Bowie design critique wanted.

[Matt Rochester]

I am looking for some critique on this Bowie. I feel pretty good about the blade but I am not sure about the handle as it's the part I always struggle with the most. Let me know what y'all think. Thanks!

 

[i4Marc]

I think it's looking good Matt. If you're feeling up to it you might want to kick it up a notch by adding a ferrule between the guard and handle material, maybe with some decorative spacers as well. It would dress up that design nicely. If it were mine, I might tweak the top line of the handle slightly. If you use the point at which the top line of the handle touches the guard as a pivot, rotate that line just enough counterclockwise so that the line across the top of the blade spine flows through the guard into the top of the handle in a straight line. Don't change the shape of the line, just rotate it a bit. This will keep the thickness the same at the point where the handle meets the guard but will widen the butt of the handle a bit giving slightly more flare there and giving the handle a less "droopy" feel. The other thing I would mention, if you haven't already finished the blade, is to put as much tang as you can fit into the handle by making it wider and longer. Make the tang 30-40% longer. Nice design.

 

[Matt Rochester]

I have thought of adding a ferrule but am not familiar with the process and will do
Some research on it. I have some wrought iron I was going to use for the guard so I need something to match. Also I thought of doing a hamon or edge quench. I will tweak the handle and lengthen the tang. Any good sources on the ferrules? Here it is with a few tweaks.

 

[jdm61]

Make the tang longer.

 

[i4Marc]

Matt,

How do YOU feel about the changes? You don't have to make changes just because somebody suggests it. You should feel that the change adds something positive to the design and meets your sense of aesthetics. You're not building a knife for us, this is your baby. That said, the suggestion I made about changing the handle line only applied to the top of the handle. I thought the bottom edge was fine.

As far as the ferrule goes, it's pretty basic. It's just like making the guard. It can be made of one piece or multiple pieces. You'll take a piece of wrought iron, stainless, wood or whatever you want to use and cut a slot in it to fit up snugly behind the guard. It will be shaped to transition nicely between the back of the guard and the front of the handle material. It doesn't need to be a press fit like the guard but shouldn't be sloppy. Make sure that mating surfaces are FLAT. Same deal with any spacers you choose to add. You got this.

 

[Matt Rochester]

Thanks Marc. I agree with your suggestions about the handle and think it does flow better now. I also know that the tang should be longer and feel it's pretty good in the second drawing. On the first Bowie I made the handle was very light because the tang wasn't big enough. I worry about how thin the handle will be at the top and bottom near the guard though. One more question is what type drill boys do you use for making the slot on the handle? I used a long jobber last time and it wanted to walk a lot. There has to be a better bit for this. Also, if I use wrought on the guard and ferrule then won't it look like a really thick guard? Maybe some different colored spacers between the two? Overall I'm pretty happy with how it looks.

 

[i4Marc]

Matt,

By making the tang wider I meant down the length of the tang the whole thing could have been a bit taller. If you wanted to leave the original thickness up by the guard that would have been ok. If you use wrought iron for the ferrule it might look like it's fat, or maybe not. You'll have to experiment with that. If you want to break up the massive iron guard look you can break the form by perhaps adding a thin stainless spacer between the guard and ferrule so you get a bright line there. You can go in other directions as well like adding a black g10 spacer there for a darker separation, or a red spacer for a little pop of color, etc. Play with it and see what you like. As far as drilling the handle is concerned, it can be tricky. I don't know what kind of material you'll be using. I have found that figured wood can be challenging. The changing direction of the grain can pull a long bit off course resulting in holes that are a bit crooked from the center line of the block. Also, even getting the hole started can be a pain. Even if you have the hole well measured and scribed and punched, when you go to drill it the drill may want to drift to one side or the other as it follows the softer grain. I take all the time I need to get the holes started straight and centered. Go slowly and keep adjusting the hole to keep it where you want it. After the hole entrance is established to a depth of 3/8" or so you can drill it deeper and the bit should stay on course. I have started to use shorter drills that are less likely to walk to get the holes started then I switch to long drills to get the depth. After the shorter drill establishes the path, the longer bits will typically follow that path fairly well. It is important to clamp your handle block in a machinist vise or some other vise and make sure your drill press work table is adjusted to be exactly perpendicular to the drill bit. Other handle materials can be tricky as well. Materials like Micarta can be very grippy when drilling and put extra stress on the bit. It's a good idea when drilling any material to take small bites and back the drill out and repeat. You have to allow the material being removed to evacuate from the hole or you risk breaking the handle block or the drill. I use extra long black oxide drills from the big home stores. I cut the shafts to the lengths I want.

