billyO
Well-Known Member
I was going to post this as a response to this, (https://knifedogs.com/threads/mcleish-kith-2020.51714/post-413121) but thought it would be better to start a new thread.
I typically use 1/4"-1/2" thick ebony as bolsters on my knives, but anything would work. On my latest knife, the spine was 0.070" at the heel, tapering to 0.060" toward the edge (full face flat grind), and the tang thickness was 0.055".
Mark the centerline of the bolster
and drill 0.050" holes at either end of where the tang would be on the center line.
Use an X-Acto knife to scribe lines connetcing the outer border of where the line of holes will go (this helps to keep the tiny dril bit in line). I will actually carve out a little notch here to remove a sliver like making a mortise in wood.
Drill a line of holes for the tang. It's hard to overlap here but don/t worry too much about the spacing, because you can always use the X-Acto blade to remove webs as needed. Just make sure they are inside of the scribed lines
Flip the piece over and use a larger drill bit to remove material on the handle side. Set your drill press stop so that you don't drill all the way through, I leave at least ~3/32" of material. Make sure the holes are small enough not to grind into them when finishing the handle dimensions.
Use a needle file or something else (I use manicure/pedicure nail files for this. The ones I have are about 0.050" thick) to clean out the hole. Take care that you don't make the slot wider than the ricasso of the blade, then fit up the rest of the handle and glue up.
The above picture can represent either side or top view of the tang.
** It's important to do all finish sanding and polishing of the face (top) of the bolster before glue up.**
This way allows you to not have to worry about how close the fit-up is for the hidden tang. You do have to pay attention when gluing up that everything is kept square and true to the blade while the epoxy is curing.
I hope that's clear and helpful for some. Feel free to ask questions.
I typically use 1/4"-1/2" thick ebony as bolsters on my knives, but anything would work. On my latest knife, the spine was 0.070" at the heel, tapering to 0.060" toward the edge (full face flat grind), and the tang thickness was 0.055".
Mark the centerline of the bolster
and drill 0.050" holes at either end of where the tang would be on the center line.
Use an X-Acto knife to scribe lines connetcing the outer border of where the line of holes will go (this helps to keep the tiny dril bit in line). I will actually carve out a little notch here to remove a sliver like making a mortise in wood.
Drill a line of holes for the tang. It's hard to overlap here but don/t worry too much about the spacing, because you can always use the X-Acto blade to remove webs as needed. Just make sure they are inside of the scribed lines
Flip the piece over and use a larger drill bit to remove material on the handle side. Set your drill press stop so that you don't drill all the way through, I leave at least ~3/32" of material. Make sure the holes are small enough not to grind into them when finishing the handle dimensions.
Use a needle file or something else (I use manicure/pedicure nail files for this. The ones I have are about 0.050" thick) to clean out the hole. Take care that you don't make the slot wider than the ricasso of the blade, then fit up the rest of the handle and glue up.
The above picture can represent either side or top view of the tang.
** It's important to do all finish sanding and polishing of the face (top) of the bolster before glue up.**
This way allows you to not have to worry about how close the fit-up is for the hidden tang. You do have to pay attention when gluing up that everything is kept square and true to the blade while the epoxy is curing.
I hope that's clear and helpful for some. Feel free to ask questions.
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