Knife handle

[Biddlesby]

Ok, Chris gave me a nice knife - many thanks to him btw. It needs a handle, so I went over to my neighbour-the-conservationist to see what he had. After feeding him some bannock, he gave me the end of a fencepost that he'd found in a skip. This wasn't any old fencepost however - it's some exotic hardwood.

I don't know what it is - and he doesn't either - but it is slightly reddish and very very hard. Of course it is well seasoned. My question is will this make a good handle? If so, any tips, and if not, any recommendations for any other type of wood? Robin (the neighbour) thought perhaps black thorn.

I'm not going to be able to sand it all - I'll have to do some of the work with a knife because it's so hard - which is a bit worrying because I don't trust my knifework that much. But it will make a very nice looking, and very hard, handle.

I shall post this on British Blades also.

Any info would be much appreciated. I'm now off to find some tutorials.

 

[lord lurcher]

hello there, sounds like your 'fencepost' should be o.k. If not i live local and have some, maple, ash, or oak you can have gratis, hope this some help!

 

[Toddy]

Ok, Chris gave me a nice knife - many thanks to him btw. It needs a handle, so I went over to my neighbour-the-conservationist to see what he had. After feeding him some bannock, he gave me the end of a fencepost that he'd found in a skip. This wasn't any old fencepost however - it's some exotic hardwood.

I don't know what it is - and he doesn't either - but it is slightly reddish and very very hard. Of course it is well seasoned. My question is will this make a good handle? If so, any tips, and if not, any recommendations for any other type of wood? Robin (the neighbour) thought perhaps black thorn.

I'm not going to be able to sand it all - I'll have to do some of the work with a knife because it's so hard - which is a bit worrying because I don't trust my knifework that much. But it will make a very nice looking, and very hard, handle.

I shall post this on British Blades also.

Any info would be much appreciated. I'm now off to find some tutorials.

Was your neighbour certain it was a fence post? I ask because we broke up some pallets a few years ago to make a fence and the timber was non-furniture grade mahogany! My brother said that using teak for these was quite common too.
Good luck with the knife.
Toddy

 

[C_Claycomb]

WHAT?!? A fence post!! SACRILEGE!!

LOL

What I do with a bit of unfamiliar timber is work a bit of it and see how it looks and feels when sanded smooth, at least 400 grit to really show the wood. Things tend to look different when they are sanded than when they are rough, planed wood is also pretty clear. If it is hard and finishes up well then its worth a try. Just watch the dust, some tropical woods can be a bit evil, quite irritant when in dust form.

Don't try to wittle the handle!! Not with a wood as hard as you make it sound. Also, many tropical woods are splintery and don't carve easily. Cocobolo, bocote, ebony and even box wood can be very tricky. I know that curly arctic birch is tough stuff, but its still birch, and a lot less resistant to carving than something like mahogany. Anyway, if you fit pins you won't be able to wittle through them.

Might I suggest a ******* file, if you only have one, then make it about 1/2 an inch wide? That will do a lot of shaping. Any DIY shop should have some fairly cheap files if you have none at home.

You might find some things worth reading here:
http://www.engnath.com/public/manframe.htm
http://www.knivesby.com/handles.html -not exactly how I do it...and substitute files, but good pictures, and the order works whatever tools.
http://www.knivesby.com/knifemaking.html _check the sheath making part
http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/index.php
http://www.knifenetwork.com/workshop/index.shtml

 

[Biddlesby]

Thanks all. I expect we've got lots of files in the shed.

I found some of those tutorials a bit confusing.

Questions:

If the handle goes bad can I take it off and start again?

Also, what kind of glue should I use, and where to get?

Which grits of sandpaper should I use?

The wood I have is quite heavy. Will the effect on the balance of the blade be undesirable? How can I test this effect?

