Bruce Evens and other Bowie makers

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rlinger

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Mar 29, 2002
Messages
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Bruce, I am making a Bowie guard following your instructions for a 'ball end guard'. I have the ball ends made and am ready to cut the nickel silver guard.

I have two basic questions:

(1) From side of handle to side of handle - about how wide should I make the oval guard at its widest point?

(2) My 8 inch hunters seem fine with a handle thickness (again, from side of handle to side of handle) of a bit more than 0.6 inches. On the large bowie I don't know. About how thick would you suggest?

Some specs: The blade is 9 1/2 inches to face of guard. The widest part of blade is 2 1/4 inches. Blade thickness at its thickest is 3/16 inch. Tip to end of tang is 14 1/2 inches. The tang is stick type, so the handle will be one piece spacers and wood.

Thanks a bunch; Roger
 
Rodger, while your waiting for Bruce to give you the right answer. I decide on my Handle thickness first. Since the guard is an oval, I want the part that butts the edge of the handle to be just a hair larger.Check the world almanac for the exact size in .001 for a hair The center of the guard will be whatever to make the oval look right!
 
I read your responce several times before a light came on. I guess, and it makes sence, what you want is at the top and bottom of the handle the guard should be close to, but slightly wider than, that same width. This, on an oval, would cause the widest part of the guard to be greater than handle width.

Am I reading you right???

Roger
 
Your right Roger. Sorry, it wasn't clear. The widest part of the guard should be smack in the middle of the grip. The edges should just clear the grip. Now Bruce and the others may have a better way of doing this so I'm hoping they will jump in.
 
Roger and Peter,sory I didn't get on this sooner for you..
There is not much else I can add to Peter's answer here.The handle thickness just depends on the handle you are doing.On many of the antiques they are only 1/2 inch at the guard and very few any wider.Now if you are stacking spacers in front of stag then you have to go by the stag width and use that to make the widest part of the oval and then narrow the spacers a little to get inside the guard some or make the guard wider than the stag and make the handle the same size as the stag..Good rule of thumb to go by here is to remember that a wide guard is harder to carry and mmake a sheath for,plus the width of a guard doesn't gice much protection to the hand anyway ( unless you are sword playing or fighting were the other persons blade will have a chance of sliding down the side of your blade...)
I basically just eyball what I think will look the best and then make it,I just take a 3X5 card and fold it then measure the lenght I want and half the withd and then make a nice curve and cut it out with a pair of scissors and use this to cut out the guard.I know it is a simple idea and not as much fun as measuring and using cool protracters and stuff but it works for me:cool:
Hope this helps some.
Bruce
 
Thanks to all, I think now I can figure it. Its just that I'm not in to Bowies but promised this guy I would re-handle his. His had no handle or guard. It did at one time but I never got to see it when it did. I saw your (Bruce) write up on the oval - ball end guard and liked the classic look. That is the guard I will go with. I have the nickel silver ball ends made but had to order the 1/8 inch N/S sheet stock for the guard because I don't want to grind down the larger stock I have on hand. I have the wood (stabalized tiger maple) and spacer material. I'm ready as soon as I receive the sheet stock.

I'll post pics when finished.

Thanks for the help and particular thanks to you Bruce for the consideration of posting tutorials on the web. Beautiful work, and I don't even care much for big knives except that craftsmanship is craftsmanship and yours certainly shows well.

Roger
 
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