Scandinavian-style handles

A

Alastair

Joined
May 1, 2003
Messages
21
I've got some scandinavian-slyle blades, and a copy of Bo Bergman's book on making handles and sheaths. Trouble is, he talks about drilling out hole for the tang - but I would need to drill a hole 4" long for that. He suggests drilling half-way from both ends - but without a drill press, I simply can't align accurately enough for this.

Does anyone have any suggestions for alternative techniques? I was thinking of forging a nail into the rough shape of the tang, heating it red hot, and burning through the wood. Anyone tried this?
 
To be perfectly honest, this issue has hung me up a number of times.

The best way to get around it is to shorten the tang, and just drill real carefully. If you're concerned about being able to drill straight, then make sure to drill before you start to shape the handle.

Cut the tang short with a hacksaw and a Bi-Metal blade. They have 'em at Home Depot, Lowe's, etc.
 
Your right about the drill press. However, I used to drill holes in long square stock and dowel rods for my girlfriends craft projects with a hand drill.
"Home improvement" stores(ie..Home Depot, Lowe's)usually have some
12" long dill bits in stock. I think mine were in the $6-$10 range.
That way you can go end to end. I clamped the piece to be drilled on the bench horizontally, line the drill up and clamp another straight piece of wood parallel to the first to reference the drill in that axis. I used a level on the drill for the other axis(the drilled stock must be on the same plane). A line drawn down the center of the drilled piece helps too. Do a little bit at a time. It takes a lot of eyeballing to do it right. On a piece, where you want both ends perfectly centered, I would mark and drill both ends some, then finish the length from one end. It was usually close enough, where the two hole met in the wood, that only a little reaming was need.
Regards,
Greg
 
The hot nail will not work well. As for drilling, try to fix up some kind of jig.
If your drill bits are not long enough, they make special longer bits for stuff like this. And then you can just drill straight through from one end.
Good luck.
 
Yeah, Bo made it sound easy, didn't he :)
But as you can see from above, it isn't.

Forget burning through, you'll end up with too big of a hole. BTDT :grumpy:

Forget 2 bits meeting in the middle without a drill press unless you have lots better eyes than I do, and/or you have perfectly square stock to begin with. Try checking yard sales, second hand stores, etc, for a drill holder you can attach a drill to ($4!) until you can get a real drill press. Ripper's method will work IF you can find a long bit small enough to match the end of the tang. It might take a lot of hunting to come up with one, there's not too many places that stock long bits that small. Maybe you'll find one online.

Go slowly, if you wander a few degrees off, the bit will flex (then snap) when you try to force it back on course. Then use intermediate sized bits to match the taper about halfway through. Rather than have a big round hole at the blade end, I drill 2 holes at an angle towards the center and drill & file out the rest. Tedious but it works.

If you are using curly birch, practice with a piece of soft pine first. Learned that the hard way too :mad:

After you do it successfully once, it gets easier. Tangs that don't have to go all the way through are much easier.
 
Thanks for the replies. I was beginning to think I was a klutz.

I'll try my local hardware - see if they can source some long bits for me.

Another question: Bo recommends using a drillbit very near to the thickness of the tang - well that isn't very thick! I think I might have more luck sourcing long drillbits if it is ok to use something larger. I think the tangs are about 1/8".

Since at least one of the knives is to be used for whittling, I wanted the tang to be near full-length for strength. Will probably bed it using epoxy, and might run a copper rivet through it as well.
 
Hi Alistair -

I see from other posts you're in the UK. FYI, Screwfix have some longish drillbits (119mm for a 4mm dia bit - hence long"ish"), which are what I tend to use. However, I also use a drillpress... Even a cheap one is better than nothing (£40 for a bench one, for example).

Let me know if I can be of assistance - it sort of takes the fun out of it, but if you want me to drill it for you, let me know. Once you've got the hole in, you can open it up to a slot with broaches.

BTW - dunno if you've seen this before, but there are a bunch of us rank amateurs (and the occasional pro) hang out on http://www.britishblades.com (as well as here, there and everywhere else).

ATB,

Peter
 
I recently attended to assist at 2 knife making courses. The instructor was born in Norway. He used / and so did all the students,
a drill about 3.5 to 4 inch long the side flutes were sharp and a different shap to the standard drill bit. I don't have a brand name.
We just drilled in with a electric hand drill and slotted up and down.

Before this I used to drill one sometimes 2 holes side buy side and used a small hand made chisel to take out the wood left. Re drill when you get too many shavings in the holes.

