bit size for hole for tang

deltablade

deltablade

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Jul 29, 2006
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I am planning to put a wooden handle on a scandi blade with a tang and glue it in.. The tang is 1/8" thick and 1/4 wide. What size bit should I use to drill the hole in the wood block I plan to use for the handle? 1/8? 3/16?
 
This is the hole for the tang, correct? If you are using a guard-plate/bolster/ferrule, you can get by with using a bit that is larger than the thickness of the tang, as the epoxy will fill it and the bolster/guard will cover it. Just make sure the tang is snug in the hole, you do not want it to be able to turn. If there is no guard-plate/bolster, you will need to use a bit that is no thicker than the tang, otherwise you will have a visible gap.

To turn a round hole into a rectangular slot, research a tool called a 'handle broach'.... a ground down (narrow) sawsall blade will make a good improvised one, but a proper one is not hard to make.
 
This photo shows an improvised broach made from a sawsall blade:
Yyg090.jpg
 
The short answer is that you use any drill bit that can make the hole big enough. Usually you take a drill bit the is the diameter of the thickness of the tang. Drill two holes that are the width of the tang apart. The angle drill and "wiggle" out the wood between them to make a slot shaped hole. Tools like a broach are good for more precise holes.
 
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