Too excited to keep it to myself any longer! My first knife making attempt

[spandit]

Had heard rumour of the Mora not being up to batoning (battening?) and fancied trying to make something a bit stronger.

Got one of these (just over £3):

a few minutes grinding produced this:

a lot of hacking about with a piece of leylandii from the garden that has been drying in my garage for over a year:

bit of sanding later:

stands up to some reasonable battening:

picture taken next to a Mora Clipper for comparison:

It's quite a chunky handle (I hate woodworking) and looks quite nice with a bit of tung oil. Not as razor sharp as I'd like (not very good at sharpening things yet) but seems quite sturdy and at least it didn't cost much.

In case it's not clear, the handle is in two parts and there is a hidden brass pin through the tang inside. The two halves are held together with Araldite epoxy - this is probably the weakest part and I'd guess the handle would fail before the blade does

 

[mountainm]

Did you cool it as you ground it?

 

[spandit]

Yes, didn't let it get hot enough to discolour and dipped in water when it got close. The next one I make will get heat treated but I'd hope a chisel is OK as it is.

 

[John Fenna]

I have made loads of knives with that kind of handle method (Adapted Henry Rabbet System) - none have failed yet....as far as I know!

 

[spandit]

Just looked this up. Found cutting the rebate quite difficult but perhaps using an offset joint would have been easier/stronger. Now I've got to make a sheath for it... dog is keeping out of the way!

 

[Elines]

This looks really good and.....

Ok - give in what is "Adapted Henry Rabbet System" (can't find it with an internet search).

Also - never having done metal work at school - did you:

• get a cheap chisel
• remove the handle
• ground down the blade by eye (so to speak!)
• but ensured you frequently plunged it in cold water to stop it going blue (because that does something nasty to the metal)
• drilled the metal part of the handle to take a pin (?is it important it's brass?) to provide some 'key'/support to the glue
• stuck on a handle (using Adapted Henry Rabbet System - but see above) with araldite (other glues are available)
• sanded down the handle to shape

This is something I might have a go at - thanks for posting

 

[Elines]

PS I've got a cheapo Mora and it is fine for battening

 

[John Fenna]

Henry knives - of the USA - fixed partial tang blades into handles by using 2 pieces of wood with a rebate (rabbet in USA speak) then glued and pinned the wood together. This was known as the Henry Rabbet System.
This version looks like an adaptation of this classic method of putting wood on a partial tang knife.
With my blades I also use a rebate - but usually off-set and with the tang forged into an eye at the end and pinned or rivetted through the eye.
I too use Araldite or Bison epoxy - stronger than the wood!

 

[spandit]

This looks really good and.....

Ok - give in what is "Adapted Henry Rabbet System" (can't find it with an internet search).

Also - never having done metal work at school - did you:

• get a cheap chisel
• remove the handle
• ground down the blade by eye (so to speak!)
• but ensured you frequently plunged it in cold water to stop it going blue (because that does something nasty to the metal)
• drilled the metal part of the handle to take a pin (?is it important it's brass?) to provide some 'key'/support to the glue
• stuck on a handle (using Adapted Henry Rabbet System - but see above) with araldite (other glues are available)
• sanded down the handle to shape

This is something I might have a go at - thanks for posting

Thanks, I'm quite proud of the blade. As for the steps you listed, pretty much exactly what I did.

1) The chisel is a 32mm Silverline wood chisel (I bought from Toolstation)
2) Handle removed with an angle grinder and a thin cutting blade - smelt a bit as it was plastic
3) I stuck some masking tape on the blade and sketched the curves I wanted freehand. Cut roughly to shape with the angle grinder
4) I then moved to the bench grinder and shaped the curves by eye. I also started the edge grind
5) I then clamped the blade in a vice and used a grinding disc on an angle grinder to shape it a bit further. I then moved to using a sanding disc in an electric drill (it's one with a slightly flexible shaft so doesn't skip so much). The drill was then clamped and I help the blade against it to sharpen - used several different grades of disc. An advantage of such a thick piece of metal is that it doesn't heat up as quickly as a thinner piece but I made sure it wasn't discolouring
6) Drilled a 5mm hole to take the pin. I was going to use stainless but brass is easier to work with and won't wreck the sandpaper if it pokes through. I had some scrap brass (a valve of some sort - hope it wasn't anything important!) and turned it down in the lathe (the only bit of equipment that is perhaps a bit beyond the average garage mechanic). Could have cut it with a hacksaw and filed to shape as it's hidden anyway. The pin will help stop the blade twisting in the handle or pulling out. For this blade, though, the tang is flared, not tapered, so it is less likely to pull out
7) Cut the wood down the middle - this was a pain as I don't have a bandsaw/table saw.
8) Routed/ground the groove out in both handle halves - this was where not being a woodworker let me down most - I've got masses of tools for grinding metal but nothing coarse enough for wood. My cheap router is rubbish and will go in the bin soon.
9) Used nearly a whole pack of Araldite - should have used the epoxy I got from the £ shop as it took more than I was expecting
10) Clamped, then sanded to shape once dry (24 hours later) with sanding disc and a bit of hand finishing

I hear what you're saying about the Mora - mine seems pretty sturdy but I didn't make it myself!

 

[Elines]

You make me realise - yet again - what a simple world it is that I live in. But I will still give it a go because it won't cost much and I have never done anything like this before

 

[spandit]

I'd never done anything like this before. Buying a knife blank just to put a handle on it seems a bit of a cheat - it's handle making, not knife making.

 

[Elines]

Henry knives - of the USA - fixed partial tang blades into handles by using 2 pieces of wood with a rebate (rabbet in USA speak) then glued and pinned the wood together. This was known as the Henry Rabbet System.
This version looks like an adaptation of this classic method of putting wood on a partial tang knife.
With my blades I also use a rebate - but usually off-set and with the tang forged into an eye at the end and pinned or rivetted through the eye.
I too use Araldite or Bison epoxy - stronger than the wood!

Thanks for that John. The 'pinned or rivetted through the eye' sounds like a good idea if I can cobble a simpleton version of it.

 

[Elines]

PS I was rather hoping it would be something obvioius and really simple so that I could go:"doh.....'
(this is better if you say it)

 

[Ex-member EagleOwl]

Thats the most beautifal knife i've ever seen, not being sarcastic it's just brilliant.

 

[spandit]

You're very kind! With the big chubby handle it looks a bit like a toy but it's got a reassuring weight