 

[kuraki]

Thanks Marc. I agree with your suggestions about the handle and think it does flow better now. I also know that the tang should be longer and feel it's pretty good in the second drawing. On the first Bowie I made the handle was very light because the tang wasn't big enough. I worry about how thin the handle will be at the top and bottom near the guard though. One more question is what type drill boys do you use for making the slot on the handle? I used a long jobber last time and it wanted to walk a lot. There has to be a better bit for this. Also, if I use wrought on the guard and ferrule then won't it look like a really thick guard? Maybe some different colored spacers between the two? Overall I'm pretty happy with how it looks.

On how thin the handle gets at the top, it's one of the reasons I like to use G10 or metal spacers/ferrules. Engineered materials that are a little more durable/predictable than wood or stabilized wood, so that they and the guard surround the widest portions of the tang and the wood can have a little bit heavier wall thickness.

I only drill one hole anymore, regardless of tang size. A .375 hole down the center of the handle material or center of where I want the tang to reside. With a hole that size, my broach tool can fit all the way to the bottom, so I drill that hole and then pull out two channels. Like this:

Drill hole:

Start broaching:

Finished broaching:

Google "hidden tang broach" if you haven't seen what I'm talking about.

Some will disagree with this method and prefer to do a perfectly shaped recess for their tangs. I do it this way because it's easier to drill 1 hole that size straight than 2 or multiple smaller holes where the drill wants to walk and wiggle.

 

[Matt Rochester]

Thanks guys. I'll mess around with these ideas and methods.

 

[Willie71]

On how thin the handle gets at the top, it's one of the reasons I like to use G10 or metal spacers/ferrules. Engineered materials that are a little more durable/predictable than wood or stabilized wood, so that they and the guard surround the widest portions of the tang and the wood can have a little bit heavier wall thickness.

I only drill one hole anymore, regardless of tang size. A .375 hole down the center of the handle material or center of where I want the tang to reside. With a hole that size, my broach tool can fit all the way to the bottom, so I drill that hole and then pull out two channels. Like this:

Drill hole:

Start broaching:

Finished broaching:

Google "hidden tang broach" if you haven't seen what I'm talking about.

Some will disagree with this method and prefer to do a perfectly shaped recess for their tangs. I do it this way because it's easier to drill 1 hole that size straight than 2 or multiple smaller holes where the drill wants to walk and wiggle.

I typically do this, but the one design it doesn't work well on is a takedown design. A smaller hole in the center allows room for the locating pins.

 

[kuraki]

Is there some kind of utility to a take down or is it more of just showing off how well executed the build of the knife was given the extra attention to detail necessary?

 

[Willie71]

Is there some kind of utility to a take down or is it more of just showing off how well executed the build of the knife was given the extra attention to detail necessary?

Mostly showing off. Some guys like to take them apart to clean them. I use a pinned construction when I do fluted spacers or the like, where they have to be finished before assembly.

 

[kuraki]

I just want to say I don't mean "showing off" with any kind of negative connotation. It's cool as heck and should be shown off.

 

[Willie71]

I just want to say I don't mean "showing off" with any kind of negative connotation. It's cool as heck and should be shown off.

I know what you meant. :thumbup: when done well, they are quite impressive. I've never made one that was precise enough to leave as a takedown. I have always just glued them up. John Doyle did a wip a few years back. I think Karl Anderson does them fairly often as well.