Handle Ergonomics?

C_Claycomb

C_Claycomb

Joined
Dec 11, 2000
Messages
949
Hi, I was just wondering how all the custom makers and designers come up with their handle designs. I read articles in the magazines that praise such-and-such a knife for having a great handle, ie. comfortable, no hot spots, good control/secure grip etc. Ed Fowlers custom blades and those of Mad Dog come to mind for me. What is the process that the good designers go through? Is it merely a matter of long experience, having made numerous poor handles before hitting on a good on, or are there (approximate) rules that get followed, sort of an ingredients list for handles?

I have not made a great many knives, nor have I handled many good knives, so my personal store of experience is limited. I would like to make knives with the best ergonomics that I can and if anyone can suggest a way of shortening the process of trial and error I would be most grateful.

Many thanks

Chris Claycomb
 
Some basic rules apply.
The handle should have a palm swell to fill the hand
The handle should have a finger swell to accomodate the longer middle fingers.
There should be no square corners, these dig in.
The handle should be large enough to fill the hand with out the need to squeeze hard.

Beyond that anything goes. I just start with an oversize handle and keep taking material off until it feels right.
 
I think most makers just do it by feel, because we are users ourselves.I do like George,start out with larger scales and take it down till it feels just right.Unfortunately, what feels good to some may not to others so I try to at least have my wife test the feel as our hands are much different in size.I know that I am not a fan of real thin knives as users as they tend to cause hot spots on me.I like heavier, and more square type handles.Dave
 
I use this approach. Hold your hand as though you had a knife in it. Everything in the middle should be handle.
 
Actually Jerry, that makes sense, but how do you make a handle that will fill that space for all the different sizes of hands? I know that if you are making a knife for a custom order you can get a good idea of the hand size of the person that ordered the knife. What about when you make knives to take to a show?
 
how come no one seems to care about ergonomics for balisong handles? any pics of well-designed bali handles?

thanks.
 
The human hand is an absolutely fascinating appendage. It can fit a number of shapes and work well with many of them. Its design limitations are also easily violated. Just hold the knife, roll it around in your hand and you should smile. If you don't change it. When you see a dropped handle on a heavy working knife, pay attention, the maker just may know what his is doing. There should be a reason for everything that is there as well as everythign that is not there.

When you think you have the absolute ideal handle, cut a rail road tie in half and you will know if you have succeeded.
 
A good topic. Ergonomics certainly separates the men from the boys, as the saying goes. There are many knives that are quite comfortable when held in a "standard" grip. This is an achievement in itself. However, when held edge up, or in a reverse grip, or sabre grip, etc., the comfort evaporates. Making a knife that is comfortable and SAFE for the total variety of grips that the blade design might warrant is the ultimate challenge. Factor in the possible use of heavy gloves, etc. and a reasonable range of hand sizes, and the challenge becomes greater.
My advice, handle a lot of knives and over time, you'll find out what works and what doesn't.
Hard and prolonged use will identify any shortcomings in a design-Your hand will become sore and develop blisters if it isn't right.

RJ Martin
 
Keith, the way most of my handles work is that the palm swell centers your hand on the grip, away from the bolster/guard just a bit. That allows for the motion RJ describes, while allowing space too for larger hands. For those with very small or large hands, a custom is appropriate. One or two of my martial arts customers have had fittings and/or adjustments. I do tucks but no pleats... :)

I've also done right and left handed handles, with the palm swell larger on one side than the other. In a new combat knife I'm doing where I want the knife to ride especially flat in the sheath, one side of the handle is almost flat, so the knives will be emphatically right or left handed.

The handle needs to be designed to the use and purpose of the knife so there is not really a one-design-suits-all handle in my experience. Small knife handles generally need to be more flexible in hand positioning, while larger knives need to be more secure in the primary grip position. Some handles need to provide more leverage, some don't. The hand is indeed a complex structure, but it offers a number of padded areas where a handle will feel snug and secure, and if you don't provide a mating surface for those padded areas, the handle will just not feel right. Some knives for example are gripped more in the finger area than the palm. For these I use the padding at the top of the palm just below the fingers and the finger tips as the mating surfaces for the handle, which is hollowed on the sides to match those areas. That handle is also symmetrical top to bottom so it works the same in both the edge down and edge up positions, which is how smaller knives are commonly used.

Large knives are almost always used edge down, but they have additional need for rotational support, so a bad hit won't torque the knife loose in your hand. They need to be a little bit rectagular in cross-section to achieve that.

Combat knives get used in lots of different positions so the cross-section is almost circular, but preserves a prominent palm swell in any posiiton.

Etc., etc...
 
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