An exercise in excess

Joined
Jan 4, 2016
Messages
5,346
Decided to make some presentation quality scales for my user LC. This is some nice curly Koa. I'll post pictures as I go.20170809_193010~01~01.jpg

I got the holes drilled and the lanyard pocket cut, then ground to the rough profile shape. I also got the index finger pocket (the tightest inside radius) fit to the tang.
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I'd love to see your process. Do you have any videos?
 
The last scales I saw of yours were Koa also, correct? I bet they look it even better in person!
 
Thanks, guys.

No videos, MikeKu825 MikeKu825 . I'll take several WIP photos though. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

woodysone woodysone , yes, I have been on a Koa kick lately. I brought some home from vacation I Hawaii and processed it into blanks. It's my personal favorite.
 
I can tell right now I'm going to be going between fits of drooling on my keyboard looking at those scales, and hating you TRfromMT TRfromMT . ;) -- :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
I have some curly Koa on order. Some natural a d some awesome dyed turquoise. Can't wait to put it on a couple blades.
 
So I was doing the rough shaping of the handles and made a MAJOR mistake. Shaped the first handle scale (and it went just fine, all normal). Then on the second one I did something I have never done before - I started shaping the back side, what is supposed to be flat. Needless to say I was more than just a little pissed off!!!

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Usually when I make a mistake I sit down on a bucket and just stare at it, dumbfounded. This time, I wanted to throw up, and throw the thing through a window! Then I started looking at my options. I thought, maybe I could make the lanyard pocket go all the way through as more like a horseshoe notch. Well, that wouldn't work because I would still have two left-side scales. Then I thought, well, what if I cut off the contoured part, and laminated on another slab of material.

Turns out I had ONE piece, exactly what I needed, left over from another project. It was one half a set of scales and it was big enough to work...

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I re-drilled all the holes, shaped the profile, sanded the finger pocket, and damnit if it didn't work!! You can still see a very faint line at the joint of the two slabs, but we're back in business.

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Lesson learned. Slow down and stop and think at every step, even if you have done this dozens of times. Then, think some more before you throw a fit.

I will always see this flaw, and honestly I don't mind. I am glad I saved this and I will remember that we all have flaws.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy watching this process. I'm off to have a cold one now.
 
So, pro tip, or armature knife handle maker life hack.... how to make concentric holes without a stepped drill bit. Put a pivot post below the chamfer bit. Set the depth stop and chamfer the hole. Then, slowly pivot the scale around the bushing. It cuts uniformly all around eliminating any eccentricity.

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Also, I love (love!) How Koa comes to life with the first coat of oil. Keep in mind these are with horrible light, and just one coat applied...

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So, pro tip, or armature knife handle maker life hack.... how to make concentric holes without a stepped drill bit. Put a pivot post below the chamfer bit. Set the depth stop and chamfer the hole. Then, slowly pivot the scale around the bushing. It cuts uniformly all around eliminating any eccentricity.

View attachment 750539

Also, I love (love!) How Koa comes to life with the first coat of oil. Keep in mind these are with horrible light, and just one coat applied...

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Thanks! Once I'm up in the nashville area I'm going full tilt into putting all the wood blanks I've been collecting to good use. I've been foaming at the mouth to do something with them, but apartment life hasn't been kind on my louder hobbies. I'll finally have a two car garage space to set up and start contributing to this community. Hopefully you'll be willing to impart some wisdom on a newbie.
 
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