make one of these, a most excellent bit of kit.
You dont need a mill if you do not have one. (I dont)
The amount of pressure it applies is huge, I knurl a lot of stainless and its perfect .
One caveat, make sure the roller pins are hardened else they wear out pretty fast. Dont ask me how I know.
www.hobby-machinist.com

Camjack Knurler

Okay, guys. A couple of months ago, I mentioned a Project-in-Waiting that I called a Camjack Knurler. When you invent something, you're allowed to make up words, too. It came about because I had checked out several sites on clamp knurlers. Most seem to use a 6 mm threaded shaft to apply...
www.hobby-machinist.com www.hobby-machinist.com
 
I actually locked up the spindle with the camjack. I only have a thumb screw on it, but it has tons of pressure. I would like to get better wheels and hardened axles.
 
I have a cheap scissor type from Amazon that cost about $40, and included three sets of knurls. As delivered, the knurls were held in place with pins that had a slot for some kind of oddball spring clip. I ditched those and machined a new retaining system that features nylon lock nuts.

I can't say I have a high degree of confidence in the quality of the tool. I'm pretty much expecting every time I use it to be the last time this flimsy pile of junk will work. Having said that, I've actually used it to run a lot of knurls, and I've done brass, aluminum, and mild steel. I've probably run about 6-8' of knurls with this cheap pile of junk, all told. I guess I got my money out of it. It's definitely waaaaay better than the standard push from the side kind.

Now that you mention it, knurling is one of those things about owning a lathe that makes me hap hap happy. I knurl everything. I'd knurl your grandmother's kitchen sink if I could figure out how. I'd knurl your momma! I'd probably even knurl you!
 
ttabbal said:
I actually locked up the spindle with the camjack. I only have a thumb screw on it, but it has tons of pressure. I would like to get better wheels and hardened axles.
Click to expand...

Look for Form Rol or Accu-trak knurls on ebay. Both companies also sell cobalt pins.
 
I made my own scissors-type tool and it works pretty well on my mini-lathe. But I saw another thread here about one documented on Tom's Techniques website that seems like an even better design. I'll be making that one when time allows, based on the drawings Tom has posted on his site. Here's the link to that thread.
 
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