How To Make this pocket in WI with what I have available?

C Craft

Well-Known Member
Please look at this site and the knife their.

http://www.basspro.com/Ken-Richards...roduct/99856/-1499959?cmCat=CROSSSELL_PRODUCT

I am using only as a refrence to ask my question (nothing else). Pay attention to the area of the knife where the back of the guard is and imagine the brown part behind it being another piece of that brass guard.

I want to put a slight pocket in it too accept the handle. As this is what I am attempting to do!

I am building a bowie that will have a Wrought Iron guard on it that will transittion into a ferule W/pocket that will except a full whitetale antler w/crown on it as a thru tang knife. I am able to make the slot thru the guard portion OK. However I am not sure of the best way to do the ferule W/pocket portion that will transition on to the antler handle itself. Most knives I have seen do not make use of such a ferule.

The antler I will be using is in the neighbor hood of 3/4" in diameter. I have a forge and I have a drill press. I do not have a steel mill. I do not have a bit large enough to drill this pocket. How hard is WI to work, could I concieveabley make a mill style bit do the cutting for the pocket with a drill press.?

Would it be better to form the ferule by forgeing the pocket with a punch and then working the outside to the shape I need?

I guess what I am trying to do is get some suggestion on how might be the best way to approach this idea before I screw up alot of good WI! Anyone got any thoughts on what I am attempting to do with this knife. I had a crude drawing I was going to upload however my scanner crapped out last night!
 
If I'm seeing the picture right, I don't think you have to form a pocket. Once it's all put together, you won't be able to tell that there is a pocket that you fitted up to the antler. It might be easier to make a slot in your ferrule similar to your guard and then stack the parts of your handle, shaping and finishing them how you want. If the different pieces seem to shift around when you're doing the fit up and adjusting, you might look up 'locating pins' as a way to keep the alignment consistent until you decide it's ready for the final glue up.

Good luck with it, Craig
 
Thanks Craig. Since asking this question I have decided to do this with the stacked handle with pins approach basically just what you were suggesting. My original idea was born out of the thought that the pocket would keep any difference from showing between the antler and the WI caused by expansion and contraction of two different materials, and that it would provide another level of security against impact/shear.

The pin idea would eliminate the shear or impact type problem and the antler is very stable so I think the stacked approach and the pins will take care of the rest.

So thanks again and I will chalk this one up to "one of those better idea's that went nowhere"! At least I did not waste a bunch of time and money to come to that conclusion!:cool::biggrin:
 
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