Full tang or tappered

[banditele]

Hello fellows, I have always woundered why some knife makers tapper their tangs. What is the advantage to doing this ? Is it to reduce weight of the knife or to reduce materials used for the knife ?
Thanks for your help,
Jay

 

[Brett Bennett]

The two primary reasons that I taper tangs are:
-To reduce handle weight. There are other ways of getting the desired balance point, though.
-I find it more esthetically appealing than a non-tapered tang.

Brett

 

[Bruce Bump]

Jay, good question. The tapered full tang knife is a well balanced, light work of art. They do look good too. Tapering the tang is a sign of a well made custom knife and the value is higher on it than one just like it without the taper. Did I mention they look good too? Dovetailed bolsters are also a plus.

 

[Marcel J.B. Morin]

Also depends on what kind of knife you are making. On a large working knife where you want the most weight you can have in your hands, don't taper the tangs but on small using knifes or EDC tapered tangs look better and eliminate a lot of weight.

Marcel

 

[ddavelarsen]

FWIW from the 'knifemaking lore' bin, I once heard that a taperd tang originated from an early industrial era desire to conserve materials; they could get six knives from the steel previously requred for five. Whether this is true is pleasant speculation, it's just a story I like.

Marcel makes a good point, a tapered tang wouldn't apply so well to a big knife. So far, I've done it both to improve the balance and because it's cool looking; mostly that. Now I just need to figure out a filework pattern that lends itself to the taper...

Dave