- Joined
- Dec 2, 2002
- Messages
- 73
I have been pretty disatisfied with my CS Trailmaster for quite some time. To me the handle is a monstrosity. No ergonomics at all...designed for something other than holding and chopping I guess. my disatisfaction boiled over after receiving a Camptramp and here is a handle that works. The heavier blade of the Trailmaster out chops and especially out splits the smaller Swamprat but with the lousy handle much of the potential advantage is waisted.
I almost sold my CS and purchased a Battlerat but 2 small kids and one income so I decided to rehandle instead. Took about 90 minutes (not counting glue drying time) and I am amazed at what an improvement a decent handle makes. I could now chop all day with little fatigue and no blisters!
Procedure:
1) Drill out the lanyard keeper on one side and punch out.
2) Slip off the old handle. It's a tight friction fit and you may need to cut it to get to release. (It cuts easily with a knife)
3) Make a pattern for the new handle. I used the Camp Tramp shape but straigtened out to fit the straight Tang
4) Drill a 5/32 inch hole in the Tang...(Mine was soft enough to drill easily...are these things differentially hardened?) This will be for a rivet
5) Cut two hardwood scales to fit your pattern
6) Cut mortise in scales to fit over tang....If you have a router table cut a stopped mortise the length of the tang. I used a table saw and cut a through mortise. Use a chisel to increase size of mortise close to handle where the guard keepers increases size of tang
7) Using tang as Jig: drill one scale to fit laynyard hole and rivet hole
8) Glue two haves together with epoxy... I used tang as a jig and removed when glue tacked up. (release agent on tang)
9) When glue dries drill other scale to match two holes
10) Rough shape handle.
11) Epoxy handle on..(I kept release agant on tang in case I needed to remove some day and used epoxy to fill voids and make custom fit)
12) Use 5/32 brass rod as a rivet using a ball peen hammer to round ends..may need to countersink outside of hole about 1/4" to give room for expansion.
Use brass or copper pipe to fill laynayard hole. Used a thick center punch with an extreme angle to flare two ends...
13) Epoxy in a patch to fill mortise hole (Not neccessary if you used a router table and made a stopped mortise)
14) Finish shaping, sanding and apply finish.
You could use micarta but that costs money and I had all these scraps in my garage. My handle is hard Maple and looks great next to the black blade.
Not sure how to post pics but if any-one is interested I would e-mail you a picture of the finished product....I am far from an artist, I follow in the footsteps of my farmer dad to get it done and move on, but this project worked out well.
I almost sold my CS and purchased a Battlerat but 2 small kids and one income so I decided to rehandle instead. Took about 90 minutes (not counting glue drying time) and I am amazed at what an improvement a decent handle makes. I could now chop all day with little fatigue and no blisters!
Procedure:
1) Drill out the lanyard keeper on one side and punch out.
2) Slip off the old handle. It's a tight friction fit and you may need to cut it to get to release. (It cuts easily with a knife)
3) Make a pattern for the new handle. I used the Camp Tramp shape but straigtened out to fit the straight Tang
4) Drill a 5/32 inch hole in the Tang...(Mine was soft enough to drill easily...are these things differentially hardened?) This will be for a rivet
5) Cut two hardwood scales to fit your pattern
6) Cut mortise in scales to fit over tang....If you have a router table cut a stopped mortise the length of the tang. I used a table saw and cut a through mortise. Use a chisel to increase size of mortise close to handle where the guard keepers increases size of tang
7) Using tang as Jig: drill one scale to fit laynyard hole and rivet hole
8) Glue two haves together with epoxy... I used tang as a jig and removed when glue tacked up. (release agent on tang)
9) When glue dries drill other scale to match two holes
10) Rough shape handle.
11) Epoxy handle on..(I kept release agant on tang in case I needed to remove some day and used epoxy to fill voids and make custom fit)
12) Use 5/32 brass rod as a rivet using a ball peen hammer to round ends..may need to countersink outside of hole about 1/4" to give room for expansion.
Use brass or copper pipe to fill laynayard hole. Used a thick center punch with an extreme angle to flare two ends...
13) Epoxy in a patch to fill mortise hole (Not neccessary if you used a router table and made a stopped mortise)
14) Finish shaping, sanding and apply finish.
You could use micarta but that costs money and I had all these scraps in my garage. My handle is hard Maple and looks great next to the black blade.
Not sure how to post pics but if any-one is interested I would e-mail you a picture of the finished product....I am far from an artist, I follow in the footsteps of my farmer dad to get it done and move on, but this project worked out well.
