Need some new scale fitment ideas....

Self Made Knives

Well-Known Member
Hey, I'm getting bored with just gluing on scales and grinding them flush. Anybody got any good full tang pics with heirloom fit or fluted or beveled scales? Need something to jazz it up a bit. I'm not a huge fan of fileworked full tangs, but sometimes I like the more unique ones. I've got writer's (maker) block! Help!
 
how about doing a 2 piece hidden tang? split your block, router out spot for tang, drill for pins. if you use thin kerf saw, you may not see the assembly lines and it looks like a single piece of wood was used.
 
This should be a good thread to watch and learn. (is there a way to "Tag" a thread so that you get alerted as people post so you can follow along? Without writing in said thread?
 
This should be a good thread to watch and learn. (is there a way to "Tag" a thread so that you get alerted as people post so you can follow along? Without writing in said thread?

Up at the extreme top before the first post and hard right, just click on watch! A box will open and ask you do you want email notification or not!! You get a heads up anytime there is a new post!!!
 
Well if you want too go all out check out Alex on instragram he has metal coming around the handle.
 
how about doing a 2 piece hidden tang? split your block, router out spot for tang, drill for pins. if you use thin kerf saw, you may not see the assembly lines and it looks like a single piece of wood was used.
Well, no I was wanting the blade steel to show like a traditional full tang knife but with more pizazz. I'm making a couple with damascus and I want it to show, but just not the typical ground flush look.
 
I've done heirloom fit on full tang.....and shadow boxed fit too.

Kudos for wanting to do full tang Damascus with the pattern showing on the tang. Its the next step towards becoming a well experienced maker.

Using a Damascus blade but grinding the scales flush and just having an un-etched tang is the mark of an ameteur....IMO.

It will challenge your creativity but you'll be a better maker for it.
 
I've done heirloom fit on full tang.....and shadow boxed fit too.

Kudos for wanting to do full tang Damascus with the pattern showing on the tang. Its the next step towards becoming a well experienced maker.

Using a Damascus blade but grinding the scales flush and just having an un-etched tang is the mark of an ameteur....IMO.

It will challenge your creativity but you'll be a better maker for it.

I scoured your Instagram before asking this because I thought I had seen you do it. I even googled "John Doyle knives" trying to find an example, but didn't see any. I thought I had seen Todd Begg do something similar too, but same thing, couldn't find any good examples. Is shadow boxed when the scales are slightly smaller than the tang, leaving a thin band exposed?
 
I scoured your Instagram before asking this because I thought I had seen you do it. I even googled "John Doyle knives" trying to find an example, but didn't see any. I thought I had seen Todd Begg do something similar too, but same thing, couldn't find any good examples. Is shadow boxed when the scales are slightly smaller than the tang, leaving a thin band exposed?
I really like that look, and on knives where I want a slim handle I think it would be rad, in my head I have an Idea on how to do it.
 
You could use
I've done heirloom fit on full tang.....and shadow boxed fit too.

Kudos for wanting to do full tang Damascus with the pattern showing on the tang. Its the next step towards becoming a well experienced maker.

Using a Damascus blade but grinding the scales flush and just having an un-etched tang is the mark of an ameteur....IMO.

It will challenge your creativity but you'll be a better maker for it.


What is an Heirloom fit? This is a new term to me.
 
You could use


What is an Heirloom fit? This is a new term to me.
Well, I was hoping John would share some pics. I grabbed a junk blade and some pine and quickly roughed out an example. I'm not sure if this is the way it's done exactly, but you end up with a chamfered edge on the scales and/or the tang. In the pics, one side is ground flush, other has a bevel.Resized_20180725_212542003.jpegResized_20180725_210831.jpeg
 
One I have seen that looked rad to me was. The scales are same size as tang but the tang had been grooved all the way around the butt.
Also one similar to what you are showing but near guard were almost level but as they neared the butt increasing depth to the tang. At the butt area it was 3/4 inch recessed under the scales. Carry that all the way around the tang and decrease the close to guard on bottom. It should be outstanding for grip.
 
Heirloom fit scales mean slightly proud all the way around the tang. When I do it, I leave the tang edges sqaure and not chamferred. But there aren't hard and fast rules.
 
I'm not sure what style of knife you are making but some anodized titanium decorative pivot heads would look good....or if you could turn some Damascus screws with a nice clean head on them from the same bar of material you use from the blade would be freaking awesome!
 
I experimented a little with the shadow box style yesterday, seems like it would end up as a pretty thin handle to look right. Keyhole or similar ideas are on the face of the scales, I was looking for new ideas on the edge or spine. Right now I'm experimenting with a copper and bone stack idea.
 
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