Steps for making the handle on my first knife

T

ttank0789

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Dec 13, 2012
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I've posted a couple threads already about making my first knife so some of you may have seen some of this same stuff from me. Sorry for being repetitive. I'm not actually making the knife, I'm just assembling a knife kit so I'll just be attaching the guard and making the handle. My kit arrived in the mail yesterday so I'm going to take my time to make sure I get it right, and get it put together over the next couple weeks.

For the handle I'm most likely going to use some black walnut that my uncle has in his woodshop. The wood has been sitting a while so it's good and dry so that won't be a problem I'll run into. I will have to stabilize it though which I'm going to do myself because it is more cost efficient and I'm just trying to make a simple hunting knife. I think I have the entire process down in my head but I just wanted to post a step-by-step list of what I plan on doing to see if I have it right. Any input, suggestions, and/or possible changes are welcome. Thank you!

Cut wood to scale size and stabilize.
Attach guard by peening the ends of the pin over. File the ends of the pins so that everything is flush.
Trace tang shape on scales and cut them a little larger than the tang size to allow for sanding and shaping.
Clamp knife to the scale and drill pin and thong holes through the scales. Repeat for the other scale.
Attach the scales with the pins (no epoxy) to make sure everything fits good.
Sand and shape handle to my liking.
Take the handle apart and put epoxy on the entire tang, inside of the handle, and pin and thong holes.
Attach handle.
After the epoxy dries do what minor sanding is left, polish the guard and handle, coat the handle in boiled linseed oil.
Kill a deer.
Field dress the deer with my new knife.
 
ttank0789 said:
Cut wood to scale size and stabilize. You don't "NEED" to stabilize black walnut, and any home DIY stab set-up I know of will give you poor results at best. Walnut will outlast us both if it's given a good oil finish, kept reasonably clean, and wiped down with oil once or twice a year.
Attach guard by peening the ends of the pin over. File the ends of the pins so that everything is flush. Make sure you sand/polish the front of the bolster before assembly, and make sure the fronts of the scale are square and true so they'll mate up to the bolster without gaps. Using JB-Weld or epoxy as well as the peened pins will help seal the guard/bolster and ensure moisture can't seep under it and cause corrosion.
Click to expand...

Be sure to use pins that fit easily through the holes in the tang, so they have room to swell when you peen them. Aside from those small, but important details, your plan is quite sound :)
 
james terrio said:
Be sure to use pins that fit easily through the holes in the tang, so they have room to swell when you peen them. Aside from those small, but important details, your plan is quite sound :)
Click to expand...

Do I need to peen the pins that go into the handle too? Or will they be fine with just the epoxy? I have not read or heard that I need to peen the pins that go into the handle. That seems like it could mar the wood on the handle.
 
Since you are (wisely) planning to cut your bolsters and scales fairly close to the right size before mounting, I would start with a single-cut 2nd or mill file. Here's a link to a good overview of files in general.

When the deepest scratch made by your file is close to your final dimension, switch to sandpaper wrapped around the file or any other handy block or dowel that fits the contour you're trying to achieve. 100-grit paper, then 220, then 400... etc.

A "four-in-hand" combo file/rasp is very handy to have around, especially if you need to do more aggressive stock-removal. They're pretty self-explanatory. If I relied completely on hand tools and could only have one file for basic guard/handle shaping, this would be the one.

62w0901s1b.jpg
 
This is what I like to do when drilling scales tape them together with the sides you want finished facing out. Tape to the knife handle. I use packing tape so I can see what I am doing. Clamp to your drill press table. I use a drill press vise but you can use clamps if you don't have one. Then drill through holes in the tang.

Now this is very important,, If you don't clamp the knife and the blade goes for a ride you WILL loose a finger or worse. The drill press must be respected !

This is only how I like to do it. I am in no way an expert but I have made my fair share of knives but still learning everyday. Good luck.

Mark
 
I'm thinking that the pins in the handle will be sticking out some after I get totally done with all of the sanding and shaping of the handle after it's glued together. I won't know the exact length that they will end up being when I glue it, so once I get the sanding done there will be some extra sticking out, right? If that's the case what do you do to get rid of that excess pin material? I figure that I could probably cut it off with a hacksaw.
 
Just use pins that are longer than you need. Glue up the handle and make sure that epoxy is in the holes for the pins as you twist them when inserting. Leave the excess sticking out both sides and GENTLY clamp the handle and let the epoxy cure for a day. When the clamps come off, clip/saw off the excess and sand/file the pins down flush as you sand/file the handle to final shape. They will be smooth and flush with the wood. Take your time and don't heat up the handle when sanding on a belt grinder. Hand sanding at the finer grits is preferred.
 
Thanks! I don't belive I will have a buffing wheel avaliable to use, so what would be the best way to go about buffing the handle when I'm done? Would finer grit sandpaper work for buffing?
 
Sand to 2500 grit.....or even 8000 grit. Hand buff with a soft cloth. A touch of hard wax will also add some shine, but don't use much.
 
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