Pantograph Templates

Instructions

These pantograph templates are created at a 4:1 ratio. They're NOT built in the traditional manner where you create a positive and then cast a negative around it. These templates are designed in a CAD program where the positive and the negative are essentially the same size with no compensation for clearance. Therefore, you may need to use a stylus that's slightly smaller than the one you would normally use.

When using a 3/64" cutter, I've found it best to use a stylus that's somewhere around .180". This gives me a pretty tight fit where the shield can be pressed fitted into materials such as G-10 and micarta. When the handle material is more brittle, I might would go with a stylus that's a little smaller. I've found that a .120" stylus works well with a 1/32" cutter. These sizes seems to work well for me, but I would recommend experimenting with your own sizes to see what works best for you.

Important: The templates that have "(Rounded)" next to their description have had their sharp corners rounded down to fit a 1/32" cutter. This way the shield drops right into the pocket without any filing or scraping. Most of the other templates, that don’t have sharp corners, also require a 1/32” cutter. The templates that have “(64)” next to their description are designed to take a 1/64” cutter to cut some of the tips of the pocket, but a 1/32” cutter can be used to cut out the shield.

Don't Have a Pantograph?

What if you don't have a pantograph, but you still would like to inlay a particular shield into your knife? No problem. Send me your knife scale, after it's been shaped and profiled, and I'll cut the pocket for you and return it with the matching shield that you've pick out. The shields will be cut from. .060" 410 stainless.

Variations

All of these templates can be enlarged, reduced, the corners rounded, or the image reversed. If you need a slight variation of one of these templates, let me know.

Custom Templates

Do you need a shield style that I don't already have a template for? If so, send me a picture of it, and I should be able to design a custom template for you.

Precut Shields

I've heard from several knifemakes who have light weight pantographs such as the Proxxon or New Hermes, and one thing that they've mentioned is that they're able to cut pockets fine, but sometime they have a difficult time cutting stainless shields. Therefore, as a service, I've started cutting out shields that work with my templates. The shields are cut from .060" 410 stainless.

Ordering

If you would like to place an order, click the image below to see the shield name and its size. (I had no idea what some of the names were, so I just called them whatever I liked.) Please note the listed size. This is the size of the shield when reduced down from the template at a 4:1 ratio. The size of the shields can be adjusted to fit your project. When you've decided what you would like, please use my contact page to place your order. If you need a shield resized, send me the desired finished height or width. I'll send you an invoice once the order is completed. You can also hit me up on Facebook or Instagram.

Additionally, please know that I do not keep these templates in stock. I'll be making them as they are requested. They usually take between three to four hours each to print, so if you have a large order, it may take several days for me to get them done. I can usually kick off three print jobs each weekday, and more over the weekends.

Please note that the prices below are general prices. Custom projects that fall outside of typical shields will be quoted based on the scope of the project. For large templates such as interframes, the price is based on the estimated number of hours it takes to print.