Frame handle knife question

[Brad Lilly]

I have been thinking about trying to make a frame handle bowie, but I keep worrying about the knife tang. How small could I go without compromising the integrity of the knife? I have forged out a 7” blade with a 1 1/8” wide ricasso, the blade is around 3/16” thick (hand finished dimensions). Any suggestions

 

[GHEzell]

My usual rule for any hidden tang, regardless of the handle type, is at least 2/3 the length of the handle, tapering from quite wide where it joins the blade... If the tang is wide one can get away with a shorter tang, or if the tang is long one can get way with a more narrow tang. The critical point is where the tang and blade meet, this cannot be compromised without weakening the knife.