Replacement cutters

SA · **on:** December 15, 2019, 09:38:46 PM

Hi guys I just wanted to make a post showing that it is possible to make Gerber replacement cutters yourself with some tools and know how. We all know the carbide cutters are sub par. If you check Gerbers website the replacement cutters have a 1.5 star review..

I didn’t use anything but some basic hand and power tools. Ideally i would use a milling machine but I didn’t have access to one. I used a standard Nicholson file. Heated it until it was cherry red. Let it cool. Ground it down with a 5” grinder to roughly 0.080”. I then sprayed layout blue on it and put my cutters down to outline them. My wife god bless her threw out the actual Gerber carbide cutters so I had to trace my replacement cutters I already made. They are not perfect looking but they work and you can sharpen them.

I then drilled out the hole to 7/64 for the screw to fasten it to the plier head. After drilling I cut with an angle grinder the cutters out. If you’re not very proficient with an angle grinder I recommend using a hacksaw. One cut out I used a file to fit them into the plier head. I messed up on this one and had to grind one of the cutters a bit smaller. Doesn’t look right but she cuts like no ones business.

Once cut and shaped I fired up the torch again and heated them red hot until no longer magnetic. I then stuck them in an oven set to 325 degrees for 15 minutes to temper them.

This is the second set I’ve made and while not the easiest to make it only took about 1.5 hours start to finish. I understand not everyone will be willing or able to do this but if those replaceable cutters drove you insane like they did me. I wanted to share that it is totally do able and while I could make Leatherman cutters for my surge the Gerber ones are much easier to replicate.

They cut thick steel coat hangers and nails without cracking or being destroyed. The edge is hard and with a diamond file can be retouched many many times.

I hope you guys liked the post. This was my first forum post.

I have many pictures and a video but it won’t let me post them. Any help??

Thanks for reading.

Scott

CarbideCruzer · **Reply #1 on:** December 15, 2019, 11:53:04 PM

As much as I am a fan of the USA made Gerber knives and USA made with global materials Gerber multi tools, even I am not a fan of the replaceable cutters. While I do genuinely appreciate the carbide Gerber sources is domestically made and by and large the all American made Gerber Center Drive Plus is a great tool, the cutters are a detriment to this tool.

To answer your question in regards to posting images, merely type in any search engine without the quotations "image uploader". This forum uses BB code, otherwise known as bulletin board code. I'll provide an image to showcase what you'll want to see and how to do this.

Notice the and

There are host of sites to upload images without any financial cost. Just note that your individual internet protocol is being recorded, so I do advise to take that into consideration.

Edit: So this will not let me show the url text and other text. All you need to know is to make sure this is written in BB code.

Juan el Boricua · **Reply #2 on:** December 16, 2019, 03:41:29 AM

Welcome, SA, to

!
Thanks for the tutorial since I, for once, will like to have a more durable replacement.

SA · **Reply #3 on:** December 16, 2019, 04:54:50 AM

Carbidecruzer that sounds like a ton of work.

Juan it is definitely doable and I’m loving it made the Center Drive my current favourite.

CarbideCruzer · **Reply #4 on:** December 16, 2019, 08:42:11 AM

Utilizing any search engine; DuckDuckGo, Startpage or any search engine for that matter type in the words image up loader. You'll see multiple variations, but the concept is to upload an image and using Bulletin Board code, this is how one can see the images.

There is synergy between the uniform resource locator and Bulletin Board code, so that aspect is already administrated.

SteveC · **Reply #5 on:** December 16, 2019, 03:14:34 PM

Welcome to the forum SA

we would love to see some pics of your cutters.

CC makes it sound more complicated that it needs to be. There is a lot of info here about posting pics

https://forum.multitool.org/index.php/topic,2306.0.html

By far the easiest way is to use a host site like imgur, that is what most of us do here on the forum for pics. You can use the attach feature as well but you have to reduce the size of the file to below 512KB using an image resizer.

Just stay away from Photobucket as it sucks.

CarbideCruzer · **Reply #6 on:** December 22, 2019, 06:42:27 AM

Hard to say if these inserts will fit precisely with any Gerber, let alone any multi tool, let alone how well these will cut, yet I did find two domestic alternatives to the Gerber carbide inserts.

Insert, TCMW-2-1.5-1 HSS

20 degree relief

These are made out of high speed steel as well.

SteveC · **Reply #7 on:** December 31, 2019, 09:34:00 PM

Quote from: CarbideCruzer on December 22, 2019, 06:42:27 AM

Hard to say if these inserts will fit precisely with any Gerber, let alone any multi tool, let alone how well these will cut, yet I did find two domestic alternatives to the Gerber carbide inserts.

Insert, TCMW-2-1.5-1 HSS

20 degree relief

These are made out of high speed steel as well.

Remember this is an international forum. The OP is from Canada

CarbideCruzer · **Reply #8 on:** January 04, 2020, 01:54:27 AM

Quote from: SteveC on December 31, 2019, 09:34:00 PM

Remember this is an international forum. The OP is from Canada

Allow me to clarify. Those two inserts I mentioned as domestic mean they are made in United States of America. At the time of the posting, the thread creator had no indication of where he was from. Either way, I bought those two inserts and out of the box these did not cut anything. My best guess is because for lack of better nomenclature is there is a lack of "cutting edge inclination".

Perhaps the methodologically of using a file may work, I've yet to try this personally. This is unlikely at this time, yet perhaps Gerber may alter the replacement cutter metallurgy.

cody6268 · **Reply #9 on:** January 04, 2020, 05:18:50 AM

Gerber has 154CM in their blade stock, given the Applegate Covert, the Gator 154CM, and the Combat folder and fixed blade all use this steel ,and are made in the USA. They could very easily swap from "Carbide" to 154CM if they wanted to. I wonder why not? Last time I checked, Gerber and LM cutters cost the same to buy replacements. Just the LM cutters won't get damaged unless one cuts a live electrical wire, or too hard/thick a steel wire. Only time I dinged an LM cutter was their fault, my ST300 had been broken when I loaned it out, and it came back from Portland with cutters that wouldn't cut, and didn't appear hardened correctly. The replacements I bought worked fine. My MP600ST cutters already show slight chipping from light use--rebar binding wire.