Stick Tang Help

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me2

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Oct 11, 2003
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I have a piece of steel in the already hardened condition and want to make probably 2 knives out of it. The easiest ways I've come up with to make handles are cord wrapped and stick tang. I have no way to drill holes for full tang handles. I've not tried any knives with cord wrapped handles for real work, so would rather not do that, which leaves stick/hidden tangs. I've done a couple before, and burned the tang into a piece of wood after heating w/ a Mapp gas torch. Is there a better way that doesn't risk overheating part of the blade?
 
If you're heating it with a torch, you might could get it soft enough to drill. I usually clamp the blade in my vise then heat the tang. Vise acts as a heat sink.
 
Yeah, for fitting a stick tang handle there is a better way. It does depend whether it will be a blind hole or not.

Either way, mark out the thickness and height of the tang where you want it placed on the end of your block. If it's a blind hole type handle, mark out the length on the side of the piece. Mark out the intended line of the hole, down the side of the piece. Figure out what drill bit to use- it should be as wide as the tang's thickness. Like drilling a guard, overlap holes slightly; usually two or three holes.

Clamp the handle block in a drill press vise, check to make sure it's clamped so that the drill bit is in line with your intended hole one way. Looking from the other way it should be straight up and down, in line with the blade and handle.

Drill carefully. After the holes are drilled, you can hog out much of the web by wallowing the bit around in the holes. You can then use a rough file, a modified drywall saw, a very small chisel, or better yet, a handle broach to finish opening up the web and square the inside corners.

If you have an oversize fit, that's not the end of the world. As long as you can position the handle how you want it to be, and clamp it there while the epoxy sets, it will be bedded by the epoxy when finished.

This is just a very simple rundown. It's obviously more complex than this, research it a bit- there has to be material in the stickies about drilling and fitting for a hidden tang.

Or, go watch some knifemaking vids on YouTube. I'll bet someone on there is doing this.

You sure you don't want to make knives from annealed stock?
 
I have made a couple from annealed stock. This material was free, and I hate to see it go to waste. I made a test blade and slotted a handle and just epoxied it in the slot, but that didn't last long. I'll see what I can come up with that will work.
 
jkf96a said:
If you're heating it with a torch, you might could get it soft enough to drill.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if it's a relatively low-allow steel, that more-or-less works. If it's an air-quenched steel like D2 or CPM-154 the torch probably won't help a lot. A solid carbide bit is never a bad thing to have around for these situations. They seem expensive at $15 or more apiece but sometimes they're just the ticket.

me2 said:
I made a test blade and slotted a handle and just epoxied it in the slot, but that didn't last long.
Click to expand...

With a stick tang you're going to want to either drill for a pin or thread the end for a nut or buttcap, so there's no way it can slip out of the handle at some later date. That would be pretty embarassing :D Basically, every handle regardless of style should have two ways of not coming apart whenever possible, and if I could only use one way it would be mechanical, not chemical.
 
If the bits are no more expensive than that, I may try to find them locally. Granger, Fastenal, etc. are all around. Lowe's and HD and the local Fastenal don't seem to understand that steel can be much harder than what they sell in the rack. Oh, and the steel is definately high alloy and will certainly air harden. Don't wanna try that route. The heat treating on it is simply superb for my use and I don't want to take a chance on messing it up.
 
What's wrong with a cordwrapped handle for "real work".... chicken?...... lol..... Real men keep their tools under wraps!

Just messin' but not really.
Rick
 
Cord wrapped handles are awesome for real work! For users cord handles are my favorite. Grippy wet or dry, lightweight, never burn or freeze your hand. Only problem is that the cord looks like hell after a while so needs to be replaced often.

You could do a mortised tang, take your handle material and split it down the middle lengthwise, then trace your knife tang onto one side and carve out a recess that will fit the tang. You could mortise just one side of the handle or do both half the thickness of the tang. Leave a fat section somewhere near the back of the tang that will keep it from ever being able to pull out. Or you can put a notch in the tang and put a pin through the handle in that notch. Then just epoxy it all back together and you're good to go.
 
There nothing wrong with them, I just don't have any exerience in making them. I suppose one has to start somewhere. Suggestions for cord, seal or don't seal, wrap types etc.?
 
You sure can't get carbide bits at any hardware store out here in B.F.E., unfortunately. Hope you have better luck where you are.
 
Look at knifemaker supply houses, MSC Direct/Grainger/Fastenal/McMaster Carr etc online for solid carbide bits, not a cheap bit with a coating on it. They carry pro-level tools, local hardware stores typically carry disposable junk.
 
Grab some 50/50 cord and start wrapping. There's no right or wrong way to do it, you just need to find what works for you. Any cord will work, it doesn't have to be paracord. Boot laces, hemp twine, leather strips, pretty much anything stringlike can work good on the right knife.

Personally I don't like to seal cord. I like having the option of rewrapping easily to try different colors and patterns whenever I feel like it. Also I just prefer the feel of it unsealed.



I've never seen a carbide bit in any hardware store. All they have around here are crappy bits in blister packs.
 
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