question on wood handle
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Yew is toxic so be careful when you work it, and I believe rosewood may be similar. (cocobolo is a rosewood and its an irritant) Unless the wood is very dense and oily like cocobolo you're probably better getting stabilised wood (plasticised) as it won't warp in changes of temperature and humidity.
Cheers
Mike
Cheers
Mike
If the knife is being made for you, your only dilemma is personal preference. They are all very stable woods and I have seen beautiful examples of all of them. Your other choices are manmade materials such as micarta which is layers of paper or cloth embedded in a polymer resin or G10 which is a plastic. My personal preference would be wood but if you spend a lot of time on water like the canoeists on here you would probably be better served with a synthetic handle.
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Brazilian rosewood was very popular here on production knives until the cost got too prohibitive (back in the late 70s or so) Cocobolo seems to have replaced it now-a-days as eveidenced by these knives www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=buck+cocobolo
These knives are commonly used for game and/or fish prep I haven't heard of anybody having any reactions; either with these or the older Brazilian rosewood handled skinning knives.
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Iron wood makes a hard working and stable knife handle. I prefer to make handles from native and, if possible, locally sourced woods. I have just finished my first homemade knife, in that I shaped, hardened and tempered the steel and made the handle from a branch that fell off an oak tree on my parent's property. I sawed two pieces of oak to about the correct thickness, oven dried them down to about 10% moisture and cut and sanded them into scales. Polished the blade and assembled. This all took a while, as I had to make a forge, which I did for about £20. I applied a tiny bit of stain and then buffed it off, just to bring out the grain and waxed it using a homemade polish, see attached photo. I am still working on the sheath which is being made out of vegetable tanned leather. Apparently you should not use the more common chromium tanned leather, as it can cause corrosion, the first I had heard of that.
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Better to start a new thread?
First - welcome to this Forum!
It looks good for a first effort, but I think I can see one problem.
The part of the handle just after the blade ends is to scooped out. Your finger will go into this area, and can easily glide onto the sharp edge.
The rest is just fine!
First - welcome to this Forum!
It looks good for a first effort, but I think I can see one problem.
The part of the handle just after the blade ends is to scooped out. Your finger will go into this area, and can easily glide onto the sharp edge.
The rest is just fine!
Hi Janne, thanks for the welcome and thanks for your kind words. I deliberately put in the notch, the original template for the blade had a little, not sure what to call it, tab of metal between the notch and the blade, but i found it made holding the knife uncomfortable. So i ground it off. I recently rehandled a Japanese kitchen knife which had a sharp straight end to the bade and i cut myself, so i deliberately blunted it. I did much the same on this one. I am over 6'6" and have large hands, you cant really see from the photo, but the handle is quite alot chunkier than most readymade knife handles, it is also shaped for a right handed grip. I am hoping to make a few bespoke knives, but i am going to have a go at making a adze next, though i am having to make a steamer to bend the ash handle!! Do you make your own knives etc?
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I understand!
Yes, I have the same experience cutting myself on Japanese kitchen knives. That sharp and pointy edge part is nasty! I spoke to a chef and he showed me how to hold them correctly.
I too took off that point.
I have recently started making handles and ither woodwork, after several decades. I wish I had the ability, space and equipment to make my own blades, but I do not, so I buy them. New without handles, new with handles. Old kitchen knives with bad old handles.
So far, I have placed a metal ( bronze, brass or sterling silver) piece closest to the blade. The wood behind it I scallop out so the notch us nice and rounded and fully within the wood.
I too like to have an assymetrical handle, to fit my hand!
Yes, I have the same experience cutting myself on Japanese kitchen knives. That sharp and pointy edge part is nasty! I spoke to a chef and he showed me how to hold them correctly.
I too took off that point.
I have recently started making handles and ither woodwork, after several decades. I wish I had the ability, space and equipment to make my own blades, but I do not, so I buy them. New without handles, new with handles. Old kitchen knives with bad old handles.
So far, I have placed a metal ( bronze, brass or sterling silver) piece closest to the blade. The wood behind it I scallop out so the notch us nice and rounded and fully within the wood.
I too like to have an assymetrical handle, to fit my hand!
I did the same, i made several knives using pre made blades, it was a good idea, gave me plenty of practice. I also love renovating old knives a tools. Recent ones include an old lino knife, with a sharply curving blade; a draw knife, i needed one and they are expensive and a forge hammer. I also don't have the space at home, but luckily my parents live quite close and they have about 10 acres. Including a ménage which is non flammable lol. Do you make knives in different styles? I would also like to try a patterned handle made with different wood and cut at angles, but what i really need is a band saw. Please Santa please, hehe.
From cutting edge:
I have made a couple of the knives: metal, cloth, solid wood, just to get the general basics.
Now:
Metal, cloth, wood, cloth, wood, metal
Metal, cloth, cow bone, cloth, metal, cloth, wood, metal
Different contrasting woods.
All my blades have stick tangs.
The old kitchen knifes I just do two wooden scales, and a thin veneer, contrasting, the same thickness as the tang. Solid brass rods through.
The old blades and tangs have exactly the same thickness as those thin veneers ( mahogany ?) that separate layers of cuban cigars.
I have been saving those wood veneers for years, because I felt it was a shame to throw them away. “For future use”.
