Need help with vegetable cleaver handle

M

mmoran

Member
Hi All,

A friend of mine asked me to put a new handle on a vegetable cleaver. The photo details the blade and a sister knife. I have a block of Osage orange for this project.

My question is - how do I butt the tang to the handle material without a visible gap? Is this just something I need to fill in with epoxy and dye to match osage material? I looked at Bruce Bump's excellent tutorial on hidden tangs, but in his case, there was a thickness difference between the stick portion of the tang and the viewable part of the blade that he was able to butt up against the handle material - in the case of this cleaver, the entire tang is the same thickness.

I'm a complete newb at hidden tangs so would appreciate any guidance!

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If it were me. I would use a front cap. and make the series of small holes and then connect them and file to fit the tang.. Then glue the cap or furrel onto the main part of the handle as you set the tang into the epoxy. Then final shape the cap and handle as one piece with the blade glued in place.

Just my 2 cents.

Have fun
 
take your handle stock and cut it to 1/2 the width. take your router and cut a groove or rabbet 1/2 the thickness of the tang(same width and length) in two pieces of the wood. insert tang and glue. if you are lucky, there will be just a hint of a seam visible.
 
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