Once the tang is in then shape the handle to suit.
 
Originally posted by Reg ELLERY
I recently attended to assist at 2 knife making courses. The instructor was born in Norway. He used / and so did all the students,
a drill about 3.5 to 4 inch long the side flutes were sharp and a different shap to the standard drill bit. I don't have a brand name.
We just drilled in with a electric hand drill and slotted up and down.
Click to expand...


Sounds like a drywall routing bit.:confused:
 
The dry wall bits I think have a number of edges sticking up like a round rasp. He had one of those it worked but not as good as this other type. I did not take a lot of notice at the time because Thomas
said he had not been able to buy any at his local store for a while and did not have a brand name. I don't make a lot of stick tangs.
 
Rotozip and similar rotary cutters have 2 sharp flutes to cut, rather than rasps. They mke lousy drills, however :)

Is that the sort of thing you were meaning, Mike?

The ones I have are a bit short to do much in the way of deep cuts - I'd guess they are < 2.5" long.
 
I've made up a few knives from the Scandanavian blades with wood for handles. I bought a 1/8", 12" bit at Home Depo. I cut it down to about 6 1/2" with a hack saw to reduce flex and increase control. So far, key thing seems to be getting a straight pilot hole.

Since my handle material usually isn't square, and I don't have a press, the best way that I have found is to put a regular 3/32" or 1/16" bit in in a hand-mandrel and twist by hand. With a new bit, and a wood handle, it's not difficult at all. It goes slow enough that it is not too hard to avoid getting too out of line. Sight along the piece from different angles regularly, being careful not to bend the bit. Replace the smaller bit with a regular size 1/8 bit and cut it out to 1/8, again by hand. With care a slight correction can be made at this point. Go as deep as possible with the short bits and push just enough that the bit is really cutting, making a long shaving.

After that, put the handle in a vise and use a power drill with the long bit to follow the pilot hole. Go slow, and remove the bit regularly to remove shavings. There is no way for them to exit, the entire bit is 1/8 stock--it's not like an auger bit for a brace that has a skinnier shaft so the shavings can pass up and out (would probably be too weak then). With a little patience the entire job can be done with the hand-mandrel too. Do it while listening to the radio or watching TV.

I haven't gotten perfect results, but within 1/4 inch at the exit. So I start with a piece of wood large enough to compensate. Taper the hole with needle files, rifflers, pieces of coping saw blade glued in a handle, small drill bits, what ever you like. If you try to use a flexible saw bade, make sure it's mounted in the handle to cut on the pull. I peen the end of the tang over a 1/8" brass buttplate after gluing up with GB Weld.

Unless one has well-squared handle stock and a drill-press or jig, getting two, let alone three holes to meet up like B. B. shows seems pretty tough.
 
Thanks for that - will give it a go when I have the time.
After my last post, I went down to the local hardware and found they had just stocked some long bits - about 110 mm for 3mm bits. So I will try doing as you suggested, with normal bits, then the long bit.

I'm curious about that fluted bit someone mentioned. What sort of diameter is it? My hardware stocks a sort of 'roto rasp' bit, but it isn't small or long enough.

I have a jigsaw blade soldered into a wooden handle - that should do for the clearing out.

got a few cut-offs of 200yr-old maple floorboards - will probably use them for the handle - no need to worry about wasting one, anyway.
 
A lot of woodworking catalogs and even sears and home depot sell a decent jig that you can use with a regular pistol drill.
Used with a simple fixture made from scrap wood to hold your handle you can do some pretty precise drilling.
A lot of gadgets don't work or work poorly. This is different. It works. I don't see a 4 inch hole being a problem. Why would somebody want to stop and go the other way since long bits are easy to find?
 
I agree with everyone about the drill press. Even one of the use-a-hand-drill type of press that Tom mentioned.

After you get some kind of press there is a tricky little jig I've used for years to get two holes to meet.
Take a flat board 4 or 5 inches wide and long enough to go from one side of the table to the other (drill press table)

Drill a hole in the middle and put in a bolt you have sharpened the end of.
Line the point of the bolt up with your drill bit and clamp the board to the table . Lower the table enough to get your work betwen the bolt and bit.

Mark your work endsand use a light punch tap to make a dent in the marks.

Put one dent on the bolt point and the drill bit in the other and drill it. Turn it over and do it again. Believe me, they will meet.

To enlarhe the hole, make something that looks like one tooth on a saw with a long tang. Just scrape the side of the hole.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top