Planning a wooden knife handle. How thick should the handle pins be?

P

petercrowell

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Oct 17, 2013
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Do the handle pins need to be a certain diameter in relation to the size of the knife handle I'm making?

I'm planning to put a permanent rosewood handle on my Becker BK7. I'd like to use the existing holes and I don't know if they're wide enough.

Any help?

Thanks!
 
Not really. I'd get the handle off and see how big they need to be to fit the holes, and go from there.
 
Thanks for the replies!

So, the size of the pins is more a cosmetic concern?

It doesn't affect the strength of the handle?

Thanks again.
 
petercrowell said:
Thanks for the replies!

So, the size of the pins is more a cosmetic concern?

It doesn't affect the strength of the handle?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Well actually, after some consideration, there is a relationship between the size of the pins and the number of pins needed. If using 1/8" diameter pins, you will need less pins than if You're using 1/16" pins to have the same amount of strength... Material can be a factor, too, as copper is not as strong as stainless, so theoretically you would need more copper pins, or bigger copper pins, to equal the strength of a lesser number/size of stainless pins. There are no hard and fast rules, however.

Being that Becker uses only 3 'pins', it might be a good idea to go with larger pins in this case, or corby bolts.
 
In practical terms, the shear strength of most any metal pin is more than sufficient in any thickness above 1/16". 1/8" is more or less the standard pin size.
If the pin is intended to be a rivet, and the head will be peened to lock it into a chamfered or tapered hole, then 1/8" to 3/16" would be the range that works best.
Softer materials peen best. Brass, nickel, copper, being the norm. Stainless is harder and stays shiny, but can get very hot in grinding and sanding if not careful. That can break down the epoxy bond of the rivet as well as make a dark ring around the pin. Titanium is very tricky to use as a pin/rivet.

Corby bolts are the strongest and in my opinion the best method of permanently attaching wooden handle scales. They come in many size ranges, 1/8" to 3/8", and metal types.
http://usaknifemaker.com/handle-material-hardware-c-95/shields-corbys-other-fasteners-c-95-70.html
 
I'd think you'd want to get pins about the same diameter of the bolts currently in the handle.
If you went bigger you'd have to drill out the holes in the tang... not easy since the tang is likely hardened.
If you go smaller then the extra space between the pin and the tang will be need to be filled with epoxy during glue-up.
I don't suppose there is anything wrong with that but it seems like having metal/metal contact would be stronger and more durable.
 
..........I don't suppose there is anything wrong with that but it seems like having metal/metal contact would be stronger and more durable. .............


Actually, a tight metal to metal contact through the tang has more likelihood of shearing than one cushioned with a small ring of epoxy. I recommend the hole be 25% larger than the pin.
Also, if you drill the tang holes at the exact diameter of the rivets, the likelihood of all three pins going through easily during glue-up and assembly is very slim.
 
I generally use 3/16" pins (0.1875") and ream out the tang holes with a #11 carbide reamer (0.1910"). This gives a good fit with a little room for glue.

TedP
 
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