Attaching the Handle

Stark Knives

Stark Knives

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Mar 19, 2010
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Alright, I'm ready to do the handles on my first three knives. Is this a good step by step? I'm using 3/16 pins and my tang holes are 1/4".

1. Drill the pin holes through the tang into the wood with a 3/16 drill bit. Then clamp the other wood slab to the already drilled one and drill through the already made holes as a guide.

I'll do this part and then ask my next question when I get to the next step. :)
 
Yes, that is pretty much right.
I use a smaller bit for the first holes, and then the correct size bit for the hole through both scales. So, 1/8" first to spot the tang holes and then 3/16 ( see below) to drill the holes through the clamped scales.


An important thing is to test the drill bit and pin for fit. Drill a hole through a piece of scrap ( preferably the same wood type as the handles) and see how the pin goes through. It should slip in with just a bit of friction....not tight, not loose. Use a bit one number/letter higher or lower as needed.
 
I've been using a bit the size of the hole in the tang to drill a small divot in the scale and then using that divot as the center point for a smaller bit if the hole in the scale is to be smaller then the hole in the tang. Not sure if this is right or not but it's been working well for me.

So in your case. Use a 1/4" bit to drill a divot into the backside of the scale and then you can remove the blade and then finish drilling the hole in the scale with a 3/16" bit. I figure that the worst I've done is leave some room around the pin for epoxy to pool.

If there is something inherently wrong with this progression someone please let e know :)
 
I could easily be wrong, but a 1/4 inch tang hole for a 3/16 pin seems too large. I know the hole in the handle material will be closer to the pin size, but I would think that you would want a similar hole in the tang so you are not relying solely on the strength of the epoxy of any sheer forces are applied to the scale. I've been using a Size F (.257") for my 1/4" pins, a #11 (.1910") or 12 (.1890") for 3/16, a #29 or #30 for 1/8, etc and frequently use the same for both the tang and scale. Like TLR, I often put a slight countersink bevel on the holes to aid in pin alignment. If I am mistaken on any of these points, let me know.

Before I picked up a fairly complete set of cobalt bits (fractional, numbered, and lettered), I simply used the same fractional size as the pin stock. Then, I would use the trick where you chuck the pins into a drill and sand away enough for clearance, so there is another option.
 
read Stacey's post again. He suggested starting with undersized holes then drilling to fit. If you drilled 1/4" holes you will need to get 1/4" pin stock.
 
Yeah, I just realized that it sounded like what you said now. I meant that I asked him before and he said to drill the tang holes oversized if that makes sense. :)
 
The hole in the blade tang needs to be about 25-50% larger than the pin stock. 1/16" over is a good general rule, too. This allows some movement for fitting and alignment. If you make the tang hole the exact size of the pin, and there are three pins, it is pretty much a guarantee that one of the pins won't go through. The excess seems large, but a 1/4" hole for a 3/16 pin has only .035" space around it. The epoxy fills this tiny gap and provides a cushioned material to increase shear resistance. If the tang/pin joint was solid metal to metal, the pin may shear easier.
I drill tangs:
5/16 for 1/4" pins
1/4 for 3/16" pins
3/16 for 1/8" pins
 
Erdbeereis said:
Yeah, I just realized that it sounded like what you said now. I meant that I asked him before and he said to drill the tang holes oversized if that makes sense. :)
Click to expand...

Ooops. Sorry, I read tang and but thought scales.
 
For 3/16" pins, I drill the holes with a 3/16" drill bit. Then I clean the holes out with a #12 (0.1890) straight flute reamer. This little margin around the pins comes in really useful if you are using hard or brittle scale materials. I have split some fossil scales accidentally when I was inserting pins into holes that weren't reamed sufficiently.

TedP
 
phillipsted said:
For 3/16" pins, I drill the holes with a 3/16" drill bit. Then I clean the holes out with a #12 (0.1890) straight flute reamer. This little margin around the pins comes in really useful if you are using hard or brittle scale materials. I have split some fossil scales accidentally when I was inserting pins into holes that weren't reamed sufficiently.

TedP
Click to expand...

Good advice for fitting scales and bolsters to pins. Reamers are money well spent.
 
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