Do not smoke anymore.
I have done about 15 knives. I have two more to do with the basic handle design, then I think I should be ready to up the game a notch.
I will start putting reindeer and moose antler as layers. Maybe some scrimshaw later!
I bought recenly a vacuum pump, and need to construct a vacuum chamber so .i can start infusing stuff.
I have some really old whale bone, some dried semi rotten local woods, some wood flotsam I find after storms.
I have made a couple of the knives: metal, cloth, solid wood, just to get the general basics.
Now:
Metal, cloth, wood, cloth, wood, metal
Metal, cloth, cow bone, cloth, metal, cloth, wood, metal
Different contrasting woods.
All my blades have stick tangs.
The old kitchen knifes I just do two wooden scales, and a thin veneer, contrasting, the same thickness as the tang. Solid brass rods through.
The old blades and tangs have exactly the same thickness as those thin veneers ( mahogany ?) that separate layers of cuban cigars.
I have been saving those wood veneers for years, because I felt it was a shame to throw them away. “For future use”.
Do not smoke anymore.
I have done about 15 knives. I have two more to do with the basic handle design, then I think I should be ready to up the game a notch.
I will start putting reindeer and moose antler as layers. Maybe some scrimshaw later!
I bought recenly a vacuum pump, and need to construct a vacuum chamber so .i can start infusing stuff.
I have some really old whale bone, some dried semi rotten local woods, some wood flotsam I find after storms.
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The cloth is from cotton trousers I got at our Red Cross shop, red, black, white.
I use a slow setting dual paste 2500 psi glue. The fabrIc / cloth I soak in the glue mix, 3 or 4 pieces for each inbetween layer, compressed it makes about 1.5 mm.
I use a slow setting dual paste 2500 psi glue. The fabrIc / cloth I soak in the glue mix, 3 or 4 pieces for each inbetween layer, compressed it makes about 1.5 mm.
Allot of that sounds interesting. The slow setting 2500 psi glue, is that a two part epoxy resin? Many years ago I studied polymer technology and a 3 layer (with glass fibre) had such a high tensile strength that we couldn't use the usual test machine because it would strip the thread off.
Also what would you use the vacuum chamber for? Is it for impregnating something with something? I think my dad has an old vacuum chamber, about 18" high and roughly (from memory) about a foot in diameter, it's made of aluminium. I think he has also got a glass vacuum chamber. He was a research scientist and when his lab site closed he was allowed to take quite alot of the equipment, that would have been just thrown out.
I have used a little bit of cow horn, but it smells so horrible, even just hand sanding it.
I've only made a couple of knives with stick fangs, both were Scandi blades, one very small, for slicing garlic and the like and one large, viscous looking sheath knife. But both have solid handles, actually the small one is in two pieces. Actually 4 but 2 were butter knives, I just can't bear to see a perfectly good knife get thrown away because it's handle broke. I have a suspicion that i will end up with a canteen of non matching, old fashioned cutlery, that I will love, but anyone else will just slowly shake their head at!! I thought about using discs, but I am not sure how to begin.
I wholeheartedly agree with saving and using the cigar veneers, I've still got some that were used to pack out the joints in an old piano that I dismantled and have saved even tiny scraps over the years, I just have a fear that I'm going to appear on one of those compulsive hoarders programmes hehe.
Also what would you use the vacuum chamber for? Is it for impregnating something with something? I think my dad has an old vacuum chamber, about 18" high and roughly (from memory) about a foot in diameter, it's made of aluminium. I think he has also got a glass vacuum chamber. He was a research scientist and when his lab site closed he was allowed to take quite alot of the equipment, that would have been just thrown out.
I have used a little bit of cow horn, but it smells so horrible, even just hand sanding it.
I've only made a couple of knives with stick fangs, both were Scandi blades, one very small, for slicing garlic and the like and one large, viscous looking sheath knife. But both have solid handles, actually the small one is in two pieces. Actually 4 but 2 were butter knives, I just can't bear to see a perfectly good knife get thrown away because it's handle broke. I have a suspicion that i will end up with a canteen of non matching, old fashioned cutlery, that I will love, but anyone else will just slowly shake their head at!! I thought about using discs, but I am not sure how to begin.
I wholeheartedly agree with saving and using the cigar veneers, I've still got some that were used to pack out the joints in an old piano that I dismantled and have saved even tiny scraps over the years, I just have a fear that I'm going to appear on one of those compulsive hoarders programmes hehe.
Yes, it is epoxy resin. I am using the Extended Work time, but have to store it in the fridge beforehand, as the temperature in my workshop is too high.
The vacuum pump and chamber I will indeed use to stabilize stuff. I got some Cactus Juice shipped over from US. Not tried it yet.
Tomorrow I will vacuum test my home made glass vacuum chamber, see if it will implode or not.
I am a bit of a hoarder too, but thanks to moving between countries I have had to throw away the worst junk.
The vacuum pump and chamber I will indeed use to stabilize stuff. I got some Cactus Juice shipped over from US. Not tried it yet.
Tomorrow I will vacuum test my home made glass vacuum chamber, see if it will implode or not.
I am a bit of a hoarder too, but thanks to moving between countries I have had to throw away the worst junk.
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