Making my first knife, bowie with hidden tang, need some guidance.(now with picture)

I made a powder horn from a cow horn a couple years ago. I would rate the stink it made to be up there with antler. But the finished product is what counts.

- Paul Meske
 
On how to mount the curved tang into a handle so that the knife sits straight, if i drill a hole straight through the handle then it has to be very wide to acompany it and it'll leave some large gaps inside the hole becourse of the curved tang, I dont know if they are too large to fill with epoxy.
 
The curve on the tang isn't really that severe. In fact, based on the photo you provided it looks more like a curved taper on the top side. My advice is don't worry about it. Treat it like a straight tang. Remember, don't try to drill a single hole that is big enough. Instead, drill holes that have a diameter that is SLIGHTLY larger than the thickness of the tang, then connect the holes to form a slot that fits the tang fairly snugly. If you do that the epoxy will hold it fine.
 
Maybe pictures would help more.

First, lay the tang on the block of material you will be using and draw lines that represent what the slot should look like inside the block, like so:

Help1.jpg


At the top of the block, transfer the end points (here marked A and B) so you have reference points for where the edged of the slot ought to be. Center those on the block. Drill the two holes, hopefully getting them to converge at the point where the tang ends (hopefully not going all the way through the block).

Help2.jpg


The next part is a little trickier... You can either use the drill to connect the holes, or you can use a broach or needle files to connect the holes. I like using the drill as much as possible, but be careful not to widen the mouth of the hole when doing so.

Once the holes are connected, use needle files or a broach to flatten the inside walls and allow the tang to slide in.
 
Lasse Eskildsen said:
Then what i was thinking is that when it is flush at the end of the handle you drill inwards with a larger drill a bit so the end screw can fit on and be lowered into the handle so that it is flush, if that makes any sense?
Click to expand...
Yes, that makes sense, it is called counterboring.
 
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