Need a knife handle made

[u4styx]

I was hoping to get a little help of info on how to find someone to make a handle for my blade. I have some stuff already. I was going to try myself, I still might give it a go, however, it would be the first time and would prob look like caca. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

 

[i4Marc]

Don't doubt yourself. Try it. Go slowly and carefully. Plan ahead. Don't glue anything until you have all the parts exactly the way you want. You have the tang for a hidden tang construction but you don't have to tackle drilling and hollowing out a hole in that handle block if that is what is putting you off. You can do a frame handle. Get a spacer material the same thickness as your tang. Draw your handle shape on that and trace your tang. Cut out the tang space. Then apply slab scales on the sides. Easy peasy. There is a little more to it than that but you get the idea. You got this.

 

[FredyCro]

If you worry about ruining the material, take some cheap hardwood and try with that first. The principle is the same. I highly advise simple little life's video on yt about making WA handles.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

If you decide to have it done by another knifemaker, post the request in The Exchange under "Services Wanted".

Another good choice is to find a maker near you and do the handle as a project with his help.

 

[Hengelo_77]

You can do it!

 

[Mark van Elteren]

Another option might be do use a split dowel - the bolster/ferrule is made separately and fitted to the tang, then you drill a hole in the handle material, split a dowel of the same size as the hole and remove some material from each half, so that both pieces of the dowel and the blade fit into the hole snugly. Hope the explanation was clear

Mark

 

[kdnolin]

I believe this is what Mark is talking about. This method works very well for me. Once I get things lined up, I mark them because turning one piece can put things out of alignment. I just use a cheap drill press for drilling and not always perfectly straight.

 

[CallumRD1]

That’s the technique I use however I drill deeper into the handle and don’t split the dowel fully in half. I leave the two halves connected for the last half inch or so at the bottom to make it easier to assemble.

 

[fishface5]

That dowell trick is interesting! I have carefully fitted the bolster on the blade, then use a long thin bit to drill a line of deep holes into the handle and then filed the holes into one single opening that the tang can be slid into and glued. But the dowell method looks easier!

 

[kdnolin]

I split the dowel fully because is always have to sand it a little to make things fit. I can also sand one side more than the other if needed to get the blade straight.