Disclaimer: I'm by no means an expert, and there probably is a better way. I know there are other methods, but this is how I know/remember how to put a handle on. I hope this might help some, and thought some photos couldn't hurt.
I've had this blank laying around for a while, I was waiting on getting a drill press so that the holes would line up right and hopefully I wouldn't screw it up.
Clamp blank to handle material and drill holes, putting pins in as you go so everything stays lined up. John's tip on putting the pin material in a drill and sanding/tapering them worked well.
Draw the handle outline on your material.
Cut out each slab. (bandsaw, jig saw, coping saw etc)
Done, ready for glue up- the protruding pins are reference points for your grip. lol
Mark how you want the front of your handle to be, take the blank out from the handles pined together, and shape how you want. Kyenglish had several photos of this shaping process.
This is as far as I've gotten. Power tools make it go quicker, but it could all be done by hand. Hope this post helps some of y'all.