 

[C_Claycomb]

Wood weight and ballance:
This has worked for me with a fair level of accuracy. If you are going to have a reasonably thick handle, similar in size and shape to that of a Woodlore, you will probably want two slabs of about 0.5inch thick each. If the slabs are a little wider/deeper than the depth of your tang (looking from the side) I find that one slab = the weight of the finished handle. The ammount of wood I take off rounding the slab on one side is about the same that makes up the finished shape on the other. It is only approx but seems to work for me

Lay a slab on the tang and ballance on your finger. If it ballances anywhere from your index finger to your middle finger, if you were holding the knife, it should be fine.

Removing the handle:
If the handle goes bad, you have a couple choices. Saw, hack, beat and file it off, or if its glued on with epoxy, try soaking the whole lot in wood hardener for a few hourse, maybe over night. Wood hardener disolves epoxy...at least it did for me when I was trying to use it as a handle finish

Stuff to stick the tang on:
Lots of people use Devcon 2-Ton epoxy, but there are several other types that work. Generally the slower setting types are stronger, go for 30+ minutes. I suspect that even Araldite would work. If you can get some acetone use it to de-grease both the tang and the slabs just before gluing. Acetone is also good for removing any epoxy (before it sets) that squeezes out from where the slabs meet the blade (wear gloves, acetone and epoxy aren't healthy things to have your hands is). I have heard that golf club head adhesive works, as will JB Weld. Model shops, hardware stores, DIY centres and auto repair shops all have stuff that will work. If all else fails, have a look in Axminster's catalogue

Sand paper:
Um, how smooth do you want it? I use 60 - 120 grit (cloth backed is best) for rounding the shape after rough filing, then work through 240, 400 and 600 in wet and dry. When I started I only had what my folks had in their tool cupboard, I just picked paper by feel, there is no harm in that.

Sorry about the tutorials I know there are some better ones, those were just the ones I had to hand quickly


Don't over think this stuff, its not rocket science Just about anything that you do can be un-done with a bit of effort....and if it ALL goes pear shaped, you still have the Mora!

 

[Venger]

Try checking your wood here:

http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/archives/fo...ough/index.html


You might find out what it is - which could help

 

[Biddlesby]

Good info Chris, thanks. I'll chop a bit off the wood today and see what it looks and sands like.

Document Not Found

The document you requested is not available on the NCSU Libraries public site. If you feel you have reached this message in error, please may contact the Reference Desk (515-2935).

Got lots of dots in the URL - "fo....ough"? If you give me the name of the page I'll try to search for it on the site.

I'll also take a picture of it, perhaps one of you may recognise it.

 

[Biddlesby]

Oh, one more thing. Pins/Bolts! Anything I should know?

I'm off to get the supplies later today.

 

[C_Claycomb]

I would use pins rather than bolts. bolts usually need a counter sunk hole which starts getting tricky. Makers that use them often have a special drill bit for the purpose.

http://www.google.com/catalogs?dq=&hl=en&lr=&issue=24702&catpage=19&zoom=2

This is where that blade comes from. I am afraid that I mis-spoke when I thought that it was 1/8th rod you needed It quotes 3/32 which could be a pain to get. If you have some drills, metric or imperial, you can use them to guage the holes. If you cannot find brass or stainless steel rod that will fit, give me a shout and I will see if I can find something to post you.

 

[Venger]

Sorry, try here

http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/archives/forestry/hough/index.html

 

[khimbar]

I've heard good things about the 2 hour setting Araldite on the BB forums somewhere.

I can't find the link as I'm at work and the NHS doesn't think it's work related to look at knife forums, though this forum is allowed!

 

[Biddlesby]

I've got some 6-hour setting araldite, some boots nail polish remover, and various grits of sandpaper. Couldn't find any pins so far though. Here's a rough vector sketch of the knife.

[edit]

I took along a sample of my fencepost to a carpenter in my village, and he suspects it's Keruing (Dipterocarpus spp). I also have a block of what he thinks is Sapele (Entandrophragma cylindricum). However, he gave me a block of oak that I will use.