Full tang and stacked leather

B

Bob W

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Dec 31, 2000
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A friend showed me several semi-vintage hunting knives last night. Sorry I didn't take a picture, but I'm confident I can explain the question well enough:
One of the knives was a standard American-style upswept skinner, I believe it was Western Cutlery from Colorado. It had a full-width exposed full tang. And it had stacked leather handles. What keeps the leather pieces in place? :o

I can only imagine the tang is open in the center and the leather pieces fit in like an I-beam? (=) :confused:
 
You are right about it being open in the center. It was a Western thing--called a "split tang," if memory serves me right. Someone will be along shortly with a link or image or something, I'm sure.


Michael
 
I think it's called a 'bifurcated tang', patented by Harlow C. Platts (July 24, 1934):

http://www.collectors-of-schrades-r.us/patents/001967479.pdf

I have a Western L48A fixed blade, with stacked leather handle and full-width exposed tang. On mine, there are two pins driven laterally through the pommel, which I assume were driven through the holes seen in the ends of the pictured tang in the linked document above.


David
 
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Obsessed is on it, per usual.

The key is the H-shaped washers shown in Figure 3 of the patent. Your I beam description sounds dead on.
 
Bifuricated... that's a new one, thanks.

Any idea the age range a bifuricated-tang knife from Western Cutlery in Boulder, Colorado? 1950s, plus or minus 20 years?
 
Bob W said:
Bifuricated... that's a new one, thanks.

Any idea the age range a bifuricated-tang knife from Western Cutlery in Boulder, Colorado? 1950s, plus or minus 20 years?
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The holder of the 1934 patent (Harlow C. Platts) took over management of 'Western States Cutlery' (along with his brother Reginald) in the early 1940s; the company's name was changed to 'Western Cutlery Company' in 1953. If putting the two together and speculating, the bifurcated tang might've been in use since then (1953) on knives marked as 'Western Cutlery'; maybe even earlier, on the 'Western States' knives.

(For the details above, I'm referring to my copy of the 'Official Price Guide to Collector Knives', Fourteenth Edition (2004) by C. Houston Price.)

My particular knife was given to me one Christmas, I believe, back in the very early '70s as I recall.


David
 
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From The Knife Makers Who Went West by Harvey Platts (grandson of H.N. and son of Harlow):


Page 66.

The family management team of H.N. Platts, president; son, Harlow, factory manager; and son, Reg, sales manager began the 1930s facing serious challenges. The beginning of the Great Depression had interrupted the slow but steady progress Western States Cutlery had been making. Sales of its quality pocket knives fell drastically. The company introduced a less expensive line marked "Westaco," but still sales declined. Harlow then invented and patented a design for sheath knives that held the handle in place between two tangs, instead of one, and a better appearance. Starting with the number 43 pattern, the factory began producing the new sheath knives. The number 44 and number 48 patterns soon followed. At this time, a new curved end-knob was designed to replace the symmetrical end-knob previously used for sheath knife handles.

This was the beginning of Western's leadership in the sheath knife field.
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