First knife handle probably not the proper way to do it

[awarner]

After chatting to bushwhacker bob the other day about knife handle construction I thought I would have a go with a Frost Laplander blade I bought many years ago.
The blade was always bought with the intention of making a handle but as I was clueless on how to get it to fit together it stayed in my scout box with some whipping cord as a handle.

After a casual five minute chat and a spare couple of hours I set to work.
The wood is from an ornimental cherry which died last year (the stump is now home to a brood of stagbeetle larva)
I can guarantee to construction process is completely wrong just grabbed what tools were at hand ie my shed is too cluttered to even get into lol. So apart from a bit of sandpaper/emery cloth all the woodwork was done with the actual blade in the photos or my trusty cheap Mora blade. The brass tube used for the rivets was bought from B&Q for about £3ish and was cut with a junior hacksaw.

Overall I am happy with my first attempt but any advice gladly received especially if I should oil the wood to help protect it?
The handle is a bit chunky but it fits in my hand just right.

Enjoy and probably laugh....

 

[mace242]

I have never put a handle on a knife but if I did that I would be pleased. It looks ok, is nice in the hand. Job done.

 

[birdbrain57]

nowt wrong with that mate rub a bit of linseed oil on it and watch the grain stand out.

 

[Dannytsg]

As has been said its a good first attempt. Well done

 

[HillBill]

Not too bad mate.

I notice there are gaps between blade and handle, id suggest you fill those with superglue, else water will ingress and corrosion will follow.

Oil will protect the wood, though i'd fill the gaps first.

 

[Dreadhead]

id say youv done a crackin job looks great, and first time aswell.

 

[vizsla]

Looks good mate as hillbill said fill the gaps first then id soak it in linseed oil overnight

 

[Perrari]

Good advice by Hillbill about the gaps. You dont want water lurking in there.
If you get a sheet of coarse sandpaper taped on to a flat surface and sand the inside of the handles so that they are flat before putting them on to the blade that should eliminate the gaps.
Otherwise you should be very proud of your first attempt.

 

[awarner]

Thanks for the tips especially about the gaps, taping the sandpaper to the table is a neat trick wish I had thought of that at the time. As soon as I sorted one gap another appeared lol, now to find the superglue and dig out the linseed oil.

Been a bit busy before my nightshift, will be posting my alter fire creation I built from part of a reclaimed combination oven this afternoon.

 

[bushwacker bob]

You've done a very good job on that Ashley.

 

[Woodcutter2]

Not at all bad for a first go fella, as an alternative thought on the gap filling you might be better off to use standard slow cure(slower the better) Araldite/Zpoxy etc, tape up shiny bits that you dont want to scrape glue off with a blade etc, warm up the tubes with a hair-dryer, warm up the steel(but not so much the wood starts to crank about) mix up the glue, warm it up with the hair dryer and you will find it goes very runny, then using a pin or blade or some such run it into the gaps, this could be better because superglue can tend to cure at the top of the gap rather than running to the bottom and filling solidly also if the scales have any moving to do the epoxy will give just that tad of give that the brittleness of superglue will mean a popped scale.

Either which way I doubt very much this is the last knife you build

 

[awarner]

Already used the superglue certainly not a very runny tube I had but too late to do much now.
The fun part was drilling the holes as the blade was hardened, took a lot of cutting fluid and a few drill resharpened in the process.
Soaking in the linseed oil now have to remember to take it out in the morning when I get home from work.

Next time it will be a blade as well but other projects first.

Thinking about it I now need to learn some basic leatherwork, as I do not have a sheath to store the blade.

 

[HillBill]

Thats what cobalt or carbide drill bits are for. If you are making a hole larger in hardened steel, use a masonary bit.

 

[awarner]

Masonry drill? Did not think of that.
Only drills I had at hand were the bog standard hss jobber bits, not sure I have any others in my stock but it's been a few years since I sorted the shed out and I have quite a selection of drills due to past work in engineering including left hand drills.

 

[Angst]

hi....nice to see you did it m8 and not bad at all really considering what you did it with and how!!!

i've just about finished mine too....my 5th knife but the first i've done thats not a ''woodie'' style....these blades are pretty chunky/stubby and like you i've had a bit of difficulty getting it shapely and sleek etc however mine too feels lovely in the hand even though its twice the size of my previous efforts lol....but hey, i like bigger knives so i can live with it very happily. its a handy carver indeed and is now one of my users. ive just got a bit more sanding/filing to do then i'll get pics on.

keep it up and remember.....theres a million experts on here more than happy to help with advice like sanding the scales flat etc...just ask....might make the diff between being a masterpiece or not. i know its nice to do something wholly yourself but if its gonna fall apart after all your hard work then its a shame. dunno about you but my first knife is extremely personal to me....and even though it wouldve taught me valuable lessons the hard way if it fell apart i would also be heartbroken.

i had a very! good! teacher in tom of mammoth blades so i was lucky....you should check his tutorial on his website.....and hillbills about as accomodating as you could wish for.

respect.

a

ps.....hillbill....me thumbs now fallen off.....and i've taken pictures this time.....i'm determined to get some sympathy....its the 5th knife that did it. r.i.p. my thumb.

 

[Androo]

That looks great! I've never rehandled a knife before but am embarking on a project to do just that - this gives me the confidence to give it a go!
Be sure to update us when superglued and oiled up

 

[brancho]

Looks fairly well made to me.
I would round the scales more myself but thats a matter of tatse. To flatten scales or parts I would use 120 grit paper moving the part being sanded in a small circular motion.

 

[HillBill]

ps.....hillbill....me thumbs now fallen off.....and i've taken pictures this time.....i'm determined to get some sympathy....its the 5th knife that did it. r.i.p. my thumb.

Haha, how many stitches in the sheath this time?

You would have thought as a leatherworker you could whip up some thumb protection in the form of a pad to push the needle through? Or.....

Time to learn to use your left hand

 

[Dean]

As it's been said already, a great job for a first time.