Knife novice

[Brown Bear]

I've started making my first custom knife. I've got a Mora Lapplander 115mm blade, a nice oak plank and some 2 part epoxy adhesive.

Do I really need fibre spacers and pins/rivets?

By the way, Attleborough Accessories did a fine service on suppling the blade and some leather. They have a great range of stuff.

 

[boisdevie]

I put a handle on a lapplander 75 using epoxy without fibre spacers or pins. So far so good.

 

[Brown Bear]

I would have though a good quality epoxy, well applied, would be sufficient. I use it in construction to glue steel plates to concrete bridge decks for strengthening, and to fix anchor bolts into walls for fall arrest sytems.

 

[brancho]

I would suggest pins and you can get brass rod from B&Q for a few quid for a metre liners are not necessary but look good DVD cases can be used for black liners.

 

[Dave Budd]

depends on the epoxy, how clean everything is, the surfaces to be mated and how you use the knife.

If you use fibre liners then you must use pins as the fibre can tear apart (delaminate under leverage). They are really for two reasons: decoration and to take up minor imperfections in fit.

Pins are a good safety especially if you have a twisting or levering action on teh joint (so don't twist your knife ). I use them but on the rare occasions that I don't I make up 'epoxy pins': pins formed from the epoxy by drilling holes thorugh the tang and correspondingly into the inside of the wood. The epoxy isn't visible from the outside of the knife, but the pins are hidden (I tend to use steel hidden pins by preference).

Make sure surfaces are clean and grease free (degrease with acetone, meths, etc) adn key the surfaces. don't use the cheap fast setting epoxy, they tend to be brittle. You get what you pay for.

 

[Westnorfolk]

i made up a laplander 115 from attleborough, i used purple heartwood and corby bolts stuck down with epoxy, as dave budd said, the fast setting epoxy is no good. i haven't used fiber liners and the knife works well without them

Dave

 

[caliban]

Hi, I'm a knife novice too. Here's my ten cents worth; I wouldn't use liners because they will (as has been said) weaken the bond. I would use pins. I wouldn't worry about the pins being a tight fit through the metal tang, because the epoxy will "pool" into any gap. your main problem will be to get the pins slotting neatly into the scales, that's just about having the right sized bit. You don't want any gap, but you don't want too tight a fit because if the wood swells the handle might split around a tight pin.

Rough shape your scales and epoxy one to the handle, flip it tang side up and drill straight holes through the scale through the tang hole.Glue the other scale on and then drill through the hole in the opposite scale to make your pin holes through the second scale. If you've drilled straight you should be in business; glue in the pins and cut to fit with a hacksaw, be careful not to hacksaw into the scales, clamp the handle and when it's set, sand it to shape. The pins will look crap at first but will sand up a treat. At worst you will end up with squint pins and visible glue gaps. If you do, just abuse your knife until it has enough "character" for these imperfections to look like signs of good hard use.

Good luck!

BTW, Nice work Westnorfolk, great wood, very neat work, cool knife!

 

[Brown Bear]

Nice job Westnorfolk. I hope mine turns out as well.

I've proceeded without spacers or pins, but spent some money on some top spec epoxy. The oak plates are glued on, after roughing all surfaces, and it seems to be very solid. Time will tell I guess.

I've realised that my oak plates were too thick though and despite my big hands, I've got a lot of trimming, whittling and sanding ahead of me (no power tools). Already blunted one stanley blade. That oak is hard stuff.

Told you I was a novice!

 

[Dave Budd]

try a decent rasp. much easier than a knife for shaping a handle

 

[Ferret]

total novice but wanting to learn. do you use electric sanders to sand down the scales. does this not effect the edges of the tang when you get close. also can you suggest any particular make of epoxy. last question, are there any good sites explaining the basics of knife making.
thanks for any help.

 

[FGYT]

yes this one has some how tos in the articals section DIY

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/index.php/DIY/Knife-Handle-Tutorial.html

and sheath making etc