Handle Tutorial

For me, one of the most frustrating things about making a knife is taking a perfectly ground and polished blade, gluing a rough guard and block of wood to it and then attempting to shape and polish all of these components together without damaging the blade. I usually end up in a circular pattern of chasing scratches between the guard and the blade, fixing one and messing up the other. Several knives ago it dawned on me that this need not be the case. The following sequence will illustrate my method of knife construction which works on both stick tang and through tang knives.

I begin the process with my finished blade, my fully finished guard, and my handle material. first I profile the handle on my sander, Then I mark my center lines all around the handle. Next I square up the face of the block and put the proper predetermined angle on it as it relates to the guard.

Next I trace the tang of the knife onto my handle material and transfer the shoulder marks to the end of the block. Then it's over to the drill press to drill out the recess for the tang. I use a bit that is about 1-2 sizes bigger than the tang itself to allow for epoxy. The block is positioned carefully so each hole is parallel to each corresponding tang side. I then drill out the area between the holes with the same bit. Sharp bits help connect the dots precisely.

Next I like to do a quick check on the fit to make sure the depth is correct and everything lines up as planned. I then drill my pin hole in the handle material only. Once that is done it's time to rough in the handle on the KMG with a used 220 grit belt. I check the progress frequently so that I do not over grind the handle. Once I am satisfied with the rough profile, I finish it by hand, beginning with 220 and usually working all the way down to 800.

Here is where it gets a little tricky. I insert the tang of the knife into the handle and lightly mark it with a sharp drill bit. I then drill the hole slightly forward of that mark so that the hole must be carefully and patiently filed until the pin has to be gently forced through the tang and handle. This allows for a perfect mechanical fit between the guard and handle. If you file too much, not to worry, as you can always add a spacer to tighten things up if necessary. Once the dry fit is to my satisfaction, I epoxy it up, insert the pin and set it aside to dry. I will do the final finishing by hand once this is complete.

I hope this has been informative. Feel free to offer up your comments, suggestions or questions.

Jon Kelly.

Thank you for sharing! Another method for the tool box.

Yeah, that works too. Why not just use blue painter's tape and tape the blade up to prevent scratches?

Looking good Jon can't wait to see it finished. As I'm about to finish my first hidden tang I'm soaking this all in...it's another level of frustration at times

Nice tutorial. Thanks for posting it. This reminded me I still need a vise for the drill press.

Jon
This tutorial has helped me a great deal. Thank you for posting it up on KD.
DeMo

Brian.Evans said:

Yeah, that works too. Why not just use blue painter's tape and tape the blade up to prevent scratches?

Click to expand...

Good question Brian. I do use my share of painters tape, however it really doesn't hold up well to a 220 grit grinding belt, and accidents do happen. All of my final finishes are done by hand and it is nearly impossible to evenly finish a scratched blade after assembly. I also have the advantage of being able to rework all pieces of the knife individually at any time prior to final assembly.