question on mortised tang handles

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
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How can I mortise two pieces of camel bone for a handle?

I do not have a mill. The bone is already cut in half.

I'm not sure if chisels will work....might chip or crack it...? dunno...

Dan
 
Are you talking about an angle on the scales, to match/interlock with some on the bolsters?

If so, you can use your belt grinder to do it.

Just use a rest that you can set at an angle, and after you cut the angle for the bolsters(25-40 degrees), use the same setting for the scales.

I have a feeling though, that I've misunderstood your question.:confused:
 
They make a router type base for the dremel I think. try that with a drill type cutting bit (loss for words ;) )

Also maybe a laminate trimmer/ router.

Mark and dremmel would be my first guess though.....

Let us know what you used. I may be in the same boat one of these days ;)
 
Mike - not sure I understand it either.....

I'll try again....


I want to put bone slabs on a hidden tang knife. Mortise out the tang from each slab, glue them together, maybe with a thin liner - for fun.

It's the mortising I'm not sure about...
 
DOH!! OK, I get it now.

You can use a centercutting end mill, slightly larger than the tang width, in your drill press.
Just wrap a piece of tape around it as a depth guage, and cut straight down.
You can clean the mortise up by setting the depth on the quill, and hand running the scale lengthwise along the cutter(using both hands to hold it) to clean it up.

There won't be enough lateral pressure exerted with bone, to hurt the drill press bearings.

You should be able to get a pretty cheap centercutting end mill at the hardware store, or any machine shop supply company.

The above is only if you don't want to use a chisel.
 
I'll second what Mike said Daniel.

The reason for using an end mill, is so that you get a flat at the bottom of your mortise.

It will REALLY help you hold it flat if you take a piece of wood (such as a short length of 2X4) and cutting a V into it. It's like a poor-man's V-block. Anyway, the round side of the bone will fit down into the V, and help to keep the flat (inside plain) where you want it.

You can also use a carbide cutter in your drill press or like Brian said, in a Dremel attachment.

I have a mill, and use a 3/8" center-cutting carbide end-mill to rough out most of the material. But I always come back and Dove-tail the slot with my Dremel...and typically get the last few thousandths with a file to get a nice snug fit.

Something worth note, you want a snug fit...but not a tight fit. A tight fit of the mortise to the tang, will force your scales apart.

I usually either do the fit up and epoxy the scales together, letting them cure overnight. OR, you can use Speed-Bonder if you want them to go together RIGHT NOW. But it's spendy, about $25.

Anyway, just some stuff to think about :)

-Nick-
 
I second the Dremil Router Base. It's a really handy little gadget and there's very little setup time for something like your handles.
 
thanks for the great information guys. I have a lock on my drill press, so I can use it to even it up after drilling it out.

I could probably make some v-groove boards from 2x4s and the just get it level. Again, thanks for the tips. I don't mind taking it slow.
 
Dan, for those who might not have the power tools, a Mill/Drill, etc; bone works very well with hand tools. You can do a nice job on a mortise tang inlet job with a coarse pillar file and small chisels. Dont take too big a cut, but you can carve out the mortise too.
 
Jason Magruder said:
What's the dove-tail for?
Click to expand...
Dovetailing the inside of the slots gives an extra area for the bonding agent to go into. It's helps keep the two slabs from separating. I failed to show that step in my tutorial, but I do it too. Instead of a dove-tail bit I use a little scraping tool I made to "undercut" in the bottom of the slots. I've also used a thin cutoff wheel on the Dremel. (Be careful with those)

I agree with Fox Creek. Hand tools can do the job just fine. I now use a mill, but I also have used a drill press, and before that hand tools. I've used a homemade wood chisel before, and in a pinch even sharpened the blade of a screwdriver to serve as a chisel.

Heck, I thought I might have a photo, but I don't. Here's a couple of shots I doctored up to give you the idea.

One way
dovetail_1.jpg


Another way
dovetail_2.jpg


When the two slabs go together and are filled with the bonding agent, it seeps up into those undercut areas and provides additional strength beyond pins or bolts to help keep the pieces from separating.
 
thanks, guys.


one more question - any tips on what I should do/consider if I want to make it into a take-down? (w/ mortised tang)
 
Dan,
If I was going to do a take-down, I wouldn't even fool a two piece mortised tang type of handle. These are generally (always?) reinforced with pins or bolts to help keep the two halves from separating. The pins and bolts are used in conjunction with a strong bonding agent, and this type of handle is not meant to come off.

What I would do for a take-down is drill all the way through the handle and attach a butt cap to cinch everything up nice and tight.

My recommendation is to order one of John Perry's handle broaches. Drill all the way through the handle material then use the broach to ream out a nice clean slot.

Here's what they look like:

jp_cutter.jpg


jp_cutter_end.jpg


John makes these in thicknesses of 1/8", 3/16", and 1/4". They are top notch. John's tools exhibit the same quality as his knives. The boy is too talented. It makes me sick. :D
 
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