Drilling holes in tang to make knife lighter

G

Granite

Joined
Dec 28, 1999
Messages
73
I'm working on a knife for general backpacking and camping use, and of course, I want to make it as lightweight as possible without sacraficing to much durability. I'm thinking about drilling a few holes in the tang to get rid of some extra weight.
The knife is made out of O-1 and is 1/8 thick and is going to have a 3.75 - 4 inch drop point. I'm using red micarta for handle material if that makes any difference.

Thanks!
 
Granite, I will drill holes in the full tang handle and also taper it. If you use 1/8" micarta for handles, it will give you more strength than wood. Wood is lighter and if you fill all the holes with epoxy when you attach the handles, you should have now problems. The difference in weight would be negligable for back packing, but for handling, it may make a small difference. I am a firm belieaver in reducing weight when possible. For the chopping chores, I think that the weight should be close to the cutting end.


------------------
Ray Kirk
www.tah-usa.net/raker
 
Alot of makers skeletonize the handle.Just don't make the holes to close to the holes for your pins.
Another idea for keeping weight down is to make the handle slabs out of white ash. Its the same wood used for baseball bats. Its really hard and won't dent, impact resistant and won't crack or shatter, and it has good flexing capabilities.

------------------
Fix it right the first time, use Baling Wire !
 
One of the things people comment on when they handle my knives is how light they are. I remove a lot of material by drilling the tangs. On my hunters, I taper the tangs also. I find that the more material you remove by drilling the faster it is to taper the tangs on the grinder!
To me, this is one of the things that makes a custom knife special. I cant stand a handle heavy knife for any application.
Neil

------------------
New Hawkbill Pics!
http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Meeting/5520/index.html

 
I've made small knifes without holes in the tang before, but not anymore. The balance of the knife is much better if it has those holes, and for normal cutting you don't need that extra weight.
 
Thanks for the replys! Also, Raker, many long distance backpackers cut their toothbrush handle in half to save weight. I heard of one guy who even cut the margins off his maps! (believe it or not, saving a gram of weight here and there does add up and make a difference.)

Thanks again!
Granite
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top