An easy way to make the tang channel in a dowel for Japanese Wa handles

[Goot]

I just spent the day absolutely destroying every dowel for my wa handles since I don't have a table saw, milling machine, or router to develop the tang channel. I got frustrated, made some dinner for the family, went back into the workshop and just stumbled upon a dead-simple technique using a portable bandsaw that literally takes fifteen seconds. I repeated the process a few times to make sure I wasn't being stupid. There are a few youtube videos out there that show more complicated processes that I don't think are necessary.

I put the dowel in a quick-grip clamp with the rubber shoes to make sure it didn't spin, and then cut each side to the tang width, then used the bandsaw blade to clean up and hog out the middle. Worked like a charm. I thought that you all would be interested in seeing this technique, since these dowels can be a hassle to make. Attached is a picture, lmk if you need a video but it should be fairly self-explanatory.

 

[Daniel Macina]

Looks like it works great. Not that you need it but here’s another video that might interest you.

 

[Goot]

Looks like it works great. Not that you need it but here’s another video that might interest you.

Haha, yeah that video in particular was what I was referring to. His technique has changed over time and it seems too complicated. I sent him a message earlier today on patreon to see what he thought of my process.