Bowie Build-along

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Cleaning up the finish with rubber backed 600 grit.
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Removing the bulk of the steel with the edge of a 50 girt belt on the contact wheel.
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Getting it closer with files.
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Handle cavity drilled and scraped, filing with my favourite file for a close fit. This block was actually my second attempt; I made the cavity too large on the first, way too large. Still not sure how I managed it.
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Here's a handy broach I made from a power hacksaw blade.
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Not very ergonomic yet, but it indexes well.
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I bedded this handle in with epoxy, so to prevent the tang from getting stuck I coated it with wax.
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Waxing the back of the guard.
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Epoxy mixed and ready to inject.
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Everything clamped down tight in my glue-up fixture (design stolen from Shawn McIntyre).
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This photo shows the handle block starting to move after about 15 minutes of trying to remove the tang from the hardened epoxy. It's a very tight fit at this point.
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Getting the guard shape set before starting the handle shaping.
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Deciding on the handle dimensions.
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A bit of marking out.
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Grinding to just shy of the lines.
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The wood was too dark to see my handle profile, so I glued down some 'craft paper' and drew on that.
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Roughly profiled with the grinder, I can do the rest by hand.
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Pin hole location marked.
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Clamped by the ricasso in the drilling fixture. I use my height scribe to make sure the blade is clamped correctly (so that the hole will be perpendicular).
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Drilled.
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At this point I scribed some lines to help keep everything symmetrical during the handle shaping.
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Outlining the guard so I know where not to grind.
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Marking out the thickest part of the handle.
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Butt template.
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Butt template action shot.
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Establishing the 'flats' of the handle with a rubber backed 320 grit disc.
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Still plenty to remove.
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I use the flats as a sort of reference for the rest if the handle shaping, so I take them to a 600 grit disc finish straight away.
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Will, really informative. I can now appreciate why your knives are so perfect with great finish and fit! Keep up the great work.
 
Again, outlining the guard so I know where to stop grinding/filing.
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A rasp removes a lot of material in a hurry.
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Still too wide, but I can dial it in with something less aggressive.
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Beginning the contouring with my go-to file.
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Some more rough contouring.
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I like to use templates to help me keep everything symmetrical from side to side.
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Butt faceted, it will later be rounded completely with files.
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I try to avoid rounding and blending prematurely, flat planes are easier (for me) to keep symmetrical.
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Completing the shaping of the top and bottom of the handle.
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I use a variety of different sanding sticks for this gentle inside curve.
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Next template.
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Starting to blend everything in, but still working methodically to retain symmetry.
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Time to get rid of these corners.
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New template.
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Filing off the corners, and blending the curves.
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Very nice work. I too find that crazy eyes helps when filing a guard slot.

What are you using to hold the guard down as you file it? I see the bolt and washer, is that threaded through a rod or something?
 
I enjoy your work immensely. I picked up a few tricks for the handle symmetry. Thanx! :thumbup:
 
Very nice work. I too find that crazy eyes helps when filing a guard slot.

What are you using to hold the guard down as you file it? I see the bolt and washer, is that threaded through a rod or something?

Thanks mate. Having crazy eyes is the key to accurate guard slots.

Here's a better picture of the guard shaping fixture:

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There's a threaded hole in the round bar.
 
Blending the butt facets.
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Shaping up nicely.
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Action shot!
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'Like a glove'
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Once the contours are as good as I can get them with files, I switch to sandpaper. This is some pretty aggressive 120 grit PSA paper.
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All the contouring should be where I want it by the time I'm finished with 320 grit; from there it's just a matter of sanding to 600, and then 800.
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Here it is at 800 grit.
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Hit it with some 0000 steel wool.
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Scandinavian oil applied with steel wool.
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Wiped clean once the oil started to go gummy.
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While the first coat of oil was drying I finished the guard. I started with the underside of the... branches? lugs? I don't know what the right terminology is, but I sanded them up to 1200 grit and then buffed.
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Top face masked while I buff off the sharp edge. Thanks to Peter Del Raso and Shawn McIntyre for this trick.
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Cleaning up the satin finish on the sides of the guard.
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Finishing the top face.
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All done.
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