Yesterday I rough ground my first kitchen knife and today installed my first Wa style handle. I figured if I'm going to make knives, even if it's just for fun, I might as well make ones that get used a lot. Same details below. Sorry, no pics here. Anyone who wants to see can email me. They're fugly, but they're mine. 
The rough ground one is a stubby santoku using A2 that's 1/16" at the spine. I don't think it's actually a santoku, since I chisel ground it (right hand), and I don't think any are done that way. It's only a 5" blade, 2" wide, with a 5/8" high chisel bevel down to 0.01". I probably should thicken that up before heat treatement. Any comments or suggestions?
The Wa handle went on a rescue from the local tech school culinary department. It was found in a drawer, then left outside for several years. It was a classic chef's blade with forged bolsters and a 10", double tapered blade. I don't like bolstered kitchen knives, and the blade was long enough I just cut all that off, gave it a rat tail tang, and lowered the point like a Gyuto, but with an angular drop, kinda like a honesuki. The blade is still around 6.5" long, the rest went to tang.
I like the octagon shaped handles, so decided to try that. I'll say it's harder than it looks if you want all the facets even and proportional, which they are not on this one.
The ferrule (proper Japanese name?) was made by laminating three 1/4" thick pieces of mahogany at 0, 90, 0 degrees. Then the holes were drilled/burned in the ferrule and a larger block of mahogany for the rest of the handle. Glued it up yesterday, sanded to shape today and I'm putting the last coats of Tru-oil on the handle tonight and tomorrow. It will go back to the owner when I get back up to Asheville. The laminating makes the ferrule darker than the rest, so it has some contrast, though it changes when viewed from the side or the spine. Off for the second coat.
I really like the feel of the Wa handle. Does anyone have a tutorial or something on them? The santoku will be a full tang handle. It was a pretty productive weekend in the shop. I also ground out a 12" machete from S7. My little belt sander was relieved I only did some wood sanding today.
The rough ground one is a stubby santoku using A2 that's 1/16" at the spine. I don't think it's actually a santoku, since I chisel ground it (right hand), and I don't think any are done that way. It's only a 5" blade, 2" wide, with a 5/8" high chisel bevel down to 0.01". I probably should thicken that up before heat treatement. Any comments or suggestions?
The Wa handle went on a rescue from the local tech school culinary department. It was found in a drawer, then left outside for several years. It was a classic chef's blade with forged bolsters and a 10", double tapered blade. I don't like bolstered kitchen knives, and the blade was long enough I just cut all that off, gave it a rat tail tang, and lowered the point like a Gyuto, but with an angular drop, kinda like a honesuki. The blade is still around 6.5" long, the rest went to tang.
I like the octagon shaped handles, so decided to try that. I'll say it's harder than it looks if you want all the facets even and proportional, which they are not on this one.
The ferrule (proper Japanese name?) was made by laminating three 1/4" thick pieces of mahogany at 0, 90, 0 degrees. Then the holes were drilled/burned in the ferrule and a larger block of mahogany for the rest of the handle. Glued it up yesterday, sanded to shape today and I'm putting the last coats of Tru-oil on the handle tonight and tomorrow. It will go back to the owner when I get back up to Asheville. The laminating makes the ferrule darker than the rest, so it has some contrast, though it changes when viewed from the side or the spine. Off for the second coat.
I really like the feel of the Wa handle. Does anyone have a tutorial or something on them? The santoku will be a full tang handle. It was a pretty productive weekend in the shop. I also ground out a 12" machete from S7. My little belt sander was relieved I only did some wood sanding today.