Teach me about combining different woods w/ spacers on full tang knives

G

GrizzlyKnives

Well-Known Member
Example:
bob_hatfield_ecco_scales.jpg


Love this type of thing. I also like how the main handle spacer is the same as the one that goes through to divide the 2 woods.

I know on a hidden tang, your block or pieces are laid up, glued and ground/sanded to shape.

What are the proper steps for doing something like this on a full tang?

Does anyone have a link to a tutorial or WIP?

Thanks!
 
If you go to the Tutorial section and type in "hidden tang" in the search function, there is a good one by Bruce Bump.

BC
 
Actually not too much different between a block handle and scales. You could start out with two blocks of wood and glue them together end to end with spacer material between them, let the block set up , and then split them with a saw to make two identical scales. Or you could do the same thing but with the ends of scales glued together with spacer between them. The advantage to the first method is that you can end up with match book cut scales by placing the cut surfaces to the outside. Either way you might want to then glue a layer of spacer material to the inside surface of the scales to add strength because end grain glue joints tend to be weak. Of course gluing the scales to the tang and pinning them with pins through both sections of the scales will also reinforce the end grain glue joint a lot too. Actually, there's probably not all that much difference with or without the spacer liner once you get the scales glued to the tang but if you will be doing any shaping off the tang it might keep the two sections from breaking apart if there was a backing.

Doug
 
Thanks Doug. I didn't think there was a lot of difference between it and stick tang, but I thought I'd ask and I was hoping for some WIP pics :)
 
Sorry, no WIP. Another way to do this, especially on a stick tang, is to build up the sections of the handle blank on the tang and then shape the handle. Use temporary pins if you want to remove the blank from the tang once it's set up so that you can do some of the shaping and/or finishing the handle off the tang before final assembly. A time that you may want to do this is if you want to put a patina on the guard or pommel. You could get all the parts to shape, drive out the temporary pins to disassemble the handle, apply the patina to the metal parts and the finish to the wood parts, then reassemble the whole thing with permanent pins and epoxy. You could do much the same with a full tang but you will have to be very careful that you align everything exactly as you build up the handle blank.

Do a quick research of the tutorials on this board and others and you may well find a step-by-step description of the process with pictures.

Doug
 
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