What power tool is used ...

C. Killgore said:
For the handle it's not really about going deep enough. A milling machine is basically a very rigid precision drill press with an accurately movable table that uses bits that cut sideways instead of down (though depending on the style, will likely cut down as well). So you could get a milling bit long enough but you're going to lose rigidity out at the end of the bit (it could easily break) and you won't be able to see much of what's happening in there. It's probably do-able but I think it's more work than it's worth to try and do it on a milling machine.

I just use a drill press and drill a series of holes then come back with a rotary tool (foredom or dremel) with a long bit on the end and bore it out until it just fits the tang.
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John Wilson said:
Like C Killgore says, a milling machine can be used as a very accurate drill press. What makes it accurate is the table is a geared X-Y table that can be positioned precisely. But what makes it so handy for guards is that you can feed the table sideways in a perfectly straight line. That’s how the end mill cutter makes a perfect slot.

The best video i’ve ever seen for making hidden tang handles is here:

This is exactly how I do it. Instead of the broach he uses, I took a wood chisel and ground it to the dimensions I need.
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Thank you both! This is exactly the information I needed!!!!
 
Hey Kev If you do not have a mill and use mostly hand tools I have an easier hand tool method for the wood. If you have a mill my method would be worthless to you.
 
In my mind the only hole in a hidden tang knife that HAS to be perfect is the hole where the ricasso meets the guard or bolster if there is no guard. So for the majority of the handle material the hole need not be perfect again, in my opinion. I use a longer drill bit and drill two holes very close together but not touching because my stupid bit always walks from one hole to the next if they are too close. When that is done there is still material between the holes. For that I take a piece of scrap steel roughly the same size as my tang heat it and use it to burn through the thin material that is left between the holes. I use scrap so there is no danger of messing my HT up on my blade. I use a clean wire bore brush to clean any char out of the hole and bam its done. Just do it safely obviously this is a good opportunity to burn the crap out of yourself. For the guard or bolster you have to slow down, drill under sized holes and work the slot by hand until it fits right. The limitation here is if you are using a multi piece handle the hybrid burn through MUST be done on each piece BEFORE you epoxy them together or the glue joint will fail due to the extra heat. You can use pins to make sure your holes line up in all the pieces when you assemble the handle later. This is just my method I am sure there are better methods for us under tooled people but this works for me.
 
Once upon a time I lamented the lack of 3/16" mortise chisel/bits thinking they would be the ultimate hidden tang hole maker. They stop at 1/4". I nearly made one myself. Then I discovered pull broaches. Now I drill 1 hole through the handle material near the center of where I want the tang to reside and broach the rest. For anything but a curved tang, in easy materials like unstabilized maple, this only takes me 10 minutes now. Maybe 30 minutes in ironwood or gidgee. It's become easy enough I rarely make full tang knives any more.

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I don't know if this is kosher so if not, I apologize, but I laser cut a number of broach blanks after guys saw mine and asked me to make more. They're O1 and need to be sharpened, hardened and put into a handle, but they're inexpensive, $25 for a set (large and small). Directions on how to finish are aslo on my website. https://fimbulvetrknifeworks.com/home/currentlyavailable/

Otherwise, because I don't want to seem like I replied just to hawk my wares, I've also made a PDF template available for download if you'd prefer to make your own. https://fimbulvetrknifeworks.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/broach-model-1.pdf

And, last, I certainly didn't invent this method, just tried to make it easier for people:
https://knifedogs.com/threads/handle-broaches-with-simple-tools-wip.26744/

I have no experience with any of these so can't speak to them but finished broaches are available from different sources:
https://www.riversidemachine.net/ecommerce/riverside-handle-broach.html
John Perry was making very nice ones but I don't believe he is any more, if so he's hard to find/contact.
 
kuraki said:
I don't know if this is kosher so if not, I apologize, but I laser cut a number of broach blanks after guys saw mine and asked me to make more. They're O1 and need to be sharpened, hardened and put into a handle, but they're inexpensive, $25 for a set (large and small). Directions on how to finish are aslo on my website. https://fimbulvetrknifeworks.com/home/currentlyavailable/

Otherwise, because I don't want to seem like I replied just to hawk my wares, I've also made a PDF template available for download if you'd prefer to make your own. https://fimbulvetrknifeworks.files.wordpress.com/2018/11/broach-model-1.pdf

And, last, I certainly didn't invent this method, just tried to make it easier for people:
https://knifedogs.com/threads/handle-broaches-with-simple-tools-wip.26744/

I have no experience with any of these so can't speak to them but finished broaches are available from different sources:
https://www.riversidemachine.net/ecommerce/riverside-handle-broach.html
John Perry was making very nice ones but I don't believe he is any more, if so he's hard to find/contact.
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Thank you VERY much! Thanks for all the responses ... I’ve learned a great deal!!
 
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