Another dagger?!?!

Thanks, Patrice. I'm still not planning on this being a take down... the tang is too thin for that, and I don't want to put larger holes in the guard. I won't do anything approaching final shaping this early, but I did want to at least get it to a shape that more closely approximates its final shape so I could see what I'll actually be carving, and draw on top of the wood's figural patterns.

Here's a better look at the wood, rubbed down with some butcher block conditioner to reveal its secrets.

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The billet was 1/8th of an inch and I shaved about 1/32 off the tang for fitment, so figure it at about 3/32nds.
 
Could still be done. Weld or pin a larger bolt (1/8th would be ok in this case) and drill a similar hole in the middle of the rectangular channel in the handle block.
 
Problem is I'd need the larger hole in the guard too, which is well fitted now... that would not be acceptable.
 
Today I got to a reasonable stopping point on the blade. I ground a rough edge (in the grinder, yet, with an 800 grit belt), sanded all surfaces to 2000 grit, and applied my makers marks.

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Absolutely awesome work! I'm glued to this topic! I can't wait to see it done! Truly inspiring that you do this all by hand!
 
Today I spent some time with one of my favorite needle files refining the shape of the guard... adjusting the size and shape of the points, cleaning up the lines of the center, and cleaning up the slot I'd cut for the blade. It still needs more work... I just ran out of time to work on it today. I figure I have another hour in shaping before I get serious about sanding it.

I also marked the spot in the wood where I will drill the hole, so I'm making progress... albeit slowly.

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Greg, where the slot for the blade is not perfectly straight you can hammer that down a little to close it and file straight again.
Looking good.
 
Thanks for the tip, Patrice. Actually, at the moment the slot isn't quite wide enough at all points, so I've been doing a bit of filing to get the blade to slip in. Still have some work to do on the outer edges, but it is pretty close now.

Last night I drilled the holes in the wood and have started the work of filing them into a slot. The tang now penetrates to half the needed depth. I'm wishing now I had a broach that was deep enough to do this job... decisions, decisions... should I stop what I'm doing and make a broach or carry on? ;)

- Greg
 
I'd say make a broach. It would be time well spent. [my opinion, of course]

Dagger's looking good. They're quite a project. Looking forward to seeing it come together.
 
This is a really neato thread Tryppyr. Can't wait to see more.
 
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